Director, Solution Area Specialists Manager - Cloud & AI Platform

The Solution Area Specialists Manager oversees and aligns multiple teams with the organization's strategic vision and customer success objectives, ensuring adherence to sales frameworks and guidelines. Strategically guides and empowers teams to proactively anticipate and address competitive threats and gaps in the market across all solution areas.

Develops and empowers teams to lead end-to-end artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud-driven transformation initiatives for customers. Works with area or organization leaders to ensure an accurate forecast through pipeline management and a deal-based forecast in each of the core solution areas. Drives cross-organizational collaboration to achieve operational excellence and execution of the business strategy.

Coaches teams to leverage technology to drive business growth across solution areas and ensures the use of artificial intelligence (AI)-powered analytics and forecasting tools to enhance precision. Proactively identifies and aligns solution scenarios with customer and partner organizations, ensuring that Microsoft's offerings integrate with and add value to their business operations. Acts as a prominent customer and partner advocate within the subsidiary/area, providing feedback to solution area leaders to shape strategy and drive continuous improvement to capture market opportunities and establish trust. In addition, this role has people management responsibilities including driving employee growth and development, executing projects, and managing performance.

Responsibilities

Customer Engagement and Partnership Acts as a prominent customer and partner advocate within the subsidiary/area, providing feedback to solution area leaders to shape strategy and drive continuous improvement to capture market opportunities and establish trust. Champions the prioritization of customer success and advocates for customized strategies that deliver on their specific needs and objectives. Promotes early involvement of strategic partners in the sales cycle to accelerate customer adoption and value realization at scale. Contributes to multiple rhythms of business (RoB) within the enterprise and incorporates both external (e.g., customer) and internal (e.g., sellers, internal teams) perspectives. Provides insights and feedback to internal teams to enhance go-to-market (GTM) strategies. Coaches and mentors teams on simplifying and aligning sales plays to meet market and customer needs.

Proactively identifies and aligns solution scenarios with customer and partner organizations, ensuring that Microsoft's offerings integrate with and add value to their business operations. Serves as a trusted advisor for customers and partners, leveraging insights to drive success in the marketplace. Leads high-level conversations with customers that underscore the strategic partnership between Microsoft, partners, and customers’ business objectives, fostering long-term business relationships. Ensures access to customer support resources through Unified Support, accelerating business value realization and transformation.