Strategic Initiatives Program Manager

Overview

The CO+I Strategy & Planning team is seeking a highly organized, execution-focused Strategic Initiatives Program Manager to lead a portfolio of high-priority strategic initiatives. The ideal candidate thrives in a fast-paced, ambiguous environment, brings a strong bias for action, and can seamlessly balance strategic thinking with operational execution. As a trusted partner to leadership, you will own key rhythm of business processes, drive strategic initiatives from concept to delivery, and help ensure organizational priorities are executed with excellence and measurable impact.

In this role, you will conduct research and analysis to identify opportunities for new programs and improvements to existing ones. You will define success metrics, track performance, and develop communication and change management plans to drive adoption and stakeholder alignment. You will influence and engage cross-functional partners, build support for complex initiatives, and lead project planning, governance, budgeting, resource management, and execution. The role requires strong systems thinking, the ability to assess business performance through data and cost-benefit analysis, and a proven track record of translating leadership strategy into actionable plans that drive organizational change and business outcomes.

Responsibilities

• Drive a portfolio of high-priority strategic initiatives from concept through execution, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and leadership priorities.
• Partner closely with senior leaders to translate strategy into actionable plans, driving accountability, progress, and measurable outcomes.
• Own and manage the rhythm of business, including executive reviews, governance processes, and leadership reporting.
• Conduct research and analysis to identify opportunities for new programs, process improvements, and operational efficiencies.
• Define program objectives, success criteria, key performance indicators (KPIs), and reporting mechanisms to measure impact.
• Develop and execute communication and change management plans to support successful program adoption and stakeholder alignment.
• Influence and engage cross-functional stakeholders to build consensus, remove obstacles, and drive execution across complex initiatives.
• Manage project plans, timelines, milestones, dependencies, risks, budgets, and resource requirements for multiple concurrent programs.
• Analyze business performance, conduct cost-benefit analyses, and provide data-driven recommendations to inform leadership decisions.
• Build strong operational frameworks and governance models that improve visibility, decision-making, and execution across strategic initiatives.
• Monitor program health, identify risks and issues, and proactively drive mitigation plans to ensure successful delivery.
• Leverage systems thinking to understand organizational interdependencies and optimize processes across teams and functions.
• Support organizational change initiatives by helping teams adapt to new priorities, processes, and business objectives.

Qualifications

Required/minimum qualifications

• Bachelors Degree in Business, Operations, Finance, or related field AND 4+ years experience in program management, process management, or process improvement OR equivalent experience.

Other Requirements:

Ability to meet Microsoft, customer and/or government security screening requirements are required for this role. These requirements include, but are not limited to the following specialized security screenings:

• Microsoft Cloud Background Check: This position will be required to pass the Microsoft Cloud background check upon hire/transfer and every two years thereafter.

Additional or preferred qualifications

• 4+ years of experience in program management, business management, chief of staff, or operations roles.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple competing priorities in a fast-paced, ambiguous environment.
• Strong organizational and project-management skills, including experience running a rhythm of business and operational cadence.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, with the ability to produce clear, executive-ready materials.
• Proficiency across Microsoft 365 - Outlook, Teams, SharePoint, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Experience supporting senior leaders or executive teams in a chief-of-staff or business-manager capacity.
• Familiarity with strategy & planning, corporate strategy, or cloud/infrastructure businesses.
• Experience coordinating deals or cross-functional strategic initiatives end to end.
• Data fluency - comfortable building dashboards and synthesizing insights (Power BI a plus).
• PMP or an equivalent program-management certification.

Business Program Management IC4 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $97,600 - $188,400 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 $125,000 - $206,400 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.