Enterprise Partner Solutions (EPS) is accountable for building and co-selling innovative Microsoft Cloud & AI solutions and services with our global and local enterprise partners. Our partner portfolio includes global systems integrators, advisories, high-value management consultancies, independent software vendors (ISV), and software development companies (SDC) —working together to empower people and organisations to achieve more.
As the UK&I GSI Lead, you will be responsible for the UK&I performance growth of the Global Systems Integration and Advisory partner ecosystem leading a team of Partner Development Managers. These are our largest and most strategic services partners in the UK&I and globally, shaping our enterprise customers’ digital transformation journeys. You will also be responsible for ensuring technical and specialist resource support for UK&I by securing resources from EMEA and Global specialist technical teams.
You will leverage your challenger mindset, deep technology and industry expertise, market insights, and best-in-class interpersonal abilities to empower your team to further grow our robust ecosystem of partners, enabling them to bring market-defining cloud and AI solutions to our customers. This opportunity will accelerate your career growth as you work deeply with highly complex partner organisations, building strong relationships and influence with their C-suite, and shaping our strategic partnerships to deliver on our growth ambitions.
Please note that this position requires 3 days per week in the office / client site 3 days per week.
Microsoft’s mission is to empower every person and every organisation on the planet to achieve more. As employees, we come together with a growth mindset, innovate to empower others, and collaborate to realise 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.
Responsibilities
Partner Portfolio Leadership and Optimisation
Establish long-term partner strategies and expand current GSI partnerships to create a balanced, high-performance portfolio, grow business, and anticipate market growth opportunities.
Strategic Vision and Value Partnering
Lead your team in the creation of a strategic vision, executing partner business plans that ensure alignment between Microsoft’s value proposition and the partner’s business goals.
Develop and strengthen partners’ performance across each of the Microsoft Cloud Solution Areas (CSAs) AI Business Solutions, Security, and Cloud and AI Platforms.
Support GSIs in driving “partner zero” initiatives and becoming frontier firms by way of example for their customers. Ensuring our GSIs have first hand experience of being a frontier firm leading with AI.
Partner Sales Leadership
Act as sales leader and coach the team through pipeline and opportunity management, following Microsoft internal sales methodology and tools.
Build and maintain a strong rhythm of business to ensure sales execution excellence with partners, collaborating with other sales teams at Microsoft. Coach teams through resolving blockers and act as escalation point for complex partner situations.
Market Insight and Business Opportunity
Lead and challenge your team to identify transformational customer opportunities to pursue with partners, incorporating industry expertise, market insights, and deep knowledge of the competitive landscape working closely alongside Microsoft specialist teams.
Executive Relationship Building
Guide your team in developing deep, trusted-advisor relationships with our GSI partners. Provide training and coaching to ensure your teams maintain a thorough understanding of partner and Microsoft priorities, strategies, and goals.
Be the executive sponsor for top partners and spend more than 50% of your time externally, with partners and customers.
Accelerate AI Opportunity
Support partners’ development of AI-powered industry and horizontal solutions and services, enabling transformation for customers and industries leveraging the power of AI, aligned to our three Cloud Solution Areas.
Performance Management
Set and manage performance expectations, partner ambition and KPIs.
Actively manage PDM performance and provide ongoing feedback. Performance management should include PDMs meeting or exceeding revenue-based quotas and partner KPIs. Identify and take corrective action where performance is below target.
Team Leadership and Career Development
Develop and lead a high-performing team, leveraging resources to help employees grow skillsets, encourage mentorship, and support their career interests. Be an expert at workforce development and succession planning, identifying growth opportunities, building development plans, and conducting development discussions.
Qualifications
Required /Minimum Qualifications
- Strong and proven experience in partner management, sales, business development, or partner channel development in the technology industry
- Strong and proven partner management, sales, business development, or partner channel development in the technology industry.
- Proven and prior people management experience.
- Proven expertise in building high-performing teams, excelling in hiring, performance management, and sales strategy.
- Excellent written and oral communication skills, with the ability to convey complex business and technical information to all audiences.
Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. Consistent with applicable law, all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran or military status, race, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about requesting accommodations.
