Microsoft Cloud Infrastructure and Operations (CO+I) is the engine that powers Microsoft's cloud services. The group is responsible for designing, building, and operating Microsoft’s global datacenters; managing the programmatic delivery of our critical infrastructure design, equipment procurement, construction delivery, infrastructure innovation, demand planning and capacity utilization of our unified infrastructure; and responsible for all operations needed to run the physical infrastructure. We focus on smart growth with an emphasis on automation, data-driven engineering, cost‐effectiveness, and environmental sustainability. We deliver the core infrastructure and foundational technologies for Microsoft's 200+ online businesses including Azure, Office 365, Bing, Xbox Live, Skype, and OneDrive.  Our portfolio is built and managed by a team of subject matter experts working 24x7x365 to support services for more than 1 billion customers and 20 million businesses in over 90 countries worldwide.

As a key enabler of Microsoft’s Cloud growth, the Critical Solutions Team (CST) team is responsible for Program Management of new innovation prototyping and using the data aggregated to make informed decisions as to what we build into our portfolio, strategic program alignment across C+AI with a high emphasis on collaboration across the organization, and responsible for the analytics and solution development for long term issues that exist across our portfolio. The CST team spans all business verticals of CO+I, and partners closely with many Engineering Groups partners as well (Azure, O365, Bing, Xbox), and has a unique opportunity to innovate and problem solve with our partner organizations. We will make an impact by creating a culture of innovation, embracing best-in-class practices, ensuring ruthless prioritization, while delivering robust business cases with the support of Operational and Financial ROI’s.

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

As the Director of Innovation Execution, you will combine business strategy & vision and will be empowered to enable and accelerate the transformation of our Data Center Innovation journey to become the unprecedented leader in hyper scale cloud services. You will drive innovation transformation through analysis of future and current technologies deployed, the deployment scenarios that inform which technologies we deploy, and development of case studies detailing how we are leveraging Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) to improve capacity, cost, and resource intensity.  You will drive the execution of new, scalable solutions, and solve for business specific needs to customers via cutting edge innovations for critical business outcomes. While supporting our existing CO+I organization, you will also interface across the broader Cloud + Artificial Intelligence (C+AI) organization to help influence, support, and drive the organization’s vision, mission, and key business goals. You will be required to ensure that business problems are defined and solved in an end-to-end manner, including the cross-functional programs within & outside CO+I. You will need to be comfortable engaging with senior leaders and managing priorities in a fast-paced, complex matrix environment. You will bring deep hands-on expertise on all aspects of project management, financial modeling, and business case development to create non-obvious opportunities for the business. This role calls for a balance of collaborative leadership and influential skills across the team and beyond, in addition to supportive individual contributions. If you are ambitious, detailed-oriented and an effective collaborator who thrives on driving impact and enabling others, then this role is for you.

A successful candidate must have demonstrated the ability to: 

- Define a technically and financially sound strategic vision to drive the Microsoft Critical Solutions Team program delivery to the next level.

- Communicate at an executive level the strategic and tactical plans to achieve this world class vision

- Drive cross organization alignment of the strategy and define the tactical initiatives required to execute the innovation program strategy with solid project-management and organizational skills

- Lead with customer focus and empathy along with an extraordinary passion for making an impact on the business

- Strong influencing skills and ability to build partnerships, across multiple levels, with internal and external organizations

- Results oriented program management to effectively lead cross-organizational teams to decisions, to define schedules, determine ROI, identify, and manage risks

- Lead, manage, and develop an organization of professionals while exhibiting MSFT cultural values of model, coach, care

- Proactively identify, define, validate, and champion new opportunities for CST based on business insights, competitive analysis, customer insights, and partnering closely with the Data Center Advanced Development team to make decisions as to what we move forward with near term, vs long term priority.

- Develop Scopes of Work, review vendor proposals, negotiate proposals, execute contracts, and manage and measure vendor performance across a multitude of engineering, construction, and professional services.

- Create a strategy framework and content for high profile forums including the Sr Leadership forums, and present in them.

- Build trusted advisor relationships and partner closely with individual leaders from across C+AI

- Drive key strategy projects and orchestrate workstreams across CO+I and our partners; own overall efforts, including project plans, recommendations, impact, and driving alignment between leaders and commitment to deliver between individual vertical organizations

- Providing clear direction to the team on core priorities and strategic initiatives

- Coaching, developing, and growing team members per career aspiration (Initially this role will be an IC based role, intended to grow and develop a high performing team over time)

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

• BS/MS degree, Electrical Engineering, or related discipline, or relevant hyper scale cloud experience

• 5+ years of exp in the power industry, with specific focus on electrical grids of power utilities

• 10+ years of experience in complex programmatic delivery across many cross functional teams to accomplish team goals, business planning, supply chain, strategic consulting and/or equivalent experience

Preferred Qualifications:

• 7+ years of leadership experience, with demonstrated ability to recruit, lead, motivate and develop a diverse results-oriented team

ʉۢ Strong working knowledge of overall cloud operations including capacity planning, data center development, server deployments, decommissioning, and operations.

• Demonstrated project management, leadership, and cross-group collaboration skills

Demonstrated hypothesis-driven, problem-solving orientation with ability to leverage both quantitative and qualitative analyses to drive decision making

• Strong oral and written communication skills and ability to formulate and deliver insights around complex business problems in a thoughtful and persuasive manner 

• Exceptionally strong personal initiative, good business instincts, and comfort with ambiguity

• Ability to manage multiple simultaneous high-priority projects (often including project management of cross-functional v-teams)

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.

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Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations and ordinances.  We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application or the recruiting process, please send a request via the Accommodation request form.

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