Industry Advisory at Microsoft

Overview

Industry teams impacts on Commercial Solutions Area performance with Industry Prioritized Scenarios and Sales Kits, leverages Prioritized Partners and lands Repeatable Solutions for Industry, in order to empower our customers to lead the digital transformation of the Financial Services industry.

We are looking for a senior and talented professional to strengthen our Financial Services Industry Advisory Team in South Africa and to create impact with a list of prioritized Financial Institutions in the larger Africa market (o/w Standard Bank of South Africa, First Rand Bank, Investec, Old Mutual, EcoBank, …)

As an Industry Advisor, you will have the opportunity to drive industry-focused sales for Microsoft. This role is responsible for originating sales and driving industry-led conversations with customers.  Accountabilities include developing and winning market-making opportunities that deliver customer value and enabling transformational customer outcomes. As an Industry Advisor you will also be the Industry subject matter expert in digital business transformation, engaging with senior decision makers to identify, generate and nurture new business opportunities. You will articulate and position strategic business value and long-term positive results of using Microsoft's products, partners and solutions, collaborating with your peers to successfully closing deals.

Qualifications
Required/Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, Health Sciences, Supply Chain, Education, Business or related field AND solid customer-facing experience in operations, enterprise-level improvement program management, product management, automotive, mobility, transportation, process manufacturing, discrete manufacturing, management consulting, consultative selling, technology or industry-relevant equivalent management or technical work experience
• OR Master's Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, Supply Chain, Business or related field with strong  customer-facing experience in operations, enterprise-level improvement program management, product management, automotive, mobility, transportation, process manufacturing, discrete manufacturing, management consulting, consultative selling, technology or industry-relevant equivalent management or technical work experience
• OR equivalent experience.
• Business level English Skill

Additional or Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, Supply Chain, Business or related field alongside solid customer-facing experience in operations, enterprise-level improvement program management, product management, automotive, mobility, transportation, process manufacturing, discrete manufacturing, management consulting, consultative selling, technology or industry-relevant equivalent management or technical work experience
• OR Master's Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, Supply Chain, Business or related field AND excellent customer-facing experience in operations, enterprise-level improvement program management, product management, automotive, mobility, transportation, process manufacturing, discrete manufacturing, management consulting, consultative selling, technology or industry-relevant equivalent management or technical work experience
• OR equivalent experience.
• Solid proven people management and/or leadership experience.
• MBA (Master of Business Administration)
• Mobility and/or Manufactuing Community Engagement/Contribution
• Deeper Knowledge/Experience of Automobile Industry business/technology (Design Innovation, Intelligent Factory, Supply Chain, Autonomous Driving/Advanced driver-assistance system and Customer Experience)

Responsibilities
Primary Responsibilities:

Planning and Engagement 

• Serves as the Industry subject matter expert in digital transformation account planning.
• Drives engagement with internal and external stakeholders on account planning, partner business planning (e.g., Key Business Leaders (KBLs), Global Systems Integrator [GSI], Independent Software Vendors [ISV]) and review of industry plans, lending credibility from an industry perspective.
• Owns multi-horizon planning to outline an approach for industry-oriented solution selling with the customer.
• Proactively continues to build and maintain mutually influential relationships with strategic external executive-level business decision makers and partners, leveraging targeted stakeholders at assigned customer. 

Sales Execution 

• Identifies gaps and solution opportunities for customers based on their needs and priorities.
• Owns work to open customer opportunities based on industry objectives, best practices, and new stakeholder relationships.
• Envisions product scenarios that do not currently exist to identify and open white spaces.
• Accelerates solution plays with an industry narrative by leveraging industry expertise and drives innovative, emerging net new opportunities based on industry trends.
• Creates and maintains an industry-focused vision with business and technology solution scenarios and services that helps large-scale, high-stakes customers achieve industry-relevant business outcomes, achieve their long-term corporate vision, and maximize commercial success.
• Recognized as a trusted advisor by the customer to shape, lead, and challenge senior strategic decision makers to take action and implement proposed solutions using a consultative selling approach, a compelling storyline and a strong financial business case (e.g., return on investment [ROI], other applicable metrics) rooted in the customer's industry.

Collaboration and Partner Management 

• Leverages relationships with Business Strategy Leads (BSLs), Business Decision Makers (BDMs), and Partner Development Managers (PDMs) to plan, orchestrate, and execute on customer opportunities, identifying targeted partners (e.g., system integrators (SIs) and industry software vendors (ISVs)) to work directly with. 

Industry Expertise 

• Completes the required training and obtains relevant industry expertise and certifications pertinent to the role and the industry itself.
• Acts as a subject matter expert, proactively sharing industry depth, including trends, policy implications (e.g., privacy), and competitors, providing recommendations on customer's alignment with Microsoft's offerings, helping others to make decisions on pursuit or withdrawal, and establishing learning baseline for leaders.
• Leads communication to provide feedback across the ecosystem (i.e., cross-pollinating information across teams/industries) to other teams (e.g., sales, marketing, engineering) on future product trends or sales blockers and to guide industry solutions team members in a variety of specialties.
• Serves as an industry thought leader in the field and provides depth and breadth of support across their respective sales organizations and teams.