Director Partner Technology Strategist

Overview

The Worldwide Sales and Solutions (WSS) CTO team drives Microsoft's commercial partner business, focused on building and selling Microsoft Commercial Cloud solutions with and through partners to empower people and organizations.

As a Director Partner Technology Strategist for Software Development Companies (SDCs), you play a lead role in aligning technical strategy with business goals. Join our team as a Partner Technology Strategist and play a pivotal role in guiding the most strategic Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) globally towards a profitable and successful digital transformation journey with Microsoft. By leveraging your strategic mindset and technical expertise, you will drive our partners' success and unlock new possibilities in the ever-evolving world of technology. As the Partner Technology Strategist, you will guide your partners' technology strategies, encouraging the creation of innovative business solutions to meet customer needs. Your responsibilities as the Partner Technology Strategist will include influencing the partner's cloud and AI strategy, leading cloud and AI transformation, fostering innovation, building relationships, and providing technical guidance as a trusted advisor.

You will play a pivotal role in enabling ISVs to build differentiated, scalable, and transactable IP solutions aligned to Microsoft solution plays and industry priorities, especially in areas like AI, data, and multi-cloud modernization.

Microsoft's mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. As employees we come together with a growth mindset, innovate to empower others, and collaborate to realize our shared goals. Each day we build on our values of respect, integrity, and accountability to create a culture of inclusion where everyone can thrive at work and beyond.

Responsibilities

Differentiated Value Proposition

• Creates and maintains a vision with business and technology solution scenarios and services that helps partners meet highly complex business goals, achieve their long-term vision, and maximize commercial success, with Microsoft technologies.

• Partners with line-of-business leaders or executives to articulate how Microsoft technology/services or solutions/offers will meet future business needs better than the competition and will enable the achievement of long-term growth and success.

Cloud Adoption and AI Transformation Leadership

• Lead our partners through the complex process of cloud and AI transformation, adopting a Technical Sales Challenger mindset to challenge conventional thinking.

• Champion the adoption of innovative cloud technologies, accelerate time to market, and identify new business opportunities that drive our partners' success.

• Be accountable for the partner's strategic technology plan and ensure alignment with Microsoft's cloud and AI vision, and you will act as the technical voice of the partner within Microsoft, influencing internal stakeholders and product teams.

• Guide partners through cloud transformation journeys, including architecture modernization, AI integration, and marketplace readiness.

Innovation and Tech Intensity

• Foster a culture of innovation and inspire our partners to adopt a technology-driven mindset. By staying at the forefront of emerging cloud and AI technologies, industry trends, and best practices, you will provide thought leadership and encourage experimentation. This will enable our partners to differentiate themselves in the market and drive transformative change.

Partner Enablement

• Drive collaboration across various Microsoft teams, including Partner Development Managers, Engineering, Business Development, Industry Engineering, and Partner Account teams, to drive impactful solutions for our partners by leveraging Microsoft technology.

• Demonstrate partner and customer obsession in driving digital transformation and Microsoft technology adoption by helping them realize the value, meet their business objectives, achieve their consumption and business targets, and accelerate growth. Leverage rich expertise and relationships with others (may leverage the cloud solutions architect [CSA]) to guide the development of partner technology roadmaps that enable them to expand into new markets and provide them with a competitive edge.

Cloud and AI Strategy Alignment

• Serve as the technical owner of our partners' business solutions, collaborating closely with stakeholders to align their technology roadmap with Microsoft's cloud and AI offerings. This includes understanding partners' business objectives, providing strategic guidance, and helping them leverage the full potential of the Microsoft cloud and AI to achieve their goals.

• Proactively influences the development of groundbreaking and highly impactful solutions using Microsoft technologies and builds solutions into the partner ecosystem to enable partners to sell to end-customers.

Strategy Formulation

• With a proven ability in strategy formulation, leveraging your understanding of business strategies, you will lead the adoption of technologies by developing strategic, long-term visions for partners and work to resolve technical blockers and drive envisioning of new and groundbreaking capabilities in technology roadmaps.

• Articulate complex technical concepts to technical and non-technical audiences.

• Build and execute Technical Development Plans (TDPs) for assigned partners, as well as closely partner with the global Partner Solution Architect team to lead envisioning sessions, architecture design reviews, and proofs-of-concept to accelerate solution development.

Trusted Advisor

• Act as the "Chief Technology Officer (CTO)" With a proven track record in providing strategic technology guidance and advisory services to partners (preferred) or customers.

• Align technology solutions with business goals, develop technology roadmaps, and deliver actionable recommendations.

Qualifications

Required/minimum qualifications

• Master's Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, Business or related field AND 6+ years technical consulting, technical consultative selling, product development, or related technical/sales experience OR Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, Business or related field AND 8+ years technical consulting, technical consultative selling, product development, or related technical/sales experience OR equivalent experience.

Other Requirements

• This position is not eligible for have authorization to work in the United States that does not now or in the future require employer sponsorship.

Additional or preferred qualifications

• Master's Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, Business or related field AND 8+ years technical consulting, technical consultative selling, product development, or related technical/sales experience OR Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, Business or related field AND 12+ years technical consulting, technical consultative selling, product development, or related technical/sales experience OR equivalent experience.
• 8+ years experience with relevant technologies (e.g., cloud, infrastructure, Microsoft platform).
• 1+ years' experience with Agentic and AI applications.
• Experience with Agentic and AI applications is a plus.
• Experience with Machine Learning, Digital Twins and Robotics is a plus.

Partner Technology Strategy IC5 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $130,900 - $251,900 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 $165,600 - $272,300 per year.

Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here:
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This position will be open for a minimum of 5 days, with applications accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.

Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. 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 with religious accommodations and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about requesting accommodations.