Technical Specialist Manager - Data & AI_

Atlanta

In the the Small, Medium, Corporate (SMC) and Digital Sales businesses, we have set out with the purpose of empowering our customers through the unique value of the Microsoft cloud by building a globally led, digital-first scale organization aligned with partners. Dedicated to one of the fastest growing customer segments, the SMC and Digital Sales organization is on pace to be Microsoft's next $100 billion-dollar business - this is where you come in. As part of local subsidiaries or Digital Sales centers around the world, you will support a dedicated set of customers in identifying and achieving their business objectives through digital engagement and partner co-selling. You will also have an opportunity to work cross-collaboratively while living our shared SMC and Digital Sales Culture priorities: Diversity and Inclusivity, Wellbeing, Sustainability, and Learning. If you have been described as customer obsessed and have a passion for digital-first solutions, we invite you to learn more about the SMC and Digital Sales organization and the value we deliver to our customers, partners, and one another, every day.

As a Technical Specialist Manager - Data & AI, you will be a solution sales leader within our SMC growth business, leading a virtual team of technical, partner and consulting resources to advance the sales process and achieve/exceed quarterly Data & AI revenue and usage/consumption targets in your assigned accounts. You will be a trusted advisor and Analytics, Data & AI subject matter expert with core capability and expertise in Data Modernization, Analytics and AI. You will lead a team that works with customers to leverage data to help them achieve their business priorities and help guide customer’s journey through Analytics-led Azure Data transformation.

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**

**People Management**

+ Managers deliver success through empowerment and accountability by modeling, coaching, and caring.

+ Model - Live our culture; Embody our values; Practice our leadership principles.

+ Coach - Define team objectives and outcomes; Enable success across boundaries; Help the team adapt and learn.

+ Care - Attract and retain people; Know each individual’s capabilities and aspirations; Invest in the growth of others.

**Scale Customer Engagements**

+ Identifies and engages with customer technical decision makers proactively while engaging sales team. Coaches and enables team to identify and proactively engage with key customer technical decision makers and influencers to help unblock technical obstacles.

+ Uses knowledge of customer context, and broad technical, domain, cross-solution, and market/industry knowledge and experience to build credibility with and influence customers individually or at scale.

+ Enables and empowers team to influence customer decisions and ensure technical wins by streamlining processes and managing the flow of wins, leveraging broad knowledge of processes (e.g., Managed Service Provider [MSP], co-sell partners), tools, and programs (e.g., FastTrack, End Customer Investment Funds [ECIFs]). Aligns goals across solution areas and facilitates cross-selling with various workloads (e.g., Apps, Data and Infrastructure).

+ Leverages knowledge of resources (e.g., roles, Microsoft Technology Center [MTC], demo sites, virtual sites) and independently facilitates resolution of technical and non-technical blockers by engaging other teams (e.g., account team unit [ATU], specialist team unit [STU]) and conveying impact. Anticipates and addresses future potential blockers based on needs. Identifies patterns of blockers within area of expertise and drives resolution through local and global escalation.

**Scale Through Partners**

+ Maximizes area-level capacity and capabilities of scaling through partners by coaching team to grow partner network, identifying gaps and promoting Microsoft within the Microsoft ecosystem (e.g., account teams). Raises escalations or alleviates blockers through collaboration with manager-level counterparts in cross-functional groups.

+ Supports partner technical capacity by providing feedback and suggestions for improvement to internal teams (e.g., One Commercial Partner [OCP]).

**Build Strategy**

+ Builds and applies knowledge of team by enabling learning and identifying to share knowledge and drive change. Enables team to share compete knowledge with internal teams and communities, influence compete strategies, and highlight Microsoft advantages during architecture and capability discussions.

+ Coaches and provides support to team and across internal teams to define and execute strategy. Proactively leads team to approach customers to understand and identify cross-workload strategy opportunities. Engages internal teams to ensure capability to execute strategy.

+ Supports the voice of the customer (VOC) through escalation, acceleration, and additional emphasis of feedback, blockers, insights, resources, etc. (e.g., OneList) items as needed. Looks across multiple customers for opportunities to consolidate and prioritize items across the business.

**Solution Design and Proof**

+ Coaches team and oversees demonstrations (e.g., architectural design sessions [ADS], proof of concept [POC] sessions, pilots, hackathons) of solutions and position solutions against competitors. Ensures demonstrations enable customers to identify and resolve technical issues with clear criteria and next steps that guarantee deployment of Microsoft technology. Guides team on Microsoft standards on demonstrations to provide feedback to partners. Identifies patterns and trends to provide feedback on improving demonstrations.

+ Applies and adapts sales methodologies (e.g., catalyst, challenger sales) and coaches team in guiding customers through digital transformation across solution areas and leveraging insights to align new or changing technology to customer business needs.

**Technical Leadership**

+ Enables and empowers team to develop technical expertise and provide technical insights to internal teams. Acts as a role model for continuous learning and development and anticipates future needs for capabilities based on industry/market trends.

+ Influences and oversees team to conduct one-to-many events (e.g., workshops, Webinars) to present and educate customers, partners, and colleagues with broad knowledge across Microsoft solution areas/products.

+ Contributes content and expertise, and ensures team members participate in tech communities and drives feedback to improve overall team member experience and effectiveness.

**Other**

+ Embody our culture (icrosoft.com/v2/global/en/culture) and values (icrosoft.com/en-us/about/corporate-values)

**Qualifications**

**Required/Minimum Qualifications**

+ Relevant certifications from Microsoft or competitive platforms AND 5+ years technical pre-sales or technical consulting experience

+ OR Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering or related field AND 6+ years technical pre-sales or technical consulting experience

+ OR equivalent experience.

**Additional or Preferred Qualifications**

+ 10+ years technical pre-sales, technical consulting, or related experience.

+ 6+ years experience with cloud and hybrid, or on premises infrastructures, architecture designs, migrations, industry standards, and/or technology management.

+ 3+ years people management experience (including leading virtual teams).

Digital Technology Specialists M5 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $129,200 - $248,800 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 $162,000 - $268,900 per year.

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

Microsoft will accept applications for the role until June 30, 2024.

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 (icrosoft.com/v2/global/en/accessibility.html) .