Senior Partner Development Manager

Microsoft

About The Position

The Senior Partner Development Manager (PDM) for the Americas Software Development Company (SDC) team, is an important contributor to Microsoft's partner engagement strategy as part of the Americas Enterprise Partner Solutions (EPS) organization. Microsoft aspires to offer the most comprehensive, inclusive, and profitable partner network in the industry. EPS is a sales organization accountable for the commercial partner business at Microsoft, building and selling Microsoft Cloud solutions, services and applications with our partner ecosystem. Together we empower customers and organizations to achieve more. The Senior Partner Development Manager - Software Development Company (SDC) will be tasked with managing a targeted portfolio of strategic SDCs. You will have a deep understanding of partner and Microsoft priorities to build mutually beneficial plans. You will deliver and drive the SDC partner sales strategy, you will sponsor executive connections, drive business performance through partners, and maximize partner investments. You will work with area and core teams to drive sales execution. You will build deep partnerships with your SDC partners and enable them to leverage the Microsoft Cloud platform and AI capabilities, to deliver differentiated IP to the market. You will have strategic and business performance responsibility for the partner and coordinate with strategy and execution. You will accelerate your career growth as you work with leading edge software companies, build relationships with C-Suite, and collaborate across multiple stakeholders to innovate. This role is part of a broader Americas EPS team, giving you the opportunity to learn and connect with colleagues and partners across Canada, the United States, and Latin America. 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

Bachelor's Degree in Marketing, Business Operations, Computer Science or a related field AND 5+ years of experience in partner management, sales, business development, or partner channel development in the technology industry or related experience
OR equivalent experience.
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.

Nice To Haves

Master's Degree in Business Administration, Business Science, or an advanced degree in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) or a related field AND 8+ years of experience in partner management, sales, business development, or partner channel development in the technology industry or related experience
OR equivalent experience.
8+ years of enterprise partner management experience including but not limited to any combination of the following: evangelize partner solutions, increase partner commitment, integration, sell & delivering solutions, build and execute partner business plans, lead and drive partner resources and execute joint selling goals, drive capability and capacity
8+ years of enterprise sales experience, building, managing, and growing technology partner ecosystem sales programs and organizations
Proven experience with influencing senior executive leaders and being a trusted advisor on strategy development and stakeholder management.

