Director, Cloud and AI platforms, Compete strategy

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The Commercial Solution Area and Cloud and AI Platforms (CAIP) Solution Area are pivotal in driving innovation and delivering comprehensive solutions to our customers. Our mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more by providing cutting-edge cloud and AI technologies. We are committed to enhancing customer engagement, optimizing business processes, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement and innovation.

The CAIP Go-to-Market team connects product, field, and customer needs - building GTM plans, enabling field teams with programs, tools, and technical guidance, and partnering with engineering to refine products based on feedback.

The Compete Business Architect is a strategic leader responsible for driving CAIP’s competitive strategy. This role ensures our offerings are positioned effectively against competitors by delivering insights, enabling field teams, and influencing engineering priorities. Acting as a bridge between sales, marketing, engineering, finance, and business planning, the Compete Business Architect accelerates pipeline velocity and strengthens Microsoft’s market differentiation.

Required/minimum qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration, Marketing, Finance, Engineering, or related field AND 5+ years experience in business consulting, sales, sales operations, information technology (IT), account management, business development, marketing, IT field sales, or a related field
  • OR equivalent experience.
• 6+ years experience in in Near Term Strategy (2 years out), Management Consulting, Sales, or Finance.

Sales Strategy Enablement IC5 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $130,900 - $251,900 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 $165,600 - $272,300 per year.

Key Responsibilities

• Competitive Strategy Development
• Drive extensive industry and compete research to shape end-to-end platform Compete strategy.
• Define what needs to be true across products, marketing, partners, GTM for successful execution.
• Define and execute compete strategies for end-to-end CAIP solution area and cross solution areas collaboration (AI Business Solutions and Security).
• Deliver actionable competitive insights to field and engineering teams.
• GTM Alignment
• Develop and refine Compete go-to-market models, including solution plays, sales motions, incentives, and integrated campaigns.
• Enable scalable outreach and accelerate pipeline velocity through compete programs.
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Influence corporate and field stakeholders to align on compete priorities and execution frameworks.
• Act as a trusted advisor to sales leadership and partner teams.

• Technical Expertise
• Deep knowledge of Microsoft cloud technologies and competitive platforms.
• Ability to design and articulate complex architectures.
• Business Acumen
• Strong analytical and strategic thinking skills.
• Experience in competitive analysis and GTM planning.
• Soft Skills
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management.
• Entrepreneurial mindset with adaptability and curiosity.

Success Metrics

• Increased win rates in competitive scenarios.
• Accelerated pipeline velocity and improved seller confidence.
• Simplified competitive messaging and storytelling that resonates with customers and partners
• Positive feedback from field teams and stakeholders on compete enablement and activation