Cloud and AI Platform (CAIP) Channel Strategy Director

The Global Partner Go-To-Market (GTM), Programs, & Operations (GPO) organization within GCPS (Global Channel Partner Sales) brings together the go-to-market strategy, programs, and platforms to activate the Partner Channel to accelerate customers transformation with Secure AI and Agents. 

The Global GCPS Cloud Solution Area (CSA) strategy team, within GPO, is a team of CSA aligned leaders focused on design and deliver CSA aligned partner execution strategy that accelerates CSP partners to deliver customer success while empowering the partner ecosystem. Within this team we are looking for a Cloud and AI Platform (CAIP) Channel Strategy Director to lead the GCPS Strategy and GTM Win Formula for CAIP GTM priorities (called Conversations in FY27). This role will focus on defining and mainstreaming our partner incentives, programs, sales strategy, readiness and resources to support the success of Azure and AI in the global market. The position will be responsible for working collaboratively across leaders and stakeholders across the company to translate the SME&C S(ME&C) CAIP strategy into Channel GTM plans. In addition, you will represent CAIP as a key stakeholder in MAICPP program planning (Designations, Specializations), partner capacity/training investments, incentive design and shaping the Connected AI narrative for partners.

As the CAIP GTM Strategy lead in GCPS, you will engage with Product Marketing Groups (PMG), Solution Area GTM teams (CSA), Global Sales and Operations (GS&O) to align priorities, represent Channel Partner insights and lead the development on a global Channel GTM Plan. Your role is to identify opportunities that strengthen partner outcomes, drive investment success, assess messaging, and develop engagement plan across the go-to-market journey to accelerate Azure Consumption Revenue (ACR) with a specific FY27 focus on the 4 strategic workloads: Fabric, Foundry, DBs and Github.

 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.

In alignment with our Microsoft values, we are committed to cultivating an inclusive work environment for all employees to positively impact our culture every day.

• Responsible for the end-to-end partner business planning and strategy for Microsoft CAIP GTM priorities assigned, translating Business Group (BG) plans and goals into partner execution and growth plans.  
• Integrating high impact partner motions into our CSA team’s go-to-market motions, in collaboration with field leaders in Sales and Sales Execution and Operations.
• Set strategy for how we build, nurture, and engage partner ecosystem aligned to Solution Area. Perform partner planning, define scorecard metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs), and co-design the partner programs and investments, in partnership with Microsoft’s Product Marketing Group (PMG) and other stakeholders 
• Proactively surface and resolve blockers to strategy execution and target achievement by leveraging partner and field feedback, diagnosing systemic gaps, and bringing prioritized asks to the Senior Leadership Team to secure the decisions, resources, or cross-functional alignment required to accelerate outcomes.
• Engage with global and local partners, PDM Managers (PDMM) and field leaders to gather feedback, share actionable insights and design/refine new strategies/programs to drive business growth through partners aligned to cloud strategy and programs 
• Lead partner targeting/recruitment strategy based on partner technical capabilities and sales capacity requirements and partner practice development approach to drive the highest Partner return on investment (ROI) for Microsoft. 
• Partner with finance and operations teams to track business progress and leverage monthly review cadence, Key Performance Indicator (KPI) reporting and ongoing business improvement 
• Develop and land SME&C field guidance and execution strategy and practices across all partner sales and technical roles  
• Perform scorecard and KPI analysis as data driven approach to draw trending, learning and insight. Engage with SME&C Worldwide and field personnel to proactively identify data driven business insights from monthly performance and effectiveness of the strategy and execution, as well as action plans to drive ongoing improvement across all partner GTM levers (recruit, build, GTM, sell-with, etc.) 
• Put in place partner listening mechanisms to capture voice of partner. Capture feedback, synthesize and prioritize as an input to Industry engineering and business group plans. 
• Embody our Culture and Value

Required/minimum qualifications

• 7+ years working directly with partner ecosystem, the ability to provide valuable business and technical guidance to them and to secure their commitment to use business solutions
• Demonstrated business acumen in public cloud and Microsoft Cloud & AI technologies, with deep knowledge of partner ecosystems and how partners develop, enhance, and scale cloud solutions.
• Ability to articulate both business and technical value of Microsoft cloud services to senior business and technical decision makers
• Proven organizational leadership with the ability to influence across teams, lead change initiatives, and effectively manage cross-functional virtual teams and partner relationships.
• Passionate, results-driven, and organized approach; with an attention to detail: A self-starter who can create and deliver scalable plans from concept to delivery, including the ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects, effectively driving to measurable results.
• Engagement expertise: Storytelling skills and passion for delighting partners, advocating on their behalf, creating great partner experiences, and understanding the linkage between these experiences and business success
• Executive Relations: The ability to interact confidently with leaders in a highly-matrixed organization to present/defend/clarify concerns or issues regarding an existing project, program, or solution. This includes the ability to confidently address difficult questions, handle pushback from a high-level audience, and maintain an executive demeanour while engaging in challenging or sometimes high-pressure situations
• Problem solving mentality leveraging internal and external resources, conflict resolution, and follow through with partners

Sales Strategy Enablement 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:
https://careers.microsoft.com/us/en/us-corporate-pay

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.