Resource Management Associate

Resource Management Associate

Job summary As Resource Management Associate, you'll intern and staff schedules for client-serving professionals.  You'll match resource needs with availability, while taking into consideration skills required, personal preferences of individuals, and the overall engagement risk. By coordinating with other Resource Management associates, and client service leaders, you'll balance workloads and address any staffing needs.  Your main focus will be on staffing within and across Sub-Areas. With minimal supervision on a day-to-day basis, you'll work independently, setting your own priorities. You'll consult with Resource Management leaders as needed, to help resolve any issues or conflicts. Responsibilities

• Assign appropriate client service personnel to engagements. This will involve assessing the engagement needs, reviewing available options, and recommending people that meet the requirements of Sub-Areas and clients. When appropriate, challenge the schedule to confirm the most efficient utilization of resources
• Promote and monitor the sharing of resources. Network with other team members across Sub-Areas and service lines, to address resource needs and deal with any conflicts
• Resolve conflicts with engagement team members. This may involve identifying alternative roles that meet engagement requirements and the developmental goals of staff
• Build relationships with client service personnel, to identify personal schedule preferences and/or career development issues
• Balance the needs of the engagement with the preferences of individuals
• Reassign projects, to cope with personnel leaving or joining Ernst & Young, or to meet changing client needs (to either delay or speed up the project)
• Monitor unassigned resources, and act as primary point of contact for local unassigned staff. Proactively identify assignments for these people
• Fill open places on projects. Proactively identify projects that may be able to release individuals
• Regularly communicate any changes in personnel on projects, as well as any performance concerns raised by engagement teams
• Counsel those you support as needed/requested, and raise issues to appropriate leaders
• Work with the Campus and Experienced Hire recruiters, to agree start dates for interns, newly-hired people, and staff transferring from other projects
• Help integrate new hires into teams, explaining the Resource Management process
• Coordinate with the Americas People Team (APT), to provide mandatory training for  all personnel
• Review actual and projected resource utilization for projects. Anticipate availability of people and proactively decrease the time that people spend unassigned, while balancing the workload of all client-serving individuals
• Prioritize staffing decisions based on engagement risk, specialization requirements, timing constraints, staffing continuity and geographic considerations
• Identify poor performance or morale amongst client-serving staff. Work with the APT and Resource Management leaders to address these issues
• Identify over- and under-utilized personnel, and bring in additional resources to balance their workload with their peers
• Negotiate with client-serving teams to make individuals available to meet staffing priorities for the Sub-Area

 Knowledge and skills requirements

• Strong analytical skills, with attention to detail
• Proficient in Scheduling tool and other Microsoft applications
• English language skills - very strong written and verbal communication
• Proficient at negotiating and managing conflict  
• Proven client service focus, with an ability to resolve issues quickly, with a sense of urgency 
• Good understanding of the policies of a professional services firm
• Strong problem-solving skills
• Flexible in adapting to constantly changing priorities
• Outstanding teamwork and interpersonal skills
• Confident at working independently, with an ability to self start
• Adept at handling multiple tasks, with strong organizational skills
• Demonstrated change agent ability

  Experience

• 0-3 years of experience
• Experience in a professional services firm desirable

 Education

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent work experience