Security Channel Strategy Lead

Overview

The Global Partner GTM, Programs, & Operations (GPO) organization within GCPS (Global Channel Partner Sales) brings together the go-to-market strategy, programs, and platforms to activate the Partner Channel to accelerate customers transformation with Secure AI.

As the Security Channel Strategy Lead your role is to lead the GCPS Strategy and GTM Win Formula for Security GTM priorities (called Conversations in FY27). This role will focus on defining and mainstreaming our partner incentives, programs, sales strategy and resources to support the success of Microsoft's Security offers. The position will be responsible for working collaboratively across GCPS Sales, Partner Marketing, GS&O, SME&C, and other stakeholder teams across the company to translate the strategy into a set of actionable plans across all markets.

The role engages regularly with Solution Area Product Marketing Groups (PMG), Solution Area GTM teams (CSA), Global Sales and Operations (GS&O) and across many commercial and technical roles to identify opportunities that strengthen partner investment, programs, messaging, and engagement across the go-to-market journey to accelerate Security billed revenue and consumption.

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.

In alignment with our Microsoft values, we are committed to cultivating an inclusive work environment for all employees to positively impact our culture every day.

Responsibilities

• Responsible for the end-to-end partner business planning and strategy for Microsoft Security GTM priorities assigned to translate Business Group (BG) plans and goals into partner execution and growth plans.

• Integrating high impact partner motions into our CSA team's go-to-market motions, in collaboration with field leaders in Sales and Sales Execution and Operations.

• Set strategy for how we build, nurture, and engage partner ecosystem aligned to Solution Area. Perform partner planning, define scorecard metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs), and co-design the partner programs and investments with manager, team, and in partnership with Microsoft's Product Marketing Group (PMG) and other stakeholders

• Proactively surface and resolve blockers to strategy execution and target achievement by leveraging partner and field feedback, diagnosing systemic gaps, and bringing prioritized asks to the Senior Leadership Team to secure the decisions, resources, or cross-functional alignment required to accelerate outcomes.

• Engage with global and local partners, partner development managers (PDM) and field sellers to gather feedback, share actionable insights and design/refine new strategies/programs to drive business growth through partners aligned to cloud strategy and programs

• Lead partner targeting/recruitment strategy based on partner technical capabilities and sales capacity requirements and partner practice development approach to drive the highest Partner return on investment (ROI) for Microsoft.

• Define partner value propositions and lead the development of partner messaging and positioning frameworks

• Partner with finance and operations teams to track business progress and leverage monthly review cadence, KPI reporting and ongoing business improvement

• Develop and land SME&C field guidance and execution strategy and practices across all partner sales and technical roles

• Perform scorecard and KPI analysis as data driven approach to draw trending, learning and insight. Engage with SME&C Worldwide and field personnel to proactively identify data driven business insights from monthly performance and effectiveness of the strategy and execution, as well as action plans to drive ongoing improvement across all partner GTM levers (recruit, build, GTM, sell-with, etc.)

• Put in place partner listening mechanisms to capture voice of partner. Capture feedback, synthesize and prioritize as an input to Industry engineering and business group plans.

• Embody our Culture and Value

Qualifications

Required/minimum qualifications

• Bachelors Degree in Business, Marketing, Business Development, Business Management, Communications, or related field AND 5+ years sales, marketing, or business development experience
• OR equivalent experience.

Additional or preferred qualifications

• 5+ years experience in in Near Term Strategy (2 years out), Management Consulting, Sales, or Finance.

• 3+ years working directly with partner ecosystem, the ability to provide valuable business and technical guidance to them and to secure their commitment to use business solutions

• Business understanding of Microsoft Security technologies and the work that partners do to develop, build-upon, and extend cloud solutions

• Extensive experience in Product Management and/or audience marketing, including the creation of strategic marketing initiatives, differentiated value propositions, and impactful messaging that drives customer engagement and business outcomes.

• Ability to articulate both business and technical value of Microsoft cloud services to senior business and technical decision makers

• Demonstrated track record of creating repeatable best practices on demand generation and awareness campaigns, workshops, metrics, and sales readiness

• Passionate, results-driven, and organized approach; with an attention to detail: A self-starter who can create and deliver scalable plans from concept to delivery, including the ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects, effectively driving to measurable results.

• The ability to work cross-team in ambiguous and changing environments, along with listening and partnering skills. Must be comfortable working in a highly matrixed environment, and leading program v-teams or workstreams aligned to shared goals and measures.

• Engagement expertise: Storytelling skills and passion for delighting partners, advocating on their behalf, creating impactful partner experiences, and understanding the linkage between these experiences and business success

• Brings demonstrated experience proposing, creating, and managing executive-level proposals and presentations

• Executive Relations: Demonstrated ability to build credibility and engage effectively with executives across a highly matrixed organization. Skilled at presenting, influencing, and navigating complex discussions related to strategic initiatives, programs, and solutions. Adept at articulating and defending recommendations, addressing challenging questions, managing executive-level concerns, and maintaining composure, professionalism, and executive presence in high-pressure environments.

Partner Marketing IC4 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $106,400 - $203,600 per year. There is a different range applicable to specific work locations, within the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area, and the base pay range for this role in those locations is USD $137,600 - $222,600 per year.

Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here:

https://careers.microsoft.com/us/en/us-corporate-pay

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.