Microsoft is on a mission to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. Our culture is centered on embracing a growth mindset, a theme of inspiring excellence, and encouraging teams and leaders to bring their best each day. In doing so, we create life-changing innovations that impact billions of lives around the world. You can help us achieve our mission.

The Azure Core and Edge (ACE) Business Development team is responsible for strategic alliances, new partnership opportunity identification, and inorganic growth initiatives (including Mergers & Acquisitions) for Microsoft’s core compute, networking, storage, edge, operator, top secret cloud, and developer offerings. We drive impact by forging industry-leading partnerships, evaluating opportunities that accelerate Microsoft’s Azure and AI business, and tracking industry innovation and market developments. As a team, we hold ourselves accountable to use data, customer signal, and best practices to drive clarity on strategy, product plans, and partnerships.

We are seeking a Senior Business Development Manager to join the Azure Compute team. You will work closely with executive members of the Business Development, Strategy, and Ventures (BDSV) and Azure Core Engineering organizations to identify ways Azure can accelerate its market expansion and ability to meet the needs of customers with Linux and Open-source Software (OSS). You will also work cross-company with Product, Finance, Corporate Development, Legal, and other stakeholders to conduct market analyses, develop data-driven strategies that impact engineering roadmaps, and execute partnerships and acquisitions that grow the business. This high-visibility opportunity is ideal for an individual that wants to drive significant business impact and grow the share of workloads on Azure with our industry-leading partners.

Our team values principles of diversity, belonging, and allyship; and embraces a culture of curiosity, self-awareness, mutual support, authenticity, and integrity.

This role will be based in Redmond, WA or San Francisco, CA. 

Responsibilities

Partner & Customer Focus

• Leverages internal and external network to develop new strategic relationships with executive business and technical decision makers. Develops relationships as a trusted advisor for a particular line of business. Provides industry insights internally.

• Articulates the value of Microsoft solutions in the context of the customer's perspective, leveraging knowledge of customer and partner business priorities and/or drivers and anticipating changes and actions to influence decision making, identify opportunities, and influence the product roadmap.

Partnership Strategy

• Executes and applies value propositions, amending the framework as appropriate to create partnerships with customers and partners. Influences internal stakeholders and partners and promotes the value of opportunities.

• Positions the Microsoft value proposition versus competitors and works with stakeholders to influence the build/buy/partner decision to meet customer needs, leveraging knowledge of Microsoft and customer issues in conjunction with product/industry teams to establish a foundation for future opportunities in competitive situations through collaboration. Provides insight on industry and/or competitive trends and drives action based on insights.

• Identifies and collaborates with a diverse set of stakeholders to develop plans to source deals that target high-priority gaps across technology, product, business, and/or geography. Identifies opportunities and strategy and maps target customers/partners. Utilizes quantitative data (e.g., usage, revenue) to inform internal and external decisions. Provides input into recommendations on partners.

• Formulates partnership strategy for products and businesses with input from relevant stakeholders. Manages pipeline by identifying, promoting, prioritizing, guiding, and influencing processes that develop and deliver on pipeline opportunities and optimize resources to better deliver including preparing information for reporting to key stakeholders, identifying key stakeholders and reporting. Prepares information for reporting to key stakeholders, including synthesizing key work for executive consumption.

Negotiation

• Leads deal opportunities across deal stages (e.g., Strategic Approval (SA), Approval to Negotiate (A2N), Final Go-no-go (FGNG)) Represents Microsoft in key customer and partner interactions and recommends deal structures, leveraging experience to articulate key deal terms. Collaborates proactively to close opportunities and scale the business. Identifies opportunities for customized approaches. Identifies negotiation scenarios and manages executive escalations. Manages stakeholders to gain consensus and ensure internal alignment.

Deal Management/Governance

• Develops plans for managing deals, including communications, and reporting with Microsoft stakeholders. Resolves blocking issues using known techniques.

• Collaborates with customers, partners, and Microsoft colleagues to develop post-deal governance and ensure design, communication, and alignment in creation and implementation of execution plans across a portfolio of deals within a particular domain. Ensures customers and partners are prepared for implementation. Develops Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to demonstrate achieved business value. Troubleshoots complex issues and course corrects as appropriate. Articulates alternatives to blockers across a body of deals to develop consistent deal negotiation policy and drive application of scalable resolutions.

Other

• Embody our culture and values

Qualifications

Required/Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Engineering, Finance, Information Technology, Sciences, or related field AND 5+ years relevant work experience (e.g., enterprise technology, investment banking, strategy consulting, finance, corporate strategy, venture capital, business development, or related field)

• OR equivalent experience

• Financial modeling and market analysis experience with deep analytical skills

• Experience structuring and negotiating complex strategic alliances or acquisitions in Cloud Computing

Additional or Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Engineering, Finance, Information Technology, Sciences, or related field AND 7+ years relevant work experience (e.g., enterprise technology, investment banking, strategy consulting, finance, corporate strategy, venture capital, business development, or related field)

• OR Master's/Advanced degree in Business, Engineering, Sciences AND 5+ years relevant work experience (e.g., enterprise technology, investment banking, strategy consulting, finance, corporate strategy, venture capital, business development, or related field)

• OR equivalent experience

• 6+ years experience in the technology industry OR in a technical role (e.g., IT, Engineering)

• Knowledge of cloud technologies and information technology, especially Linux & OSS

• Working experience in business development, partnership development, consulting, investment banking, private equity, corporate strategy, venture capital related to cloud technologies or information technology.

Business Development IC4 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $101,200 - $194,800 per year.

There is a different range applicable to specific work locations, within the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area, and the base pay range for this role in those locations is USD $130,000 - $213,200 per year.

Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here: https://careers.microsoft.com/us/en/us-corporate-pay

Microsoft will accept applications and processes offers for these roles on an ongoing basis.

#BDSV

Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. Consistent with applicable law, all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran or military status, race, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about requesting accommodations (https://careers.microsoft.com/v2/global/en/accessibility.html) .