Sr Principal Analyst, Microsoft Licensing

Gartner•Stamford, CT

22h•$105,000 - $140,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Gartner Analysts are industry thought leaders who create must-have insights, market predictions and best practices for a broad range of world-leading organizations. A Sr Principal serves as an expert within Gartner’s Business and Technology Insights (BTI) group. Utilizing research and analytical skills, a Sr Principal plays a role in producing pragmatic and provocative insights which Gartner clients consume and apply to propel their business toward key objectives. They are a trusted source of advice for clients, reinforcing Gartner’s value every day by engaging them via in-person meetings, virtual meetings, sales support visits and Gartner conferences to discuss complex client challenges and offer appropriate recommendations. Candidates must have current knowledge of Microsoft’s commercial programs, contracting models, pricing, and discounting approaches as well as a vision for how Microsoft licensing, and overall contracting and negotiations with large vendors, will evolve globally and regionally.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience
8+ years of relevant field or industry experience
5+ years work experience in SaaS/software contract negotiations, technology procurement, category management, vendor management or software asset management within a buying organization, outsourcer, consulting firm, or reseller.
Extensive, recent, hands-on experience negotiating with Microsoft (within last 12 months).
Subject matter expertise in Microsoft licensing with understanding of the negotiation process, software and cloud services market trends, the global landscape, and reseller ecosystem.
Provide clients and prospects with compelling, actionable advice regarding their Microsoft pricing and contracting needs, including negotiation strategies and ongoing vendor management, via virtual or face-to-face interactions.
Develop and publish innovative, high-impact insights on software pricing and contracting, especially Microsoft, via research articles, webinars, events, and client briefings.
Research, analyze, and forecast trends in software, SaaS, and cloud licensing to deliver forward-looking guidance.
Demonstrate executive presence; can immediately establish credibility with executives and additional stakeholders
Strong organizational skills; ability to work under tight deadlines and produce high quality deliverables
Demonstrate excellence in research and writing ability
Strong written and verbal proficiency, analytical and presentation skills; ability to engage clients and respond effectively to questions
Proficient in analyzing and synthesizing data; can effectively apply patterns and frameworks while drawing and defending conclusions to client challenges
Strong communication skills - able to explain complex concepts concisely and simply
Subject matter expertise; comfortable presenting at large and small-scale speaking engagements
Strong business and financial acumen
Deep knowledge of the global and competitive landscape within subject area as well as the interplay in that market
Ability to work independently, while also being intrinsically motivated to collaborate across teams and support the workflow of others, in a multicultural global team
Learning agile and adept with navigating highly matrixed environments
Ability to represent Gartner's research methodology and strategies effectively at all levels
Willingness and ability to travel up to 25% (where applicable)

Nice To Haves

Graduate degree preferred
Experience with software license compliance risk assessment, management, and/or mitigation in a software audit context, particularly with Microsoft, is desired.
Experience with other major vendors (e.g., AWS, Google, Salesforce, SAP, Oracle, or ServiceNow) is desired.

Responsibilities

Create innovative, thought provoking, and highly leveraged “must-have insights” content
Develop new insights and ideas through thought leadership and offer compelling, actionable approaches to client's needs and requests that accelerate the client's ability to act
Develop in-depth analysis to identify the root cause of a client’s barriers or overall needs and reframe thinking to drive strategy forward
Demonstrate thought leadership in establishing Insights positions across a team of analysts
Bring provocative, independent insights to Gartner leaders that can evolve the course of a research agenda
Research, analyze and predict market trends and shifts to provide clients and vendors with actionable insights
Provide clients and prospects with actionable advice aligned to their designated content area via virtual or face-to-face interactions
Create and deliver high value presentation materials on and off stage for Gartner events, industry and professional association conferences, and client briefings
Support BTI and Sales: Provide sales support serving as voice of the market to help Insights teams create content and to drive engagement with clients to make progress against their critical priorities to grow their business
Provide high quality and timely content peer review
Build credibility as an industry expert to represent Gartner insights, methodology and strategy
Actively participate in innovation, ideation, and research discussions and collaborate effectively with peers in the Insights community
Identify research process improvements or develop new processes that help the team and BTI provide excellent service delivery
Be client-centric while actively seeking to help clients engage regularly and often with Gartner insights and interactions