Consumer Channel Sales Director- ANZ in Sydney, Australia

In Consumer Sales Organization (CSO) our purpose is to earn fans and drive growth by building emotional connections to delight and empower everyone. We engage with consumers globally throughout their shopping journeys, navigating both physical storefronts and digital visits across Direct and Partner Channels in Gaming, Windows, M365 and Surface. Together with our ecosystem partners, we strategize and implement plans for customer engagement and economic growth.

As a member of our team, you’ll be part of growing a multi-billion-dollar business, charting new areas of innovation, and impacting billions of lives around the world. You also will be a part of a culture centered on embracing a growth mindset, a theme of inspiring excellence, and encouraging teams and leaders to bring their best each day. If that appeals to you, it’s an exciting time to be here in CSO.

This role will manage co-selling for Microsoft solutions and act as the trusted-advisor relationship to establish alignment with the Australia & New Zealand (ANZ) retailer partners. The key goal for this role is to work with partners and internal stakeholders to develop joint business plans that generates revenue for the partner and for Microsoft. As this is a critical revenue driving channel for CSO, this role will be pivotal in leveraging internal stakeholders and resources stack to develop strong joint business plans and crack new go-to market and co-selling strategies and ensure the right prioritization to support targets. This role will be instrumental in helping CSO drive focus and deeper go-to-market expertise across Microsoft Customer Solution Areas of Devices & Creativity OR Gaming. This role will help the candidate learn how to create demand, bring new ideas to market, establish quality partner connections, and orchestrate processes to set expectations and generate trust. This role will act as the trusted-advisor to establish alignment with Microsoft Market Maker partners and grow the business.

Team leadership is important in this role, and we look to our leaders to create clarity, generate energy and deliver results. You’re a culture-builder, attracting and retaining talent across unique perspectives and diverse backgrounds.

This role is flexible in that you can work up to 50% from home

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

Partner Engagement ( 20 % )

• Proactively creates, nurtures, and influences the strategic partners to drive larger impact for the business and Microsoft.

• Understands and lands Microsoft’s consumer strategy with the partners including seasonal plans.

• Supports the strategic partner in developing winning strategies for selling Microsoft products and works to ensure that the prioritization is aligned with Microsoft strategy.

• Drives a focus on growth and proactively aligning growth transformation initiatives such as digital subscriptions, CRM led outreach etc.

• Build trusted relationships with the partners across all levels (including C-suite executives) to deliver mutual growth and ensure alignment of strategic priorities.

Channel and Account Management ( 20 %)

• Foster channel harmony by ensuring seamless collaboration and alignment between partners and internal teams. Drive the ‘One Microsoft’ approach by leveraging cross-functional resources to maximize partner success and business growth

• Develops and executes joint partner account plans to ensure Microsoft and partners’ sales goals are on target. Coordinates with key stakeholders on plan execution.

• Plans category SKU prioritization based on partners’ coverage (TAM, Audience Types etc.) to align appropriate assortment portfolio.

• Lands, negotiates, and executes programs and promotions and ensures that proof of execution and claims are provided in compliance with guidelines.

• Facilitates partner relationship with Microsoft Supply Chain and Operations, ensuring ongoing order book quality and forecasting. Works to resolve issues and escalations with orders, billing, and payments.

• Tracks appropriate reporting and performance reviews to ensure revenue targets and other metrics are met. Provides sales insights and forecasts in accordance with internal business review cycles.

• Leads partner business reviews (MBR/QBR) including all relevant stakeholders to assess joint performance and address sales blockers.

• Considers company rules and regulations when executing plans. Holds self and the partner(s) accountable for executing on plans in a compliant manner.

Impact (2 0%)

• Ability to navigate complex sales motions across new categories (Copilot+ PC/Cloud/Subscriptions); sell end-to-end partner solutions, inspiring partners to adopt, experiment and innovate to differentiate the customer experience

• Build a clear action plan to improve partner satisfaction scores across the ANZ partners using partner feedback.

• Develops deep understanding of the channel for Devices & Creativity including partners’ capabilities, competitors, and market trends.

• Is the internal voice of partners using insights from partner engagements, QBRs, partner surveys, etc., to raise visibility and work to solve key blockers in the retail channel.

• Apply internal resources as well as programmatic investment options to maximize growth and ROI for the partner.

• Adheres to a performance focused view of planning by defining a clear success plan (quantitative + qualitative) with the partner and applying relevant metrics.

• Works to foster a culture of testing and piloting with new motions to deliver incremental growth opportunities. Identifies opportunities for partners to upgrade business capabilities based on evolution of the partner.

Collaboration (2 0%)

• Leads internal cross-team collaboration (e.g., category, sales, marketing, operations) to support the strategic partner. Shares overall business plans with relevant stakeholders. Influences and drives actions with internal teams.

• Articulates the impact and opportunity with the partner by product for region and WW teams.

• Works successfully with other Microsoft field teams (Commercial, OEM, etc.) applying a “One Microsoft” mindset to maximize the partner’s business with Microsoft.

• Leading a diverse and inclusive workforce, looks beyond personal bias; create/hire a diverse team; foster an inclusive environment where everyone’s lived experience is aligned to our aspire to culture​

• Build future leader capability and organizational depth through development and slate planning​

Culture and Leadership at Scale (20%)

• Establishes, creates, and drives existing and new initiatives and capabilities needed to drive success within scope of accountability; actively works to develop/ mentor/ coach talent internally or develop plans to attract needed talent to Microsoft, driving strategic efforts to build talent and develop leaders within the organization.

• Creates a diverse, psychologically safe inclusive environment for the organization and activates a growth mindset in teams. Embodies the Microsoft leadership principles around Model, Coach and Care and guides teams to follow these principles.

• Drives expectations, coaches, and ensures team accountability to successfully execute the sales plays and customer/ partner transformation strategies

Qualifications

Required/Minimum Qualifications (RQs/MQs)

• 10+ years partner management, sales, business development, platform ecosystem/network, or partner channel development in the technology industry 

• OR Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, Engineering or related field AND 5+ year(s) partner management, sales, business development, platform ecosystem/network, or partner channel development in the technology industry 

• OR equivalent experience. 

• 3+ years experience with planning, budgeting, and other project management activities.

Additional or Preferred Qualifications (PQs)

• Proven experience in people management, with a track record of leading and developing high-performing teams.

• Proven experience in people management, with a track record of leading and developing high-performing teams.

• Work experience in Consumer Electronics/IT ecosystem experience with a focus on devices and services sales across consumer segments .

• Understanding of consumer channels and retail landscape.

• Building strategic relationships and partnering with senior account executives.

• Track record of sales delivery and execution.

• Retail partner account management with proven business operational excellence and sales results through joint business planning, landing channel strategies, account management, and performance monitoring.

• Driving long-term sustainable sales growth with partners.

• Delivery on Quarterly and Annual Account Budgeted Revenue. 

Skills

• Apply entrepreneurial and innovative thinking to identifying and executing business opportunities.

• Ability to analyze sales data, draw relevant conclusions, develop accurate business plans and forecasts, and drive program execution.

• Possess high standards for performance and compliance.

• Ability to influence multiple stakeholder groups.

• Must be able to effectively articulate technology and product positioning to internal audiences and channel partners.

• Higher University/College degree required.

• Professional sales and negotiations training.

• Familiarity with Customer Relationship Management platforms.

• Proficiency in setting performance goals, providing regular feedback, and conducting performance reviews to help team members achieve their full potential.

• Ability to effectively mediate and resolve conflicts within the team, ensuring a harmonious and productive work environment.

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) .