Business Program Manager at Microsoft

Supplier/Partner Management team within the GCPM organization is responsible for efficiently and effectively managing our Services supplier/partner ecosystem to enable our services delivery and sales groups to deliver the outcomes our customers expect and allow Microsoft Services to achieve its financial and customer satisfaction goals. In alignment with the services domain and area leadership, this team plays a crucial role in ensuring the right partner companies are onboarded, stay compliant and meet our financial and execution excellence expectations. In addition, the Supplier/Partner Management team does large deal negotiations to achieve the best value for our customers and stakeholders.

Supplier/Partner Management Lead Is Responsible For

• Cultivating and Deepening relationships with Microsoft Services subcontracting suppliers/partners
• Partnering closely with Domain Time Zone Leaders, Services Practice Leaders, Domain Delivery Teams, and Partner Sales Leads to develop a robust supplier ecosystem for the subsidiary he/she is managing
• Reviewing and approving new partner onboarding requests.
• Responsible for driving both short term and complex/long term supplier/partner management strategies that include trading off hiring vs. subcontracting vs. outsourcing for the Domains and driving key programs to accelerate and enhance resourcing outcomes for the business and our employees
• Driving periodic governance meetings with strategic suppliers to share feedback from business groups and key stakeholders on performance and new opportunities.
• Managing escalations effectively and taking issues to closure proactively and providing feedback both to Suppliers and Microsoft Services internal teams.
• Driving innovative and impactful improvements in the overall Services Supplier Management processes for better engagement with our key stakeholders
• Anticipating the needs of the Domains/Areas and proactively meeting and exceeding their expectations, recognizing the issues from the field and steer stakeholders to the right resolution/process.
• Excels in communicating appropriately to key stakeholders on Policy updates, sharing specific insights that help create impact on an ongoing basis
• Ensuring completeness and accuracy of Master Contracts, Amendments and Supplier Agreements while working with appropriate supplier contacts, Procurement and Legal teams.
• Identifying and creating savings opportunities for Domains/Areas, tenaciously pursuing positive outcomes, using effective negotiation approaches to drive hard savings.
• Exchanging information and best practices with other world-wide areas and business teams on issues such as local business trends, on-going projects, and concerns
   

Qualifications

Ideal candidates should have 10+ years of Supplier Management / Procurement / Finance / Delivery and Operations experience and should be self-motivated, confident in working with Senior Leaders and comfortable working in a matrix organization. Candidate needs to be able to achieve results through influence across multiple organizations.

• Bachelor’s in business management, information technology, or related field, and/or equivalent experience
• Proven stakeholder management skills, especially in a matrix organization
• A strong business aptitude coupled with an affinity or appreciation for technology and the advancement of technology in thriving organizations
• Ability to effectively prioritize and coordinate multiple work streams of activities
• Knowledge and understanding of the financial and operational functions of a delivery organization (i.e., budget, time keeping, optimizing cost, escalation processes, invoicing, capacity management)
• Experience evaluating work breakdown structures, cost estimations and resource loading
• Ability to develop strong, productive relationships with colleagues and management to meet targeted objectives
• An analytical mindset with the ability to define metrics, reports, interpret results, and make recommendations on appropriate courses of action
• Excellent communication, collaboration, organizational, time management, presentation, and writing skills
• Proactive, self-motivated, and team-oriented with strong capabilities to lead and thrive in start-up type organizations