Solution Sales Director, Cloud & AI Platform

Microsoft · Multiple Locations · $133,000–$222,700 (stated in the posting)

Overview

The Retail & Consumer Goods organization brings together industry expertise, innovative technology, and strategic customer relationships to help customers transform their businesses through cloud and artificial intelligence. As part of this team, you will lead and develop teams that engage with senior customer decision makers, identify high-value opportunities, and deliver secure Cloud & AI Platform solutions aligned with customers’ most important business priorities.

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.

As the Solution Sales Director for the Cloud & AI Platform team, you will lead and mentor multiple teams responsible for deepening customer relationships and identifying, qualifying, and accelerating strategic sales opportunities. You will set the strategy for territory planning, whitespace analysis, pipeline management, and the development of cloud- and AI-driven solutions for existing and new customers. This opportunity will allow you to strengthen your people leadership capabilities, deepen your Cloud & AI Platform expertise, and shape sales strategies that drive meaningful customer outcomes and long-term business growth.

This role will support an East Coast sales team in the United States. Preference will be given to candidates located in Eastern time zone near a major airport to support proximity to our teams and customers.

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

Customer Engagement

Ensures teams adhere to sales frameworks and guidelines to assess and qualify sales opportunities, ensuring alignment with AI-enhanced sales methodologies and best practices. Leverages expertise in strategy development to empower teams in securing complex, high-value deals. Drives collaboration across organizations (e.g., Account Team Unit [ATU], CSU, ISD, GPS) to lead deal orchestration and ensure effective handoffs throughout the deal lifecycle. Coaches team on advancing best practices to obtain customer commitment, secure deals, and reduce exposure to risks that impacts sales success across the territory.
Coaches team on leading the sales strategy tailored to each customer's security priorities, showcasing Microsoft's dedication to secure, AI-powered transformation and addressing their specific needs within the customer success plan, fostering long-term partnerships through AI-driven insights. Leads partner teams, resources and fosters lasting relationships that activate co-selling strategies and drive partner attach to each opportunity through every stage in the sales lifecycle. Leads team on leading partner organization connections (i.e. GPS) that lead to enduring relationships, share gains, partner health and alignment with execution plans to accelerate customer value realization at scale.

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 great people. Know each individual’s capabilities and aspirations. Invest in the growth of others.

Sales & Pipeline Management

Leads teams on leading sales pipeline reviews across the territory with internal senior stakeholders to drive forecasting accuracy and meeting sales targets, ensuring the use of AI-powered analytics and forecasting tools to enhance precision. Leads team on maintaining sales and/or consumption pipeline hygiene on all opportunities and milestones using all available tools and processes. Empowers teams to maintain usage and/or consumption pipeline hygiene to actively monitor adoption trends, identify opportunities for intervention, enabling customers to realize the value of solutions purchased, drive expansion, and ensure healthier, more predictable renewals.
Sets the direction for business analysis and the emerging opportunities to refine the customer portfolio and foster customer innovation across multiple teams. Advocates for the adoption of technologies (e.g., AI sales agents, automation, Power Platforms) to drive growth across the territory. Provides strategic direction and guidance across teams on integrating propensity, renewal, consumption, and usage data to prioritize sales strategy. Directs teams in refining partner engagement for each account and/or opportunity, ensuring seamless handoffs with other teams (e.g., Global Partner Solutions [GPS], Customer Success Unit [CSU], Industry Solutions Delivery [ISD], Partner) throughout the deal lifecycle.

Sales Strategy

Leads and mentors multiple teams in discussions with senior stakeholders and decision makers for high-value customers to deepen relationships and identify, qualify, and accelerate sales opportunities. Serves as a key point of contact and ensures strategic collaboration with internal senior stakeholders within and across organizations to maximize customer success. Directs partnerships with account teams and customers to discuss the use of technological advancements for market influence. Champions and reinforces security principles in customer interactions, opportunity, and pursuits to uphold trust and compliance standards. Models for and coaches team on, and develops a team consumption/usage strategy for driving seller behaviors that include support solutions in every solution sale in collaboration cross organizationally as part of rhythms and scrums.
Leads team in comprehensively evaluating of territory and crafts strategic insights to align sales initiatives with customer business priorities and outcomes, incorporating AI-driven predictive analytics to forecast future market needs. Empowers teams to drive cross-functional collaboration to propose solutions and strategies that resonate with and drive customer business objectives. Drives the identification and resolution of gaps, enhancing market engagement and maximizing sales execution.
Leads teams in the development and implementation of solutions to enable artificial intelligence (AI)- and cloud-driven transformations for existing and new customers across the territory, emphasizing the integration of cutting-edge AI technologies and cloud services. Acts as a resource for and drives team on crafting and refining strategies and engaging with customers to distinguish Microsoft’s offerings in the competitive landscape. Leads team on acting as a subject matter expert and trusted advisor for strategic customers and orchestrating the adoption of innovative technologies and solutions that align with their goals align and advance their strategic goals and drive digital transformation.
Sets strategy for teams on whitespace analysis and identifying business opportunities and market gaps within the assigned territory, utilizing AI-driven market intelligence tools to assess trends and insights. Translates and provides guidance on complex market intelligence, trends, and insights across multiple teams. Leads team in refining and evolving market analysis methodologies to ensure proactive alignment with strategic directives and evolving market trends.

Qualifications

Required/minimum qualifications

Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Business Administration, Information Security, or related field AND 6+ years experience in technology-related sales or account management OR equivalent experience.

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.

Additional or preferred qualifications

Master's Degree in Business Administration (i.e., MBA), Information Technology, Information Security, or related field AND 8+ years experience in technology-related sales or account management OR Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Business Administration, Information Security, or related field AND 12+ years experience in technology-related sales or account management OR equivalent experience.
6+ years solution or services sales experience.
3+ years people management experience.
Experience managing or owning a multi-millon dollar book-of-business across multiple enterprise or major customer accounts.
Experience supporting customers within the retail and/or consumer goods industries.

Solution Area Specialists M5 - 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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