Director, Business Strategy, AI, Data and Azure Business Development

Are you passionate about leveraging your technical expertise in AI and strategy experience to impact the future of AI through strategic partnerships?  

We are the AI, Data and Azure Business Development (AIDA BD) team, responsible for inorganic growth across Microsoft’s AI Platform from data center infrastructure to its core Azure offerings, up to its AI models and tools. We identify, develop, and execute initiatives to accelerate the growth in these areas through partnerships, strategic investments, and acquisitions. AIDA BD’s work includes developing and managing some of the company’s most critical partnerships and growth initiatives.  

The Director, Business Strategy, AI, Data and Azure Business Development will advise AIDA BD on new technology trends and developments across the AI industry and also support the team’s day-to-day business operations.  

For technology advisement, this person will track customers, partners and competitors on their AI platform technical journeys, analyze Microsoft product plans and industry needs, and identify business-relevant gaps and advise on how to close them. They will identify promising startups, developers and researchers, and academic and industry research groups with relevant technology and track their progress towards validation and adoption. They will contribute technical expertise to support AIDA BD on strategic initiatives and partnerships.  

For business operations, they will drive the architecture, development, and execution of the rhythm of the business. They will act as an advisor to the leadership team to support the team’s execution of priorities and business performance.  

The ideal candidate will bring a blend of technical expertise and strategy management acumen. They will be excited about tracking, analyzing and applying knowledge about AI models, tools, and infrastructure and will have experience advising corporate leaders and teams on management.   

The individual hired will be based in San Francisco, CA. 

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. 

Responsibilities

Technical Leadership:   

• Provide technical leadership in relation to market strategy for both long and short-term business goals. 
• Identify opportunities for cutting edge innovation, with expert-level engineers, and codify this innovation to benefit customers, partners, and product groups. 
• Lead planning and integration for partnership roadmap development, identification of white space, and continuous improvement of our partnerships. 

Strategy and Dealmaking:   

• Support and advance Microsoft in our most complex deal situations by providing technical advice on partnership architecture and terms.   
• Identify opportunities to pursue new growth initiatives based on market trends, company needs, and customer insights.  
• Stay updated with best practices in deal-making across the industry to enhance Microsoft's partnership strategies.  

Planning and Strategy   

• Develop and cultivate cross organizational stakeholder relationships to drive alignment with critical internal partners, i.e., Engineering, Marketing, Finance, and Sales.   
• Partner with the team’s leader to manage the OKR planning process, ensuring coordination with stakeholder planning processes as well as planning integration across the broader organization.    
• Work with cross-company, and cross-team counterparts to manage participation as needed for key reviews, and other strategic business planning activities.   

Operational Excellence 

• Drive strategic thought leadership by managing the rhythm of the business.  
• Drive a robust calendar of internal communications. Ensuring the facilitation of key messages that are authentic, consistent, and aligned with organizational priorities.   

Other 

• Embody Microsoft’s culture and values 

Qualifications

Required/Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree AND 6+ years experience in engineering, product/technical program management, data analysis, or product development, including management consulting, partnerships, alliances, business development, and corporate strategy.
  • OR equivalent experience
• 3+ years experience managing cross-functional and/or cross-team projects.

Additional or Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree AND 10+ years experience in engineering, product/technical program management, data analysis, or product development, including management consulting, partnerships, alliances, business development, and corporate strategy.
  • OR equivalent experience
• 1+ year(s) experience reading and/or writing code (e.g., sample documentation, product demos).
• 10+ years relevant work experience (e.g., management consulting, partnerships, alliances, business development, corporate strategy, product management, or related field) 
• 5+ years in customer/partner facing roles, preferably working both with technical counterparts and with C-Level executives.  
• 5+ years relevant work experience in AI, data, or cloud infrastructure.   
• Master’s degree in CS, AI or Data Science, Ph.D or MBA 
• Knowledge in business and GTM strategy, business development and experience in closing strategic partnerships.

Technical Program Management IC5 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $137,600 - $267,000 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 $180,400 - $294,000 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 for the role until February 3, 2025.

Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations and ordinances.  We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application or the recruiting process, please send a request via the Accommodation request form.

Benefits/perks listed below may vary depending on the nature of your employment with Microsoft and the country where you work.

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