Strategic Account Executive

Microsoft · Foster City · $133,000–$222,700 (stated in the posting)

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Microsoft's mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. As a Strategic Account Director, you will serve as the senior executive accountable for Microsoft's relationship with one of our largest and most strategically important enterprise customers.

As a Strategic Enterprise Account Executive, the role is focused on driving customer transformation with Microsoft's strategic enterprise customers. The position partners with senior customer executives, leverages Microsoft's full solution portfolio, and drives business outcomes through AI, Copilot, Security, Cloud, and broader digital transformation initiatives. The role requires strong customer relationships, executive engagement, sales leadership, and account planning capabilities.

In this role, you will lead business and technology transformation initiatives centered on Artificial Intelligence, Copilot, Security, Data & AI, Azure, AI Workplace, and AI Business Processes. You will develop trusted advisor relationships with executive stakeholders, influence long-term technology strategy, and orchestrate Microsoft resources across sales, engineering, consulting, customer success, support, and partner ecosystems to achieve measurable business outcomes.

This role requires exceptional executive presence, strategic thinking, business acumen, and the ability to lead complex, multi-year transformations across global enterprises. The Strategic Account Director is ultimately responsible for driving customer success, accelerating Microsoft Cloud growth, and building enduring executive partnerships.

Executive Customer Leadership

• Build and maintain trusted advisor relationships with C-suite executives, board-level stakeholders, and senior business decision makers.
• Develop deep understanding of customer business priorities, industry trends, competitive pressures, and transformation objectives.
• Influence strategic technology investments and enterprise-wide digital transformation initiatives.
• Represent Microsoft as a senior executive sponsor and advocate for customer success.

Strategic Account Planning

• Create and execute comprehensive multi-year account strategies aligned to customer business objectives and Microsoft's growth priorities.
• Identify and drive opportunities across Azure, Security, Modern Work, Data & AI, Business Applications, and Copilot.
• Develop actionable account plans that drive customer value, cloud consumption, and long-term revenue growth.
• Anticipate emerging customer needs and position Microsoft as a strategic transformation partner.

Business Growth & Sales Leadership

• Achieve or exceed assigned revenue, consumption, and market-share objectives.
• Lead complex sales cycles involving multiple business units, geographies, decision makers, and stakeholders.
• Accelerate strategic opportunities from qualification through close while ensuring alignment with customer outcomes.
• Drive expansion opportunities through workload growth, solution adoption, and executive sponsorship.
• Negotiate large, complex commercial agreements that create mutual value for Microsoft and the customer.

AI & Digital Transformation Leadership

• Lead customer conversations around AI transformation, responsible AI adoption, generative AI innovation, and Copilot business value.
• Connect Microsoft technologies to measurable business outcomes, productivity improvements, and operational efficiencies.
• Guide customers through organizational and technical change management associated with transformative technology adoption.
• Serve as a thought leader on emerging technologies, industry disruption, and future-state business innovation.

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Lead large virtual account teams across sales, technical, consulting, customer success, support, engineering, and partner organizations.
• Align internal and external stakeholders around shared objectives and execution strategies.
• Remove organizational barriers and drive accountability across complex stakeholder environments.
• Foster collaboration, inclusion, and high-performance team culture.

Customer Success & Advocacy

• Drive measurable business results through successful deployment and adoption of Microsoft solutions.
• Improve customer satisfaction, executive engagement, and long-term account health.
• Champion customer needs internally while ensuring alignment with Microsoft priorities.
• Create customer advocates through consistent delivery of value and business impact.

Success Metrics

Success in this role is measured through a combination of business performance, customer impact, strategic leadership, and organizational influence.

Business Performance

• Consistently achieve or exceed annual revenue and cloud consumption targets.
• Deliver year-over-year growth across Microsoft's AI, Security, Azure, and AI Workforce and Business Process portfolios.
• Maintain healthy pipeline coverage and strategic opportunity progression.
• Improve market share and wallet share within assigned accounts.
• Demonstrate forecast accuracy and disciplined business management practices.

