Director of Business Operations and Transformation

Microsoft•Redmond, WA

About The Position

With a vision to build and sell Microsoft AI, Cloud applications, services, and devices with partners, empowering every person and organization to achieve more, Global Channel Partner Sales (GCPS) drives revenue growth through partners by delivering innovative solutions at scale. Within GCPS, the Global Partner Investments team plays a critical role in accelerating growth through strategic partner investments, incentive programs, and transformation initiatives. As the business continues to evolve, we are reimagining how work gets done by harnessing AI, data, automation, and modern operating models to increase agility, effectiveness, and business impact. We are seeking a strategic leader to help define and lead the next phase of that transformation. This role will serve at the forefront of how Global Partner Investments adopts and scales AI-powered ways of working, helping reshape how decisions are made, how processes are executed, and how business outcomes are measured and optimized across the organization. The leader will be responsible for the systems, governance, analytics, operational frameworks, and organizational capabilities that support Global Partner Investments and broader stakeholders’ ecosystem. They will identify opportunities to simplify complexity, eliminate manual work, modernize processes through automation and intelligent solutions, and create new approaches that enable teams to focus more time on insight, innovation, and strategic impact. Operating at the intersection of business architecture, AI transformation, analytics, governance, and business operations, the successful candidate will combine strong business leadership with deep systems thinking and an AI-first mindset. They will leverage emerging technologies to redesign business processes, improve organizational effectiveness, strengthen decision-making through data and insights, and establish governance mechanisms that balance innovation, speed, accountability, and operational excellence. In partnership with stakeholders across Microsoft, this leader will define and continuously evolve the operating frameworks that connect strategy, investments, execution, insights, controls, and feedback loops into a cohesive business system. As a champion for AI-driven transformation, they will help shape the future operating model of the organization, accelerating adoption of new technologies and enabling more intelligent, adaptive, and impactful ways of working.

Requirements

Bachelor's Degree in Business, Operations, Finance, or related field AND 8+ years experience in program management, process management, or process improvement OR equivalent experience.
6+ years management (e.g., people, project, process, vendor, change) experience.

Nice To Haves

Master's Degree in Business, Operations, Finance, or related field AND 12+ years experience program management, process management, or process improvement OR Bachelor's Degree in Business, Operations, Finance, or related field AND 15+ years experience in program management , process management, or process improvement OR equivalent experience.
8+ years people management experience.
Experience building or scaling AI-powered business solutions, automation platforms, intelligent workflows, or enterprise transformation programs.
Experience in business architecture, operations, digital transformation, or systems engineering.
Experience establishing data-driven operating models, executive measurement frameworks, and organizational intelligence capabilities.
Experience balancing strategic transformation with governance, compliance, risk management, and operational rigor.
Proven success leading complex operational ecosystems, with accountability for programs execution, business performance, governance, compliance, controls, and continuous operational improvement.
Demonstrated experience managing complex business operations and operating mechanisms, including governance, compliance, risk management, program performance, and execution at scale.
Experience driving modernization through technology, automation, data platforms, analytics, or AI-enabled business solutions.
Experience leading managers and multidisciplinary teams across business operations, analytics, program management, strategy, or transformation functions.
Demonstrated ability to influence senior leadership and drive alignment across highly matrixed organizations.
Strong executive communication skills with the ability to synthesize complex organizational challenges into clear strategies and actionable recommendations.

Responsibilities

Define and drive the vision, strategy, and roadmap for AI-enabled business transformation across Global Partner Investments, shaping how the organization adopts new technologies to work smarter, decide faster, and deliver greater impact.
Redesign how work gets done by leveraging AI, automation, and intelligent workflows to eliminate manual effort, reduce complexity, and enable teams to focus on higher-value strategic work.
Establish and continuously evolve the operating frameworks that connect strategy, investments, execution, analytics, governance, controls, and feedback loops into a cohesive and adaptive business system.
Modernize processes, tools, and operating rhythms to improve efficiency, transparency, execution quality, and organizational agility.
Build the organization's data, analytics, and insights capabilities, enabling evidence-based decision-making, performance management, and continuous improvement.
Establish measurable operating standards and accountability mechanisms that reinforce a high-performing, insight-driven culture.
Lead program management functions responsible for ongoing programs execution, performance management, compliance oversight, exception handling, and continuous improvement of business processes and controls.
Lead governance, compliance, risk management, and audit readiness, balancing innovation and speed with operational integrity and responsible business practices.
Partner closely with Finance, Legal, HR, Engineering, and business stakeholders to align priorities, meet corporate standards, and accelerate transformation across the organization.
Lead and develop a multidisciplinary team spanning business program management, analytics, governance, compliance, and operational transformation, building deep capability in systems thinking, AI adoption, and modern ways of working.
Foster a culture of innovation, experimentation, inclusion, and accountability while developing future leaders equipped to drive transformation.