Strategic Account Manager, Consulting Sales - Microsoft Corporation

We are looking to hire an Strategic Account Manager, Consulting Sales to join Microsoft Federal. Microsoft is on a mission to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. Our culture is centered on embracing a growth mindset, a theme of inspiring excellence, and encouraging teams and leaders to bring their best each day. Growth mindset encourages each of us to lean in and learn what matters most to our customers, to create the foundational knowledge that enables us to make customer-first decisions in everything we do. In doing so, we create life-changing innovations that impact billions of lives around the world. You can help us achieve our mission. The Microsoft Federal organization was established to address the unique mission, legal/regulatory requirements, and procurement rules and processes of the United States Government (USG). Microsoft Federal is committed to ensuring its resources - including appropriately qualified, experienced, and certified personnel (with necessary security clearances or otherwise) are available as needed to meet USG evolving needs. To that end, Microsoft embraces, as a mission-critical philosophy, flexibility in the recruiting, hiring, and workforce assignment of Microsoft Federal personnel. Microsoft Federal personnel can expect to serve in various roles in the Microsoft Federal organization during the course of their career to meet evolving USG needs, regardless of segment - Civilian, Defense, or intelligence community. Microsoft Enterprise Services, Federal Civilian is searching for a services sales professional who has direct experience in selling & managing complex services engagements. The role requires a solid understanding of Microsoft's technology, competitive positioning, and experience in the selling of large, complex and strategic information technology projects for large government customers. The candidate will possess a demonstrated fluency calling on high-level business decision makers (CIO, CFO) with IT project-specific outcomes. This position will work closely with the Sales Account Executives responsible for product sales in developing and executing the overall services strategy for Microsoft's Federal Civilian customers. The account territory will be focused on the US Department of Veterans Affairs. **Responsibilities** As a **Strategic Account Manager, Consulting Sales** , you will propose, manage and execute on customer contracts in order to achieve your revenue and business goals. To achieve these goals successfully, you will make decisions regarding the development and maintenance of client and partner relationships, work closely with the sales account teams in order to create and deliver a successful services sales strategy and leverage service offerings to address customer business needs. In order to understand the client business objectives and deliver services engagements, you will interface intimately with the client at all levels of the organization. In addition, you will actively participate in and lead account strategy and planning sessions with local and virtual Microsoft teams, which will include individuals from legal, sales, product development, product support and our partners. You will deliver regular sales forecasts and customer feedback on trends, opportunities and challenges in order to benchmark and forecast your business. The **Strategic Account Manager, Consulting Sales** will be responsible for the following: Strategy and Planning - Leads the virtual Consulting account team's contributions to the account vision and strategic approach. Provides insights, ideas, and recommendations to address immediate and longer-term customer priorities and Microsoft objectives. Contributes to the overall One Microsoft strategy, driving for agreement with account team on Consulting and Partner strategy. Leverages appropriate tools, frameworks, and methodologies to develop a deliberate approach to position potential modernization and digital transformation outcomes which are aligned with customer's priorities. - Leads the virtual Consulting account team account-planning preparation, defining Consulting sales priorities and collaborating with Consulting delivery/account-aligned leads to leverage insight and provide input to overall account plan. Proactively looks ahead and identifies actions required to develop Consulting opportunities that are aligned with the account strategy, Microsoft's strategy and Consulting go-to-market scenarios and sales motions. Leverages 3-Horizon outcomes as a point of view/roadmap for digital transformation. Leads Consulting input to account-team planning sessions, uses the appropriate tools and provides updates per required account-team governance and rhythms. Facilitates and leads planning sessions/workshops, ensuring appropriate participation of stakeholders across all Microsoft business segments. Customer Relationship Management - Drives for agreement with account team on customer and partner stakeholder ownership, including consulting-led stakeholder relationships. Builds and maintains connections with key influencers and decision makers and leads effective consulting rhythms of connection with customer and partner stakeholders. Leverages the consulting the virtual Consulting account team appropriately. Builds and maintains relationships with appropriate networks of Microsoft decision makers and leaders, and successfully leverages them where needed for customer and partner success. - Leverages insight from consulting account-delivery team to ensure awareness of status of projects in delivery. Plans regular consulting connections with customer to seek customer feedback and maintain proactive dialogue on overall consulting value provided, as well as relationship risks and issues. Anticipates issues/risks on customer satisfaction, determines the root cause of problems, removes blockers and establishes recovery action plan to improve customer's overall experience. Facilitates Chief Executive Officer connections between customer and Consulting to enable customers to provide feedback directly to Microsoft executives, and to develop customer/consulting executive relationships. Business Value Selling - Proactively builds and maintains up-to-date knowledge of customer's business priorities, risks and challenges, internal landscape (e.g., organization structure, stakeholders, business performance), industry/sector challenges, regulations, trends and futures (e.g., impact of artificial intelligence [AI]). Proactively connects with internal and external network of industry experts to build industry knowledge and connections. Shares knowledge with virtual team. - Leverages Microsoft Consulting go-to-market scenarios to drive intentional customer