Security Solution Area Specialist

Microsoft · Multiple Locations · $88,000–$150,100 (stated in the posting)

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Join Microsoft’s US Public Sector Industries DIB Team—where mission meets innovation.

The Defense Industrial Base (DIB) Operating Unit (OU) is a team with a bold mission: to consolidate, simplify, and accelerate Microsoft’s presence across the DIB landscape. This expansive network includes over 100,000 organizations specializing in manufacturing, aviation, cybersecurity, and more—all united in their support of all Federal Agencies, including the U.S. DoW and other mission-based intelligence and civilian organizations.

Our team is dedicated to empowering these commercial contractors throughout their digital transformation journey—from envisioning new possibilities to delivering secure, scalable solutions that drive mission outcomes, elevate customer experience, and fuel Microsoft’s growth. The DIB OU will directly manage and accelerate strategic and major DIB accounts across Microsoft Customer and Partner Solutions (MCAPS) Americas, while also enabling Defense Innovation growth across other OUs. We’re building new relationships, transforming legacy operations, and helping our customers modernize with confidence.

The DIB OU is currently looking for a passionate Security Solution Area Specialist with industry knowledge and Microsoft solution understanding to lead a team, driving and orchestrating deals across multiple stakeholder groups, including partners.

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.

Sales Execution 

• Engages in conversations with customers aligned to their industry to introduce how other workloads could enable digital transformation areas that is aligned with the customer's industry and turns opportunities into deals. Initiates conversations with customers on digital transformation in one or more solution areas, in collaboration with partners and services. Creates guiding examples of digital transformation through seminars, workshops, webinars, and direct engagement. 
• Collaborates with team members to discover new opportunities. Drives incremental revenue growth through personal campaigns (e.g., portfolio analysis) or internal sources (e.g., Marketing). Collaborates with account teams, partners, or services to track and qualify new opportunities. Collaborates with other teams (e.g., account teams) and services to build pipeline. Interfaces with customers and builds relationships via social selling. Applies Microsoft's sales process to determine the quality of the opportunity and whether to proceed. 
• Identifies opportunities to drive consumption and grow business with existing customers by initiating conversations, providing demos or quotes, and collaborating with partners or internal teams (e.g., Solution Engineers, Global Black Belts. For licensing transactions and project engagements, ensures rapid and robust deployment plan at point of sale that is validated by services and partners. 
• Identifies customer business needs and technology readiness. Contributes to the development of solutions in collaboration with internal teams, partners, and services. Proposes prioritized solutions that align with customers' needs. Articulates the business value of proposed solutions. 
• Proactively builds external stakeholders' mapping. Collaborates with account teams (e.g., Account Executives) to identify and engage with senior business decision makers at the customer's/partner's business. 
• Implements strategies to accelerate the closing of deals. Contributes input on strategies to drive and close prioritized opportunities. Coaches less experienced team members in deal plan execution. Implements close plans (e.g., how to map timeline, engage the customer, get customer buy-in and commitment) to de-risk and drive predictable deal closure.  

Scaling and Collaboration 

• Collaborates with network of partners to cross-sell and up-sell. Identifies new partners by researching and discussing with partners on customer scenarios. Develops joint proposal with partners. Contributes to developing partner strategies to address gaps in partner capabilities. 
• Applies the orchestration model to leverage and expand relationships with internal stakeholders and partners. Navigates the MSFT organization to bring the best impact to the customer.  

Technical Expertise 

• Leads conversations and sets up events within Microsoft. Mentors others and develops strategies for best practice sharing across subsidiaries. Contributes ideas that can be instituted across Microsoft. 
• Initiates conversations with prospective customers/partners at events to expand external network. 
• Collaborates with the 'compete' global black belts (GBB) to analyze competitor products, solutions, and/or services and implements strategies to position Microsoft against competitors in customer communication. Proactively provides analysis of the landscape in supported solution area. Evaluates opportunities and makes recommendations on pursuit or withdrawal. Holistic value of MSFT platform versus single-point solution that positions MSFT favorably against competitors.  

Sales Excellence 

• Collaborates with partners and resources and leverages customer insights or industry knowledge. Contributes to exploring business and emerging opportunities to optimize the portfolio and support customer innovation. 
• Reviews feedback report and coaches others on ensuring customer/partner satisfaction and decreasing dissatisfaction by establishing recovery action plans to improve clients' overall experience. Manages and/or orchestrates sales and delivery success through the account team and pursuit team. 
• Engages with internal and external stakeholders on business planning, Rhythm of Business (ROB) meetings to review and plan for accounts in the assigned territory. 
• Collaborates with extended sales team, partners, and marketing to conduct business analysis (e.g., whitespace analysis, identify industry trends) to pursue high-potential customers and develop a target list of potential business. 
• Manages the end-to-end business of the assigned territory. Conducts forecasting for accounts and develops a portfolio and territory plan to drive intentional selling aligned with strategic priorities. 
• Completes required training and obtains relevant product and role certifications aligned to the role and workload/industry. 

Other 

• Embody our culture and values 

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Business Administration, Information Security, or related field AND 2+ years experience in technology-related sales or account management OR equivalent experience.

Other Requirements:

• Cloud Screening: Candidates must be able to successfully complete and pass a Microsoft Cloud background screening. Required Cloud Screenings will be administered on a recurring bi-annual basis.
• Microsoft is unable to sponsor a work visa for this role due to the nature of the role’s job duties. 
• Citizenship & Citizenship Verification: This position requires verification of U.S citizenship due to citizenship-based legal restrictions. Specifically, this position supports United States federal, state, and/or local United States government agency customers and is subject to certain citizenship-based restrictions where required or permitted by applicable law. To meet this legal requirement, citizenship will be verified via a valid passport, or other approved documents, or verified US government clearance. 

Preferred Qualifications:

• The ability to obtain and maintain a United States Security Clearance.
• Master's Degree in Business Administration (i.e., MBA), Information Technology, Information Security, or related field AND 3+ 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 5+ years experience in technology-related sales or account management
  • OR equivalent experience.
• 4+ years solution or services sales experience. 

Solution Area Specialists IC3 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $88,000 - $150,100 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 $114,500 - $165,700 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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