Responsibilities

Microsoft Business Leader
Uses Challenger mindset to influence and engage partners and develop a trusted-advisor relationship with senior level leaders and partners to establish strategic alignment and drive growth. Understands and aligns partners' priorities, strategies, and goals with Microsoft’s to build mutually beneficial account plans. Builds and maintains trusted advisor relationships with partner through a deep understanding of their local strategy and business imperatives. Identifies and clearly articulates business opportunities for partners and suggests ways to pursue them. Fosters a broad stakeholder map.
Leads Business Design briefings to architect framework for partnership to optimize mutual success, advising partner leadership on building a high-impact Microsoft partner practice. Develops and executes strategic partner business plans directly aligned with field goals and objectives for all managed partners that grow partner business and promote cloud consumption and digital transformation. Develops plans that fully consider short- and long-term goals and performance expectations that are aligned with partner’s needs and capabilities. Shares expert knowledge with partners, to create strategies with line of business executives that challenge the partners to consider new or different ways to grow businesses. Champions Microsoft as a valued partner by aligning vision for tech and services with future opportunities to transform how we compete. Drives a strategic, effective, and actionable World-class Account Plan to land Enterprise Partner Solutions (EPS) priorities. Establishes and maintains partner Rhythm of Business (RoB) across all levels and takes share as appropriate. Brings deep subject matter expertise to enrich designs and plans.
Helps lead the integration of skills, capability, and capacity plans for the partner business. Influences partner to create a learning culture. Applies and offers various sales and tech trainings and bootcamps to increase the partners' capabilities. Helps lead campaigns to drive growth and transformation. Helps lead the creation of local strategies to align capacity and capability of the partner to compete, gain, and win share for Microsoft solutions to expand platform and sockets for services. Helps lead efforts to build and scale partner digital selling capabilities. Monitors market landscape and partner's impact and uses this knowledge to influence the local strategy in business planning decisions.
Evaluates managed partner portfolio to identify patterns, opportunities, and gaps in partner accounts. Proposes existing products and solutions or recommends new solutions in which partners can jointly invest to fill gaps. Aligns partner needs and interests with market opportunities. Applies working knowledge to build and maintain Quarterly Execution Plans focused on Core & New to build a healthy portfolio of solutions offerings.
Leads the creation of a strategic vision rooted to the Partners impact and potential across segments. Demonstrates an expert understanding of the industry and Partners business and conveys the value of partnering with Microsoft based on the business opportunity and possible competition. Responsible for establishing new market partnerships by working with market makers and making connections. Begins to think longer term regarding the possibility of making larger deals. Establishes long-term strategic vision for the partnership, creating opportunities for deeper commitments. Sells account vision to and shares market opportunities decision makers and complex partners by aligning overall Microsoft value proposition and value propositions of products, channels, or solutions to the partner's business goals. Leads prep sessions and roundtables to influence partners strategy and builds stakeholder maps to expand network and identify market opportunities based on industry gaps and emerging trends in solution/product areas. Develops and maintains in-depth knowledge of products, channels, end customers, and industry and market trends to share with partner(s). Upholds Microsoft policies, procedures, and/or legal compliance standards. Delivers and influences mid-term partnership horizons. Drives understanding of the multiple facets of a partnership.
Partner Sales and Consumption
Possesses a challenger sales mindset and begins to apply this in interactions with partners. Orchestrates reviews of Partner’s pipeline, top deals, and consumption targets. Coaches the partner on top deals and ensure close alignment between the partners sales team, channel managers, and other relevant teams. Supports the partners sales leaders on how to overcome obstacles, compete, create deal proposals, etc. Helps lead the development of partnerships with Enterprise Partner Solutions (EPS) to gain support for strategic transformational initiatives to drive incremental cloud growth. Influences the development of partnerships across the Microsoft and partner sales teams to manage pipeline and drive large opportunities/deals. Influences how partners are guided through Digital transformation by building Digital capabilities with a Challenger mindset: sharing ideas, perspectives, and building a trusted advisory relationship. Drives partner integration of the common sales and delivery methodology for Microsoft for customer opportunities, helps accelerate pipeline by removing blockers, and helps drive key sales motions, programs, and incentives with their partner. Helps identify new opportunities with partner, document in MSX, connect Microsoft and partner sellers, and help move through sales stages. Demonstrates effective pipeline ownership, translating into advanced deal control and forecasting.
Leverages internal resources to develop go-to-market and co-selling strategies that define activities and expectations to meet Microsoft and partner sales goals. Prioritizes accounts for developing go-to-market strategies. Advises partner on meeting various programs, initiatives, sales, incentive, and tech requirements. Helps partners understand what a consumption-led business is and how it operates, coaches partners around consumption economics (e.g., leverages reports, analyses, etc.). Demonstrates effective pipeline management and limited seller mobilization with leadership sponsorship. Identifies co-selling and customer transactions through Marketplace.
Helps lead campaigns with various functional areas and the partners marketing teams. Oversees planning, campaign tactics, offers, and incentives. Ensures core activities are agreed upon before executing and helps to coordinate resources. Ensures sales targets are clear and that actions and accountabilities are being routinely followed up. Ensures Launch Excellence with sales readiness, and GTM activities. Supports partner readiness by assisting partners in the development and execution of marketing plans with guidance to generate customer sales (e.g., campaigns, incentives, and promotions). Secures marketing resources (e.g., go to market offers) to assist partners with developing marketing plans. Provides support to partners on deals to gain commercial and consumer share. Helps ensure Launch Excellence by supporting Partner sales readiness and go-to-market activities. Demonstrates a basic understanding of GTM programs and runs generic campaigns. Builds and launches integrated industry specific offerings on Marketplace with partners.
Partner Performance and Impact
Ensures results on partner's behalf through resolution of complex and urgent escalations. Leads the orchestration of response to the partner to ensure timely action and resolution from internal teams. Executes a rhythm of business (RoB) for regular partner reviews and quarterly business reviews (e.g., MBRs, QBRs) to track plan execution, identify gaps and agree on any correction of errors in alignment with appropriate stakeholders. Advocates to and guides other groups in prioritizing partners' solutions and issues. Champions internal processes that benefit partners and brings insights into the organization around what the partner experience looks like. Advocates for the development of relationships with Channel Sales counterparts (PDM, PTS, PMM) in support of Microsoft solutions through partner GTM. Advocates for partner(s) internally at the local level by connecting partner(s) to Microsoft executives to facilitate local reviews for opportunity pipelines and transformational projects. Actively seeks opportunities to demonstrate the value of the partner to other organizations within Microsoft.
Leads and implements assessments of the partners' journey of building world class teams and helps to oversee the sharing of assessment results with other Partner Development Managers and the partners. Helps others lead and implement with Intelligent Edge/Intelligent Cloud to create strategic alignment through compelling storytelling with local partner executives to gain commitment to build their selling/technical skill sets and incentivizes for their customers. Influences and plays an active role in Cloud sales transformation (e.g., readiness, compensation, territories).
Other
Embody our culture and values