Director, Strategic Partnerships & Workloads

Microsoft•Redmond, WA

53d

About The Position

The Cloud and AI Platforms Monetization (CAPM) organization is a big picture team at our core that encourages a diverse and inclusive culture. We are respectful, collaborative, honest, accountable, and caring. Employees on the team can expect to have opportunities to grow their own experiences and career while shaping the future of the major businesses with data-informed strategies. We are growth strategists who enable the Microsoft mission by creating durable profit growth through high-impact monetization strategies, packaging, and pricing. Our charter is significant and spans key growth engines for the company including all Azure solution areas, Windows client and cloud offerings, and our Education and industry offerings and programs. We are seeking a Director of Strategic Partnerships & Workloads to join our team. The Director of Strategic Partnerships & Platforms owns Microsoft Azure’s most complex and economically material platform partnerships, spanning operating systems, enterprise software, and infrastructure. This role is accountable for partnership strategy, commercial models, and monetization, ensuring Azure remains the preferred destination for customers’ most critical workloads. The Director of Strategic Partnerships & Workloads will lead a senior team of business planners, operating at the intersection of product, engineering, finance, legal, and sales, translating strategy into durable, scalable business outcomes. 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.

Requirements

7+ years product management, strategy consulting, finance, business/corporate development, or related experience OR equivalent experience.

Nice To Haves

12+ years product management, strategy consulting, finance, business/corporate development, or related experience AND Bachelor's Degree in Engineering/Computer Science, Economics, Business, or related field OR 8+ years product management, strategy consulting, finance, business/corporate development, or related experience AND Master's Degree in Business Administration (MBA) or related field, OR equivalent experience.
5+ years people management experience.
Demonstrated ownership of complex, global strategies that require cross functional execution and operational scale.
Developed and effective analytical and economic intuition, including experience using data to inform pricing, yield, or demand shaping decisions.
Executive level communication and influence skills.
Experience with cloud infrastructure, platform economics, or capacity constrained environments.

Responsibilities

Strategic Partnerships & Platform Strategy
Own Azure’s strategic infrastructure partnerships (e.g., VMware, Oracle, SAP, Windows Server, and select third party platforms), including longterm strategy, monetization models, and executive alignment.
Define how each partnership fits into Azure’s broader compute, infrastructure, and migration strategy, balancing customer choice with Azure-first economics.
Serve as the primary business owner for platform positioning, value proposition, and differentiation versus on prem and competitive clouds.
Commercial Models & Monetization
Design and evolve commercial frameworks (pricing and promotional constructs) that drive profitable growth and improved utilization.
Apply a yield management mindset to constrained or high leverage platform areas, ensuring capital efficiency and durable economics.
Execution, Scale, and Governance
Drive cross functional execution across Product, Engineering, Sales, Finance, Legal, and Marketing.
Establish clear governance, metrics, and success criteria for partnerships, ensuring transparency and accountability.
People Leadership
Lead and develop a team of senior business planners and partnership leaders.
Build a culture of analytical rigor, ownership, and executive level storytelling.
Coach talent to operate effectively with ambiguity, complexity, and senior stakeholders.
Other
Embody our culture and values.