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Microsoft’s Worldwide Defense & Intelligence Team have a passion for empowering militaries, improving operations, and protecting national security and are seeking an experienced Business Development Executive to work across and partner with the Defense Industrial Base.

The successful candidate initiates industry-led conversations with our most strategic customers to help them envision and prioritize new opportunities, clearly defining business outcomes that can be achieved through adoption of Microsoft Cloud and AI. Leveraging deep industry knowledge and consultative sales experience, they build relationships with senior business executives, government officials and “business of government” leaders, working in close collaboration with local Account Teams, the Worldwide Public Sector Team and our ecosystem partners to progress the customer journey.

We are looking for someone who has a passion for the defense industry, consultative sales experience and depth of knowledge within government, defense and advanced manufacturing.

Regionally based in Australia, you will be working as an integral member of the Worldwide Public Sector team in collaboration with colleagues in other geographies. Successful candidates will excel at cross-functional engagement with our government customers, and understand how to lead inside a matrixed organization to deliver against key business priorities, goals, and objectives.  

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.

• Leverages internal and external relationships as a trusted advisor to advise complex customers and partners in future strategic direction as a sought-out resource across multiple lines of business, geographies, and cultures, as appropriate.

• Drives large scale customer and partner business initiatives through sell with and sell through motions. Steers business value propositions based on company, partner, and/or customer needs and drives strategy across multiple products/industries over an extended time horizon as applicable.

• Anticipates the Microsoft value proposition versus competitors and works with stakeholders to influence the build/buy/partner decision to meet customer needs, leveraging knowledge in conjunction with product/industry teams to establish a foundation for future opportunities in competitive situations through collaboration.

• Leverages relationships with a diverse set of stakeholders and deep knowledge of customers, partners, and the business to seek out unique opportunities.

• Develops overarching strategies to address gaps and gains agreements on the opportunity pipeline. Leads deal opportunities across deal stages.

• Drives plans for managing deals with targeted strategies, prioritization, and implementation of communications and reporting.

• Collaborates with customers, partners, and Microsoft colleagues to develop post-deal governance and oversee the creation and implementation of execution plans across a portfolio of deals within domains and industries, with regards to:

• Sales Business development

• Key Strategic ecosystem initiatives across the Defense Industrial Base.

• MACC and cross solution deals management

• AI Pinnacle program management

• Work with senior government officials, customer executives, WWPS, corporate, MS PG/Engineering, CO+! and other functions for strategic ecosystem initiatives and business outcomes managing to short term budget and long term growth plans.

Responsibilities

Deal Management/ Governance

Collaborates with customers, partners, and Microsoft colleagues to develop post-deal governance and oversee the creation and implementation of execution plans across a portfolio of deals within domains, industries, and/or geographies. Collaborates with complex (e.g., multi-geography large partner, multiple lines of business) customers and partners to create market-changing business value. Demonstrates achieved implementation and high-impact business value (e.g., executive level recognition) for customers, partners, and the company. Anticipates and addresses issues pre-emptively, leveraging and engaging executives. Provides recommendations into decisions to continue/discontinue deals. Course corrects to maximize deal value and pre-emptively minimize risk. Engages in fundamental revamping of approach as appropriate and drives alignment across business groups within Microsoft Business Development (BD).

Drives plans for managing deals with targeted strategies, prioritization, and implementation of communications and reporting. Designs programmatic approaches to address complex business opportunities, balancing risks and rewards.

Negotiation

Leads deal opportunities across deal stages (e.g., Strategic Approval (SA), Approval to Negotiate (A2N), Final Go-no-go (FGNG)). Resolves deal issues as an escalation point for less experienced colleagues. Establishes best practices and drives process improvements based on learnings across deals. Represents Microsoft as a role model in key customer and partner interactions and determines the deal structures for scalable and durable solutions in custom and complex business opportunities. Develops and implements strategic engagement models that achieve business opportunities from the largest customers and partners, manage the customer and partner interface, and provide deal structure to close complex global deals. Provides coaching and support to less experienced colleagues as a go-to resource for negotiation.

Partnership Strategy

Develops overarching strategies to address gaps and gains agreements on the opportunity pipeline. Orchestrates processes for pipelines and opportunities that deliver results and optimize resources. Prepares information for reporting to key stakeholders, including synthesizing key work for executive consumption.

Steers business value propositions based on company, partner, and/or customer needs and drives strategy across multiple products/industries over an extended time horizon as applicable. Drives support and action by influencing internal stakeholders and partners and promoting the value of opportunities.

Leverages relationships with a diverse set of stakeholders and deep knowledge of customers, partners, and the business to seek out unique opportunities (e.g., whitespace opportunities, category creation) that cross business areas or target high-priority gaps in prominent industries, products, or accounts (e.g., high profile, high impact, large). Leverages trends in data to inform decisions across deals and maximize opportunity. Drives deals to increase growth and achieve desired outcomes, anticipating potential issues and leveraging executive relationships to resolve escalations. Provides input into recommendations on partners.

Anticipates the Microsoft value proposition versus competitors and works with stakeholders to influence the build/buy/partner decision to meet customer needs, leveraging knowledge in conjunction with product/industry teams to establish a foundation for future opportunities in competitive situations through collaboration. Provides subject matter expertise on the industry and competitive trends. Maintains a large industry network and may represent Microsoft externally by speaking at industry conferences and/or participating in industry groups.

Partner & Customer Focus

Drives large scale (e.g., multi-year, high impact, high profile) customer and partner business initiatives by promoting and enabling joint-value creation, and development of creative solutions for multiple lines of business. Forecasts and anticipates future changes and actions to drive influence around the product roadmap, prioritization, and proactively guide customer and partner decision making. Shapes industry-wide or product domain initiatives and norms as applicable.

Leverages internal and external relationships as a trusted advisor to advise complex (e.g., large, high impact) customers and partners in future strategic direction as a sought-out resource across multiple lines of business, geographies, and cultures, as appropriate. Advises partners and decision makers on the industry and company and provides industry expertise internally and externally.

Qualifications

Required qualifications

10+ years experience working as an executive within Defense, Manufacturing or Government domains. 5+ years project leadership/management experience. 5+ years experience working in a matrixed organization, preferably in the technology industry.

Desirable qualifications

Master's Degree in Business Administration, Finance, Computer Science, Law, or related field AND 8+ years experience in business development, sales, consulting, or marketing OR equivalent experience.

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 (https://careers.microsoft.com/v2/global/en/accessibility.html) .