Business Strategy Manager

Job Description:

Overview: Cloud Ops and Innovation (CO+I) is the engine that powers Microsoft’s cloud services. The team is responsible for designing, building, and operating our unified global datacenters; managing the demand planning and capacity utilization of our unified infrastructure; and for operating the physical infrastructure (including supply chain, hardware, power, security, and workflow teams). We focus on smart growth with an emphasis on automation, data driven engineering, cost-effectiveness, and environmental sustainability. We deliver the core infrastructure and foundational technologies for Microsoft’s over 200 online businesses including Azure, Bing, MSN, Office 365, Xbox Live, Skype, and OneDrive. Our infrastructure is comprised of a large global portfolio of more than 100 datacenters and 1 million servers. Our portfolio is built and managed by a team of subject matter experts working 24x7x365 to support services for more than 1 billion customers and 20 million businesses in over 90 countries worldwide.

The Cloud Interconnection and Acquisitions team is responsible for the acquisition of Fiber, Edge, Egress and Peering solutions supporting all of Microsoft’s online services infrastructure. We work with various network engineering, capacity, and long-range planning teams on a collaborative basis to ensure the Microsoft network has the highest quality and availability globally.

Responsibilities

Core Responsibilities:

Business Strategy Director: This Program Manager role will be responsible for CI&A Supplier MBR reporting, escalations, and maturity roadmaps. Centralized team process management, communications & development hub, and drive team maturity roadmaps as well as responsible for inter-team audit/compliance.

• High energy individuals help build the network that powers the world’s largest online services.
• Significantly improves overall business acumen and governance (performance metrics), operational, organizational, and financials.
• Proven ability to develop and lead the implementation of communications strategy, policy, and operational plans, to a successful outcome, across a large organization with dispersed management.
• Help strategic ideas take root and provide early facilitation until a more formal project is established.
• Think strategically while providing tactical support to implement ideas.
• Proactively address pressing business issues that need immediate attention.
• Collaborate with the leadership team, technology governance, HR and finance to track, analyze and report technology performance per SLAs, KPIs, project goals, and change initiatives, as needed.
• Analyze and report performance based on strategies and business goals and recommend areas needing improvement.
• Be a talent magnet; Must be able to demonstrate you’re an authentic leader, just do it attitude, raise the bar for cultural change, able to grow, lead and retain high performing talent.
• Must show a track record in leading and delivering complex large-scale projects and partnerships, often managing a range of internal and external stakeholders.
• Lead project initiatives for cloud infrastructure network worldwide to enable rapid pace delivery of metro, long haul, subsea and network colocation relating to Edge and augment needs.
• Support our colocation efforts within to ensure resiliency, diversity, and quality uptime of our network services portfolio.
• Responsible for Data analytics for the team to parse data, build meaningful metrics and reports enabling workflow analysis driving for workflow efficiency gains
• Lead project initiatives for Cloud Interconnection & Acquisitions team to remove the” goo” and ensure continuity across regions.
• Support our colocation efforts within the region to ensure resiliency, diversity, and quality uptime of our network services portfolio.
• Collaborate with internal teams to identify and define strategic initiatives to meet expansion and cost reduction needs
• Build strategic relationships with vendors and industry experts
• Communicate progress internally and collaborate with network deployment teams
• Collaborate with internal teams to identify and define strategic initiatives and tactical flow throughs to support our network up/cost down initiatives
• Communicate progress internally and collaborate with network deployment teams
• Partner and ensure contracting compliance with service suppliers, legal team and physical security teams for continuous and consistent rigor ensuring contracts contain the correct SLA’s, indemnifications, and such to
• Solid understanding of network strategy, topology planning and cost vectors
• Strong financial analysis, budget planning and management experience and skills.
• Develop Supplier scorecards, dashboards (BoB) and execution of QBR’s which includes standardize on operational network performance reporting, BoT interface to include intake and criteria/guidelines for engagement and management program, support tech integration initiative, as well as commercial performance reporting and engagement (i.e. contracting, negotiating and delivery execution phase). This would include establishing a global pricing matrix & rate cards for all contracted services, cost avoidance and savings analysis and reporting. This work also includes MCSA and other contract management tracking & burndown which included include templatizing, process, risk management, etc.
• Contracting templates for feasibility and market research to include pre-sourcing Engineering and ROW/permitting
• Conference, event & vendor planning, management, and budget responsibilities in addition to internal team budget management &reporting
• Manage CI&A initiatives portfolio management to include tracking, prioritization, impact, and efficiencies gained reporting
• Leads centralized communications & rhythm of business meetings for CI&A (i.e., All Hands, Fundamentals, Network Monthly performance reviews, moral, etc.) This includes content gathering, presentations, team, and exec summary reports as appropriate.
• Partner with the leadership team to define, prepare and communicate global organization plans, including quarterly, annual, and 3-year strategy, staffing, and development plans that include Job Architecture, Career development and training development for both New Hire experience as well as ongoing Career progression matrix and reporting
• Moral & employee retention tracking, Employee retention program geared around CI&A niche industry roles
• CI&A team Capability Maturity Matrix
• Sourcing control compliance/audit to include ownership, communication and change management of controls and related processes
• Dedicated professional who leads through ambiguity and independently runs projects with minimal direction.
• Force for change who is open to new insights, accepts challenges and leads with positive energy

