Strategic Account Director

Microsoft•New York, NY

About The Position

Microsoft is seeking a Strategic Account Director to lead its U.S. relationship with three strategic customers. The primary focus is one of the world’s leading advertising and marketing services companies, while also driving U.S. strategy for two global energy and utilities customers. The role combines business-focused selling with technical credibility, shaping customer strategies that translate AI, data, and cloud ambitions into results. The director will work with global account leadership and technical strategy teams in Paris, France, to coordinate a connected transatlantic strategy for three strategic French-headquartered customers. The role owns strategic account planning, pipeline and revenue growth, executive engagement, and coordination of Microsoft’s extended teams and partners. It requires understanding customer technology estates, data landscapes, and AI roadmaps, and aligning them with Microsoft’s AI, data, cloud, and security solutions. The director will develop value-based business cases, support customer adoption, manage competitive risks, and grow strategic customer relationships through new workloads, consumption, and partner-led efforts. This position is not eligible for visa sponsorship. Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States without current or future employer sponsorship. The role is classified as Strategic Account Management IC5. The typical U.S. base pay range is USD $133,000–$222,700 per year; the range for the San Francisco Bay Area and New York City metropolitan area is USD $170,300–$239,800 per year. Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled, and the posting will remain open for a minimum of five days.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree and 10+ years of experience working in an industry and/or driving digital transformation; or a master’s degree and 9+ years of such experience; or 13+ years of such experience; or equivalent experience.
At least 6 years of experience making recommendations to and/or collaborating with mid-to-senior-level executives.
At least 8 years of experience closing large, complex agreements or deals.
Must have authorization to work in the United States that does not now or in the future require employer sponsorship; the position is not eligible for visa sponsorship.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree and 13+ years of experience working in an industry and/or driving digital transformation; or a master’s degree and 11+ years of such experience; or equivalent experience.
Experience discussing cloud, data, and AI solutions with technical decision makers such as CTOs, CDOs, and engineering leaders.
Track record of working alongside technical teams, including solution architects and technical specialists, to shape and close complex deals.
Experience managing multiple strategic accounts at once and setting priorities across them.
Comfort working with global account teams and leaders across time zones, especially Europe.
Experience in advertising, media, marketing, or MarTech, or in energy, utilities, or sustainability.
History of growing multimillion-dollar relationships through new workloads, consumption, and partner-led motions.
Executive presence with C-suite stakeholders and experience building multi-year account plans.
Experience co-selling with partners or system integrators.

Responsibilities

Own the strategic account plan for a leading marketing, advertising, and communications company, while driving U.S. strategy for two global energy and utilities customers in partnership with global account teams.
Drive pipeline, forecast, revenue, and consumption targets using Microsoft’s sales methodology, and lead joint account governance with customers and partners.
Lead Microsoft’s extended account team—including industry experts, technical specialists, solution architects, and Customer Success—as well as partners, to deliver strategic initiatives and new business.
Build partner co-sell motions and joint solutions to scale customer outcomes.
Build trusted relationships with executive, business, and technical decision makers, and establish a regular executive business rhythm focused on value and return on investment.
Understand customer technology estates, data landscapes, and AI roadmaps, and map them to Microsoft AI, data, cloud, and security solutions.
Bring Microsoft technical resources and product groups into envisioning sessions, proofs of concept, and technical validation at the appropriate stages.
Advocate for customer roadmap needs, challenge customer thinking with new ideas, manage competitive risk, and capture customer wins as references.
Position Microsoft solutions in the context of marketing, media, advertising, energy, and industrial technology, including AI and agents for creative and media workflows and data, IoT, and sustainability for energy and industry.
Build value-based business cases and cross-solution strategies that connect customer business goals to Microsoft technology.
Drive upsell, cross-sell, and consumption growth, and agree with customers on success measures, including adoption.
Work with Customer Success to anticipate risks and protect customer satisfaction.
Keep the customer stakeholder map up to date, including technical sponsors.