Overview Identifies and evaluates industry trends (customer industry verticals, information technology [IT] industry), gathers customer/partner insights. Develops and expands existing impactful relationships with customer and partner architects, C-level technical decision makers (TDMs), and business stakeholders (to the extent that the customer/partner will call for consultation without being prompted). Guides other team members to focus on customer/partner experience through efficient delivery and ensuring a seamless and connected customer experience. Actively listens, creates, and sustains constructive tension and trust with customers/partners by respectfully challenging their decisions and/or areas where they might do more and encouraging them to consider alternative architectures/solutions and approaches. Drives their team in operating and optimizing complex and high-impact situations for strategic customers/partners in collaboration with internal stakeholders. Owns complex customers/partner relationships to anticipate, identify, propose resolution, and lead removal of technical blockers through regular technical reviews and check-ins to accelerate consumption and solution implementations. Proactively uses deep knowledge of the offerings, practices, products, services, solutions, and value propositions of Microsoft and its competitors in customer/partner conversations and to propose and coach others to develop new solutions to scale across multiple customers/partners while demonstrating the business case and presenting alternative scenarios. Leads the adoption of Microsoft offerings based on analysis/differentiation of Microsoft and competitor products to influence the industry-wide direction for specific architecture(s). Leverages market insights to assist leadership in defining global vision by identifying relevant areas in which to drive up-skilling. Leads and may assemble virtual teams around technologies and customer/partner challenges by sharing ideas, insights, and strategic, technical input with technical teams, internal communities across the field, and the larger virtual team across Microsoft using knowledge of Microsoft architectures and their context in the competitive landscape. Connects gaps and patterns across business and technology areas, and drives changes and improvements to existing intellectual property (IP), technologies, and/or processes that enable solutions to scale across customers/partner. Responsibilities Business Impact Drive operational excellence across sales stages and tools (pipeline, time tracking). Collaborate with Microsoft and partners to deliver on strategy and achieve customer objectives. Identify and mitigate business and technical risks; ensure compliance with Microsoft and industry standards. Accelerate solution deployment and consumption; uncover opportunities for usage and expansion. Customer Centricity Ensure a seamless customer experience and address dissatisfaction. Translate customer needs into Microsoft-aligned solutions and ROI-driven outcomes. Build trust with technical and business decision makers; act as the voice of the customer to influence product improvements. Partner Specialization Support partners in developing offerings and delivering initial implementations. Provide technical enablement and unblock customer deals to grow solution utilization. Technical Leadership Maintain technical readiness and mentor peers on solution priorities (security, AI, resilience). Contribute to v-teams, IP development, and community engagements to elevate Microsoft's brand. Identify gaps and patterns to improve frameworks, methodologies, and scalable solutions. Qualifications Required / Minimum Qualifications Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, or a related field AND significant experience in cybersecurity, cloud and infrastructure technologies, IT consulting/support, systems administration, network operations, software development/support, or architecture OR equivalent professional experience. Extensive hands-on experience with security operations, Identity, endpoint & cloud protection, and SIEM solutions such as Microsoft Defender XDR and Microsoft Sentinel, or comparable technologies. Proven track record in customer-facing roles and technical project delivery. Technical certifications in Cybersecurity and Cloud Security (e.g., CISSP, CCSP, Azure Security Engineer). Preferred Qualifications Bachelor's degree with substantial progressive experience in cybersecurity and cloud security architecture. Demonstrated ability to design and implement advanced threat protection strategies, leveraging Microsoft Defender XDR and Sentinel for detection, investigation, and response. Strong familiarity with compliance frameworks (e.g., NIS2, ISO 27001) and governance principles for secure cloud deployments. Deep understanding of identity and access management, Zero Trust architecture, and data protection strategies across hybrid and multi-cloud environments. Knowledge on ethical hacking and forensic analysis is an asset. This position will be open for a minimum of 5 days, with applications accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled. Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. 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 with religious accommodations 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)