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

• Excellent interpersonal skills and executive presence.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills with a focus on structure and execution.
• 6+ years of experience in networking technologies
• Strategic negotiations and/or business development obtaining services from high-technology providers in data center and Internet technologies
• Data analyst experiences with analyzing and developing data driven reporting that has meaningful application to move faster, work smarter and not harder.
• 10 years of Program Management or Engineering experience leading, defining and delivering projects or services
• Working knowledge of the fundamentals of optical networking: Fiber optics and DWDM technologies.
• Solid grasp and experience with workflow management
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills, including financial analytics.
• 5+ Years proven knowledge of Data Center Operations, Inside Plant Management and Design, Outside plant, Bulk Fiber Installation, and diverse terrestrial routing fundamentals
• Passion for building great enterprise data experiences
• Proven ability to work closely with engineering teams
• 10+ years proven work experience as a team leader or supervisor.
• 3+ years’ experience with managing service suppliers (or equivalent QBR experience)
• In-depth knowledge of performance metrics
• Excellent PC skills, MS office skills (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Visio, Bi-Dashboards)
• Excellent communication and leadership skills
• Organizational and time-management skills
• Strong analysis and problem-solving skills
• Decision-making skills

Preferred Qualifications:

• 10+ years of experience in networking technologies in WAN, Metro, Data Center, Colo and/or Edge space
• 5+ years of experience in strategic negotiations and/or business development obtaining services from technology providers in data center and Internet technologies
• Solid working understanding of domestic and global carrier networks
• Great problem solving, strategic thinking and technical skills
• Excellent interpersonal communication and cross-group skills
• Business Acumen demonstrated through prior work or education
• Self-driven and ability to work with minimal direction
• Technical experience with databases, data integration and data access technologies
• Experience with a data driven/metrics-driven mindset and the ability to experiment, learn and improve
• Extremely detail oriented
• Familiarity with service catalog /workflow methodologies
• Able to build advanced SQL/BI queries & dashboards
• Ability to analyze complex problems, determine the best course of action and drive permanent resolution
• Ability to successfully influence without authority and manage efforts through relationships.
• Ability to inspire leadership and trust across teams and organizations
• Ability to promote a collaborative environment and bring a positive attitude to difficult situations.

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Background Check Requirements:

ESO and Tented roles:

Candidates must meet Microsoft, customer, and government security background screening requirements for this role. These requirements currently include, but may change, and are not limited to:

• Microsoft Cloud Screen Background Check: This position will be required to pass the Microsoft Cloud Screen background check upon hire/transfer and every two years after that while in this role.

Tented roles only – additional clearance requirements:

• Please contact LX Business Program Manager for current requirements.

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.