S&PP S&C Pricing Architect (Manager) - Corporate Function

Job Description:
Sales & Pricing Performance provides end-to-end sales and pricing effectiveness, sales operations, and analytics services. S&PP partners with teams around the world to deliver insights, improve acumen and win profitable deals.

Accenture Pricing Architects are a highly visible group with a mission to develop and implement strategies and tactics that enable Accenture deal teams to maximize profitability and achieve desired outcomes for our clients through compelling, market-based pricing and commercial propositions. This role drives key strategic and tactical decisions related to pricing and profitability for a given geography, working across industries and services groups with a focus on building relationships, knowledge, and insights about each commercial environment. Market, Services, and Market Unit leads are trusted advisors within their respective Leadership teams.

Primary responsibilities include:
Core Service Execution
・Market Pricing Strategy and Execution:Support senior leadership in defining Accenture’s pricing approach to maximize profitable growth across Client Groups.
・Deal Pricing Strategy and Execution:S&C Pricing Architects design and implement commercial strategies to enhance profitability, overseeing price positioning and client optics, deal shaping, deal qualification activities and financial structuring.
・Competitive Positioning:Competitive Pricing Architects build a point of view about competitor pricing and capabilities, derive deal-specific Accenture price target based on differentiation, and work with stakeholders to achieve target.
・Rate Card Strategy and Development:Rate Card Pricing Architects design and develop client rate cards for account teams.
Drive and manage programs that improve sales
・Identify and drive sales & pricing performance improvements by developing and implementing best practices, process and reporting
・Support sales professionals/leaders in understanding client requirements, constraints, buyer values and high-level acceptability criteria for any solution
・Work with Solution Delivery and Sales teams in identification, analysis, solution, business case development, proposal preparation and presentation to clients
・Manage sales materials and credentials and coordinate the RFI/RFP/proposal response completion with sales teams, Solution Architects, delivery managers, and Sales Support teams
・Define, monitor and analyze program metrics, targets and strategic imperatives based on fiscal year plans as well as structure and/or review the cost models to achieve the most competitive price
Operational Execution
・With MU and Service Leadership, proactively manage the pipeline to ensure accuracy, identify trends (including but not limited to deal sizes, MD time, ADR / CCI, pyramids, commercial constructs etc.), and provide insight on opportunities for optimization both overall and across priority deals.
・Guide Pricing Support team in developing pricing and commercial propositions for bids and proposals, demonstrating the greatest value to clients and driving market-based pricing.
・Build and maintain strong relationships both internally within the practice and externally with clients.
Other Service Offerings
・Education:Support upskilling of client-facing practitioners and internal teams involved in sales & pricing, equipping them with the context and confidence to defend market-based pricing.
・Negotiations:Provide coaching on negotiation tactics and walk-away points and directly participate in client and/or procurement negotiations on a limited basis.
・Deal Profitability Triage:For specific opportunities identified by the Market and/or opportunities below deal level targets, identify avenues to increase price and/or margin on the opportunity across all aspects (e.g., solution, costing, commercials).
・TPA Benchmark Defense:Lead/support client/account teams through a Third Party Advisor (TPA) benchmark of an existing contract or a sole source pursuit on a limited basis.
Support sales
・Build credible relationships and manage interface with Sales Lead(s), Legal, Finance, Contracting, Human Resources, Recruiting, Marketing, and other internal organizations, as well as clients, as appropriate
・Understand Accenture assets, offerings and methodologies to match to client business needs effectively

Knowledge & Skill Requirements:
・Competitive Analysis:ADVANCED
・Deal Shaping:INTERMEDIATE
・Executive Presence:INTERMEDIATE
・Market Intelligence:ADVANCED
・Negotiation:INTERMEDIATE
・Pricing & Commercial Strategy Development:ADVANCED
・Pricing & Profitability Optimization:ADVANCED

Educational Qualification

Must have:
・Undergraduate degree
・English language fluency (oral and written)

Good to have:
・Business Management education desirable

Skills & Work Experience

Must have:
・minimum of 6 years of experience

Good to have:
・Deep understanding of S&PP processes and tools preferred
Familiarity with Finance processes desirable

Other requirements
・Must support/mirror working hours for the supported Market Unit or other business area
・Must be flexible with work hours according to shifting business needs
・Must have good internet connectivity and distraction-free environment for working at home, in accordance with local guidelines
・May be required to travel on rare occasions

Additional Comments
What Makes a Good Pricing Architect?
・Experience working in a senior role with “deal shaping” expertise. Is great at educating and influencing other leaders, to change behaviors in line with desired outcomes. “Grew up” and made Manager on the line.
・Highly knowledgeable about the key components of a deal that can enhance profitability, with proven ability to structure different pricing arrangements
・Enjoys the hunt – thrives on negotiation, but recognizes a good negotiation should be a win/win
・Consummate Learner AND Teacher – we want people who are intellectually curious and quick studies, with a mindset and drive to aggressively change behaviors toward market-relevant pricing
・Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with gravitas, confidence and credibility to engage and take on commercial negotiations with senior client decision makers and procurement teams
・Well-connected within their practice and viewed as an equal among the deal team – it is best for the practice lead to identify potential candidates (i.e. hand-select the bottle from the cellar)