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About the Next Frontier:
Applied Innovation's Next Frontier focuses on emerging technologies, including Physical AI, Quantum Computing, and Frontier AI, amongst others such as Cyber Frontier. This initiative translates advanced capabilities into measurable outcomes, helping clients and EY teams unlock new opportunities through technology-driven capabilities.
The opportunity:
EY's Next Frontier Quantum team helps organizations manage quantum-era risk and develop practical quantum-enabled opportunities. The portfolio emphasizes quantum-safe cybersecurity, post-quantum cryptography (PQC), cryptographic modernization and agility, supported by selective quantum computing innovation and ecosystem partnerships.
The Associate Director will provide technical, strategic, commercial and people leadership across EY's quantum safety portfolio. The role will lead complex client engagements, shape market offerings, develop talent and advise senior stakeholders on quantum risk, cryptographic transformation and PQC adoption. The successful candidate will combine deep enterprise cryptography expertise with vendor and standards knowledge, strong consulting leadership and the ability to translate advanced technology into executable programs and commercial outcomes.
Quantum Safety, Cryptography and Architecture
- Lead enterprise quantum-risk and PQC-readiness assessments across governance, data, applications, infrastructure, cryptographic assets, third parties and operating models.
- Define quantum-safe strategies, target-state architectures, prioritized roadmaps and migration plans aligned to business criticality, data sensitivity, regulation and technology dependencies.
- Direct cryptographic discovery, inventory and dependency-mapping initiatives covering certificates, keys, algorithms, protocols, libraries and services.
- Lead modernization across PKI, certificate lifecycle management, KMS, HSM, IAM, secrets management, TLS, SSH, VPN, signing and enterprise encryption.
- Design crypto-agile governance and engineering patterns that support hybrid deployment, algorithm replacement and phased migration.
- Guide evaluation, benchmarking, piloting and implementation of PQC algorithms, including ML-KEM, ML-DSA and SLH-DSA, with awareness of Falcon, Classic McEliece and other advanced approaches.
- Assess implementations for protocol fit, interoperability, performance, side-channel exposure, certificate and key impacts, compliance and operational risk.
- Advise executives on Shor's and Grover's algorithms, harvest-now-decrypt-later exposure, supplier readiness and third-party migration roadmaps.
Vendor, Ecosystem and Standards Leadership
- Maintain strong knowledge of the PQC and quantum-security vendor landscape, including cryptographic discovery, migration, secure communications, QKD, QRNG and enabling technologies.
- Evaluate vendors for maturity, strategic fit, interoperability, security, performance, architecture, product roadmap, implementation requirements and commercial potential.
- Advise clients on market scans, build-buy-partner decisions, requests for information, proofs of concept and technology selection.
- Maintain familiarity with relevant ecosystem participants such as IBM, Microsoft, NVIDIA, Quantinuum, SandboxAQ, PQShield, Q-CTRL and other established and emerging providers.
- Monitor and interpret developments from NIST, ETSI, IETF, ISO or IEC, FIPS and relevant regulatory or industry initiatives.
- Build relationships with technology providers, startups, academic institutions, standards bodies, national programs and industry consortia.
Client Delivery, Commercialization and Team Leadership
- Lead complex, multi-workstream engagements from opportunity shaping and mobilization through delivery, executive readout and implementation planning.
- Own scope, quality, financial performance, staffing, risks, dependencies, governance and stakeholder expectations across global teams.
- Build trusted relationships with CIOs, CISOs, CTOs, Chief Risk Officers, enterprise architects and data-protection leaders.
- Shape go-to-market strategy and offerings for quantum-risk assessment, crypto discovery, crypto-agility, PQC migration, quantum-resistant networking and quantum cyber defense.
- Translate research, patents, prototypes and vendor capabilities into repeatable services, accelerators, reference architectures, demonstrations and business cases.
- Lead and mentor multidisciplinary teams of cryptographers, architects, engineers, researchers, product specialists and consultants.
- Produce executive-ready proposals, roadmaps, architecture blueprints, standards, whitepapers and thought leadership; represent EY in relevant industry forums.