Customer Impact

• Establish and maintain executive relationships with key strategic decision makers.
• Increase adoption and business value realization from Microsoft AI, Security, Data & AI, and Cloud investments.
• Achieve customer satisfaction and account health objectives.
• Expand Microsoft's role as a trusted strategic business partner.
• Drive measurable customer outcomes tied to productivity, innovation, security, and business transformation.

Strategic Leadership

• Execute multi-year account strategies resulting in sustained business growth.
• Influence enterprise technology roadmaps and strategic investment decisions.
• Lead transformational initiatives that span multiple solution areas and business units.
• Deliver executive-level business reviews that demonstrate measurable customer value.
• Create industry-recognized customer success stories and reference accounts.

Team & Culture

• Effectively lead and inspire large virtual teams.
• Build strong cross-functional partnerships across Microsoft organizations.
• Contribute to organizational capability building and talent development.
• Model Microsoft's culture and leadership principles.
• Foster a culture of accountability, inclusion, innovation, and customer obsession.

Core Competencies

Executive Presence & Strategic Influence

• Builds credibility and trust with senior executives.
• Communicates complex business and technology strategies with clarity and confidence.
• Influences key decisions without direct authority.
• Operates effectively in highly visible and high-impact environments.

Strategic Account Management

• Develops long-term growth strategies for complex enterprise organizations.
• Identifies expansion opportunities and competitive displacement strategies.
• Aligns resources and investments to maximize customer and Microsoft outcomes.
• Drives disciplined execution against account plans.

Business Acumen

• Understands customer business models, operating priorities, and industry dynamics.
• Connects technology investments to business outcomes and financial value.
• Evaluates market trends and competitive positioning.
• Creates compelling executive-level business cases.

Consultative & Value-Based Selling

• Identifies customer priorities through deep discovery and executive engagement.
• Quantifies value and business impact.
• Crafts differentiated Microsoft solutions aligned to customer outcomes.
• Drives executive sponsorship across complex sales opportunities.

AI Transformation Leadership

• Demonstrates expertise in AI, Copilot, Data & AI, Cloud, and Security transformation scenarios.
• Guides customers through emerging technology adoption.
• Understands the business implications of AI innovation and organizational change.
• Helps customers realize measurable business value from transformational investments.

Customer Obsession

• Anticipates customer needs and proactively addresses challenges.
• Builds long-term strategic partnerships.
• Advocates for customer success across Microsoft.
• Delivers exceptional customer experiences.

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Leads without authority across large matrixed organizations.
• Builds alignment among diverse stakeholders.
• Creates accountability and drives execution.
• Resolves conflict and navigates organizational complexity.

Negotiation & Deal Strategy

• Leads complex enterprise negotiations.
• Navigates procurement, legal, security, and executive approval processes.
• Structures strategic commercial agreements.
• Balances customer needs with Microsoft business objectives.

Data-Driven Decision Making

• Leverages account intelligence, business metrics, and performance indicators.
• Uses data to drive prioritization and resource allocation.
• Creates operational rigor and accountability.
• Drives fact-based decision making.

Growth Mindset & Continuous Learning

• Embraces innovation and change.
• Continuously develops expertise in emerging technologies and industry trends.
• Encourages experimentation and learning.
• Shares knowledge and mentors peers across the organization.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree AND 10+ years experience working in an industry (e.g., financial services, retail, manufacturing, healthcare, energy, government, education, technology) and/or driving digital transformation OR Master's Degree AND 9+ years experience working in an industry (e.g., financial services, retail, manufacturing, healthcare, energy, government, education, technology) and/or driving digital transformation OR 13+ years experience in working in an industry (e.g., financial services, retail, manufacturing, healthcare, energy, government, education, technology) and/or driving digital transformation OR equivalent experience.
• 6+ years experience making recommendations to and/or collaborating with mid-to-senior level executives.
• 8+ years experience closing large, complex agreements/deals.

Other Requirements

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

Preferred qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree AND 13+ years experience working in an industry (e.g., financial services, retail, manufacturing, healthcare, energy, government, education, technology) and/or driving digital transformation OR Master's Degree AND 11+ years experience working in an industry (e.g., financial services, retail, manufacturing, healthcare, energy, government, education, technology) and/or driving digital transformation OR equivalent experience.

Strategic Account Management IC5 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $133,000 - $222,700 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 $170,300 - $239,800 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.

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