Senior Business Manager

Overview

Come join the office of Microsoft Business Operations (MBO)! Our organization is a global organization that powers the operational backbone of Microsoft's commercial and consumer businesses. We orchestrate the end-to-end lifecycle of product and program launches, revenue operations, enterprise risk management, and partner lifecycle services-ensuring Microsoft can transact, scale, and innovate with speed, trust, and compliance. MBO touches nearly every part of Microsoft's business. We translate complex business problems into pragmatic, executable steps, enabling Microsoft to sell to new markets, launch products faster, and operate with agility and scale. Our organization leverages AI, process improvement methodologies and a growth mindset to drive continuous improvement and compliance.

We are hiring an individual contributor Communications Leader for the Office of Microsoft Business Operations (MBO). This role will shape and advance MBO's mid- and long-term strategic narrative, translating the organization's business priorities, operational impact, and transformation agenda into clear, compelling communications that build understanding, alignment, and momentum. The leader will develop and orchestrate an integrated communications strategy that connects executive communications, employee engagement, leadership forums, global events, culture programs, and digital channels into a cohesive, high-impact storytelling engine. Working closely with MBO leadership and cross-functional partners, this individual will ensure consistency of message while tailoring communications to distinct audiences, helping employees and stakeholders understand MBO's role in enabling Microsoft to transact, scale, innovate, and deliver with speed, trust, and compliance. Success requires strategic thinking, exceptional storytelling, strong editorial judgment, and the ability to lead through influence across a complex, global organization.

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.

Responsibilities

Key Accountabilities

• Strategic Narrative Leadership: This role requires a strategic communications leader who can shape and communicate MBO's key priorities and initiatives, translating complex business strategy into clear, compelling, and differentiated narratives that connect workstreams and drive alignment. The leader will understand and segment audience needs, adapting communications for executive messaging, employee and cross-functional engagement, partner communications, and external storytelling.
• Executive & Leadership Communications: Partner with MBO leadership to shape clear, compelling messages, presentations, and communications that translate MBO's priorities into aligned action across the organization. Ensure leadership meetings, global events, major announcements, and other key forums are connected through a consistent narrative that reinforces MBO's business outcomes, operating priorities, and transformation agenda.
• Culture Activation: Lead MBO-wide culture activation by orchestrating an integrated portfolio of people programs, including employee recognition, learning and career development, onboarding, and other moments that strengthen connection, capability, and belonging. Partner across MBO leadership, HR, and key stakeholders to align program priorities, sequencing, communications, and delivery-creating a cohesive employee experience that reinforces MBO's values and business priorities, accelerates engagement and growth, and helps new team members contribute quickly and effectively.
• Rhythm of business: Lead the Leadership Team's rhythm of business by driving an effective operating cadence across leadership, HR, finance, and cross-functional forums, ensuring agendas, reviews, priorities, scorecards, and follow-through are aligned to business goals and enable clear decision-making, accountability, and execution.
• Leadership Effectiveness: Drive strategic initiatives, process improvement and thought leadership to enhance organizational effectiveness. Synthesize complex information from various sources to tell clear and compelling stories. Create and own leadership & extended leadership team processes and agendas, including follow-through and related communications to enable successful leadership of the organization. Participate as a valued leadership team member and offer perspectives to influence key strategic decisions. Maximize the effectiveness of the leadership team by helping balance priorities, communicate effectively, understand performance-to-value drivers, and connect with the team.
• AI Transformation Strategy & Leadership: Identify AI opportunities, define future‑state role evolution, and guide the organization's shift to AI‑powered operating models. Lead change management programs that prepare teams for AI‑driven transformation, leveraging lessons from internal change management panels and cross‑functional best practices. Accelerate AI fluency and skills development across roles, define guardrails and enterprise‑wide standards for AI usage, integration, and workforce impact. Shape the narrative around AI transformation, telling compelling stories about role evolution, productivity gains, and cultural shifts. Provide executive‑ready insights into market trends in AI transformation roles and the ROI of AI adoption.

Competencies

• Executive Communication & Storytelling: Synthesizes complex inputs into clear, compelling narratives to enable leadership clarity and decision-making.
• Strategic Clarity & Enterprise Thinking: Connects long-range strategy to execution; translates ambiguous priorities into clear direction, plans, and outcomes across the organization.
• Execution Excellence & Operational Rigor: Drives disciplined execution through operating rhythms (ROB), clear accountability, and measurable outcomes; removes blockers and ensures follow-through.
• Influence & Cross-Org Leadership: Leads without authority across stakeholders; builds trust, aligns priorities, and drives decisions in complex, matrixed environments.
• Business Acumen: Applies data, insights, and financial understanding to drive decisions, trade-offs, and performance improvement.
• Transformation & Change Leadership: Drives adoption of new ways of working (e.g., AI, processes, operating models); leads structured change across teams and stakeholders.
• Organizational Effectiveness & Systems Thinking: Improves how the organization operates at scale-processes, governance, and cadence-to increase efficiency and impact.
• Trusted Advisor Mindset: Acts as a strategic partner to leadership, providing independent, data-driven perspective and exercising sound judgment and discretion.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• Bachelors Degree in Business, Operations, Finance, or related field AND 6+ years experience in program management, process management, or process improvement OR equivalent experience.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Masters Degree in Business, Operations, Finance, or related field AND 8+ years experience in program management, process management, or process improvement OR Bachelors Degree in Business, Operations, Finance, or related field AND 12+ years experience in program management, process management, or process improvement OR equivalent experience.
• 6+ years experience supporting senior executives in an executive communications role
• 4+ years experience in technology, AI, cloud, operations or partner ecosystems
• Effective storytelling and narrative-building capabilities with the ability to influence across complex, matrixed organizations

Experience working with or advising senior executives

Business Program Management IC5 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $116,900 - $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 $148,400 - $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.