Selective Quantum Computing Responsibilities
- Maintain sufficient knowledge of quantum computing to identify credible use cases and connect quantum safety strategy with the broader quantum ecosystem.
- Guide selective proofs of concept in optimization, simulation or quantum machine learning, ensuring defensible classical baselines, benchmarking and business-value assessment.
- Provide working familiarity with QAOA, VQE, hybrid classical-quantum architectures and platforms such as Qiskit, PennyLane, Amazon Braket or CUDA-Q.
Skills and attributes for success:
- Deep expertise in PQC, crypto-agility, cryptographic governance, enterprise architecture, quantum-risk assessment and migration strategy.
- Strong delivery experience across PKI, CLM, KMS, HSM, IAM, TLS, SSH, signing, secure networking, encryption and cryptographic lifecycle management.
- Knowledge of lattice-based, code-based and hash-based cryptography; algorithm implementation, protocol engineering, side-channel considerations and testing.
- Experience with cryptographic discovery, inventory design, dependency mapping, prioritization, vendor evaluation, benchmarking and proof-of-concept delivery.
- Executive communication, consulting, commercial shaping, structured problem solving and client relationship-management skills.
- Ability to lead globally distributed, multidisciplinary teams and balance scientific rigor, engineering feasibility, security and market value.
- Proficiency in Python is desirable; familiarity with C or C++, cloud-native architecture, APIs, containers, CI/CD or accelerated computing is beneficial.
What we look for:
- Master's degree or PhD in cryptography, cybersecurity, computer science, mathematics, physics, engineering or a related field, or equivalent relevant professional experience.
- Significant experience in cybersecurity, cryptography, quantum technologies, enterprise architecture, technical product leadership or advanced computing, including responsibility for complex programs and senior stakeholders.
- Demonstrated delivery in PQC readiness, cryptographic discovery, PKI or key-management modernization, protocol engineering, encryption services or quantum-safe transformation.
- Experience creating architecture blueprints, standards, policies, roadmaps, proposals, patents, research outputs, executive materials or commercial offerings.
- Experience in consulting, technology, research, government or product organizations and in regulated or critical-infrastructure sectors is desirable.
- Relevant security, cryptography, cloud, architecture or quantum certifications are desirable.
Note: This job description is intended as a guide to reflect the principal functions of the job. However, it is not an all-inclusive listing of the required job functions and functions may vary depending on the geographic location of the job and/or the manager. Further, the job description is subject to change at the discretion of management.
What we offer you
The compensation ranges below are provided in order to comply with United States pay transparency laws. Other geographies will follow their local salary guidelines, which may not be a direct conversion of published US salary ranges. At EY, we harness our collective strength to empower you to shape your future with confidence through professional growth, personal fulfillment and an inclusive culture. Learn more at ey.com/us/careers.
- We offer a comprehensive compensation and benefits package where you’ll be rewarded based on your performance and recognized for the value you bring to the business. The base salary range for this job is:
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- New York City, Boston, and Washington DC Metro Areas, Washington State, and Southern California offices – $191,100 to $344,100
- Bay Area California offices – $199,100 to $358,400
- All other offices locations in the US, including Sacramento – $159,300 to $315,400
- Individual salaries within these ranges are determined through a wide variety of factors including but not limited to education, experience, knowledge, skills and geography. In addition, our Total Rewards package includes medical and dental coverage, pension and 401(k) plans, and a wide range of paid time off options.
- Under our flexible vacation policy, you’ll decide how much vacation time you need based on your own personal circumstances. You’ll also be granted time off for designated EY Paid Holidays, Winter/Summer breaks, Personal/Family Care, and other leaves of absence when needed to support your physical, financial, and emotional well-being.
Are you ready to shape your future with confidence? Apply today.
- To make the most of your application experience, please limit yourself to two applications within a six-month period.
- EY accepts applications for this position on an on-going basis.
- For those living in California, please click here for additional information.
- At EY, our values set the foundation for how we work and the behaviors we expect of our people. Any misrepresentation or falsification of information or lack of integrity at any point in the recruiting process may result in withdrawal of your candidacy, revocation of an offer or immediate termination of employment.
EY | Building a better working world
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All in to shape the future with confidence.
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