conversations. Educates senior decision makers of assigned account(s) (e.g., director-level) on Microsoft's value proposition, aligned to the customer's priorities and maturity. Appropriately differentiating competitor solutions. Proactively identifies and engages other stakeholders who are key influencers of decision makers. - Orchestrates the consulting-sales relationship with the core account team, working closely with Enterprise colleagues to ensure successful creation, maintenance, and execution of the account plan, and a positive One Microsoft customer experience. Orchestrates the virtual Consulting account team, effectively influencing and collaborating with account-aligned, pursuit and delivery colleagues to bring the best resources to ensure customer success. Coordinates activities across the virtual Consulting account team and with the customer to successfully close deals. Follows the Microsoft prescribed sales process. Leverages peers for support and help. Deal Excellence - Drives the sales cycle from lead qualification through to deal closure, effectively executing per-sales process requirements. Consistently drives deal velocity as a result of executing high-quality lead qualification and close planning. Once deal is signed and the Consulting engagement is in delivery, ensures updates provided on actual consumption via the core account team's Consumption review meetings. - Leverages customer connections and the virtual Consulting account team's insight to confirm Budget, Authority, Need and Timeline (BANT) information to determine progression or lack thereof of a lead to become a consulting opportunity and throughout the Microsoft sales process. Leverages trusted customer stakeholder relationships to expand customer thinking. Probes and challenges customer appropriately to determine quality of customer's BANT. Secures pre-sales investment to secure appropriate consulting resources needed to shape and scope the opportunity into a compelling customer proposition. Focuses on opportunities that are in alignment with organizational strategy, prioritizing opportunities based on highest potential for impact/consumption. - Gains active contribution from others in building close plans for all qualified opportunities, initially (at qualified stage) comprising the core Budget, Authority, Need and Timeline (BANT) information and commercial strategy for the deal, and progressing to include detailed customer procurement process, risks, issues, etc. Updates the close plan as deal progresses through each sales stage. Obtains consensus and participation from entire account team to the close plan. Executes, updates, and closes on customer-centric actions that achieve alignment between Microsoft and customers. Builds and shares plans with the customer. Secures Microsoft virtual Consulting account team and customer stakeholder buy in to schedule of activities for successful closure of the deal. Leads the consulting the virtual Consulting account team to execute the close plan, effectively influencing and collaborating with account-aligned, pursuit and delivery colleagues to perform agreed activities to successfully close the deal. Anticipates potential risks and blockers and takes proactive action to mitigate to maintain deal velocity - Drives discussions of terms and conditions (e.g., scope, milestones, price) with executive-level customer stakeholders for opportunities in collaboration with the virtual Consulting account team and customer through multiple iterations to ensure agreement. Maintains productive working relationships with those involved in negotiation, persuading others without using manipulation, and driving a positive atmosphere during difficult objections and discussions. Successfully leverages recognized techniques for handling difficult questions, overcoming objections, respectfully challenging, etc. Builds and executes negotiation activities into the close plan for the opportunity, based on guidance from broader team **Other** + Embody our culture and values **Qualifications** **Required/Minimum Qualifications** + 6+ years industry sales experience in the commercial or public sector (e.g. Finance, Local Government) + o OR Bachelor's Degree AND 4+ years industry sales experience in the commercial or public sector (e.g. Finance, Local Government) or related work o OR equivalent experience. + 2+ years consulting solution sales experience. **Other Requirements** Cloud Screening: Candidates must be able to successfully complete and pass a Microsoft Cloud background screening. Required Cloud Screenings will be administered on a recurring bi-annual basis. Citizenship & Citizenship Verification:?This role will require access to information that is controlled for export under export control regulations, potentially under the U.S. International Traffic in Arms Regulations or Export Administration Regulations, the EU Dual Use Regulation, and/or other export control regulations.?As a condition of employment, the successful candidate will be required to provide proof of citizenship, U.S.?permanent residency, or other protected status (e.g.,?under 8 U.S.C. § 1324b(a)(3)) for assessment of eligibility to access the export-controlled information.? To meet this legal requirement, and as a condition of employment, the successful candidate's citizenship will be verified with a valid passport. Lawful permanent residents, refugees, and asylees may verify status using other documents, where applicable. Citizenship & Citizenship Verification:?This position requires verification of citizenship due to citizenship-based legal restrictions. Specifically, this position supports United States federal, state, and/or local?government agency customers and is subject to certain citizenship-based restrictions where required or permitted by applicable law. To meet this legal requirement, and as a condition of employment, the successful candidate's citizenship will be verified with a valid?passport. **Additional or Preferred Qualifications** + Bachelor's Degree in Business, Information Technology (IT), or related field AND 6+ years industry solution or consulting sales experience in the commercial or public sector (e.g. Financial Services, Local Government) or related work o OR equivalent experience. + 3+ years consulting solution sales experience. Consulting Account Management IC4 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $106,100 - $185,400 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 $144,000 - $203,500 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 Microsoft will accept applications for the role until June 15, 2024 Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. Consistent with applicable law, 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 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) .