Program Director – ISD in Canberra, Australia

Microsoft Industry Solutions Delivery is a global organisation hosting over 6,000 strategic sellers, industry and security experts, elite engineers, world-class data scientists and architects, consultants, and delivery specialists. Together with our partners, we help Microsoft’s most strategic customers worldwide to address their specific challenges and provide comprehensive and industry-specific solutions that meet their unique needs.

Our organisation is at the forefront of innovation, driving value across the entirety of the customers’ digital and AI transformation journey through repeatable and customized cutting-edge solutions powered by Microsoft Cloud and AI. We take pride in embodying Microsoft’s mission of empowerment, promoting a growth mindset, inspiring excellence, and fostering a culture of inclusivity where everyone is encouraged to share their unique perspectives and be their authentic selves. By joining our team, you’ll have the opportunity to contribute to life-changing innovations that impact billions of people worldwide.

We are looking for an exceptional Program Director with a passion for delivering customer outcomes, championing high quality throughout presales and delivery, leading diverse deliveries and teams to cost and scope, whilst maintaining delivery and financial health. The role will be responsible for leading and managing complex, high-impact programs that drive strategic initiatives and deliver business value. This role also involves overseeing multiple projects, coordinating cross-functional teams, and ensuring successful program execution from inception to completion. The Program Director will work closely with senior leadership, stakeholders, and external partners to align program objectives with organisational goals and deliver exceptional results.​

The role requires strong Consultative Selling skills and a demonstrable ability to engage in consultative customer conversations and collaborating on the planning, orchestration, and execution of end-to-end presales opportunities. The suitable person should be able to work closely with technical and consulting resources to advance the sales process and achieve/exceed solution sales and Azure usage/consumption targets through their understanding of Microsoft products and solutions. The person also needs to have strong negotiation skills with the ability to influence decision-makers and should be able to build strong relationships with customers based on understanding of their needs and provide consultative tailored solutions to drive AI transformation.

This opportunity will allow you to accelerate your career growth, honing your industry and cloud expertise as well as deepening your contractual and commercial acumen. This role is flexible in that you can work up to 40% from home.

Microsoft’s mission is to empower every person and every organisation 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

Delivery Leadership

• Program Leadership : Provide strategic direction and leadership for large-scale programs, ensuring alignment with Microsoft’s business objectives and priorities.​

• Delivery Management – Lead steering committee meetings, and drive and maintain obligations to customers and contribute to consumption activities, holding accountability for consumption and project delivery forecasts.

• Relationship Development – Drive high customer satisfaction, managing expectations, addressing customer feedback, and resolving escalations.

• Stakeholder Management: Build and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders, including senior executives, business leaders, and external partners. Communicate program status, risks, and issues effectively.​

• Program Planning and Execution : Develop comprehensive program plans, including scope, schedule, budget, and resource allocation. Monitor and control program progress, ensuring timely delivery of milestones and deliverables.​

• Team Collaboration : Lead and motivate cross-functional teams, fostering a collaborative and high-performance work environment. Provide guidance, support, and mentorship to team members.​

• Communication Skills : Demonstrate effective communication with customers, colleagues, and stakeholders to ensure smooth transitions and successful program outcomes.

• Performance Measurement : Establish and track key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure program success. Conduct regular program reviews and implement corrective actions as needed.​

• Risk Management : Identify, assess, and mitigate program risks. Develop contingency plans and proactively address potential issues to minimize impact on program outcomes.​

• Initiation & Closure – Drive initiation for medium complexity projects, align resources including partners and offshore teams, whilst balancing needs across projects in challenging situations. Drive timely closure of projects supporting customer invoicing and customer delivery acceptance. Share knowledge with colleagues and peers to drive incremental improvement and new Intellectual Property based on lessons learned.

• Continuous Improvement : Drive continuous improvement initiatives to enhance program management processes, methodologies, and tools. Share best practices and lessons learned across the organisation.​

Sales Leadership

• Presales & Contracting – Lead presales of strategic and complexity deals and provide input into delivery approach, deal construct and assist in the development of initial estimates and contracts. You will facilitate contracting for customers and partner resources.

• Consultative Selling – Demonstrate ability to engage in consultative customer conversations and collaborating on the planning, orchestration, and execution of end-to-end presales opportunities.

• Collaboration – Work closely with technical and consulting resources to advance the sales process and achieve/exceed solution sales and Azure usage/consumption targets through their understanding of Microsoft products and solutions.

• Negotiation Skills – Demonstrate strong negotiation skills with the ability to influence decision-makers and build strong relationships with customers based on understanding of their needs and suggest consultative tailored solutions to drive AI transformation.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in related field AND 15+ years’ experience in project management

• OR equivalent experience

• Project Management Professional (PMP) certification

• 8+ years financial management experience

• Agile certification, Scrum Master, Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP), or Professional Scrum Master One (PSM1) certification

• Experience in creating and managing intellectual property (IP)

• Experience in creating publications

• Experience working within Defence or Federal government.

This position requires verification of Australian citizenship due to citizenship-based legal restrictions. Specifically, this position supports Australian 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.

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) .