As a Solution Specialist Manager within STU Japan's dynamic Cloud & AI Platform Organization, you will be at the forefront of empowering customers to unlock the full potential of Microsoft Azure through cloud adoption and transformative AI innovation. In this pivotal, customer-facing team leadership role, you will play a strategic part in shaping industry-leading solutions, driving impactful digital transformation, and building strong partnerships that elevate our customers’ business outcomes. You will guide and inspire your team to architect and deliver cutting-edge solutions, helping telecommunication and global IT service provider clients maximize their Microsoft investments and accelerate success across architecture, implementation, and operational excellence.

Key Responsibilities

1. Visionary Team Leadership & Development
2. Unite and energize your team around a compelling vision for customer success. Foster a culture of continuous growth by hiring, developing, and mentoring talent, and champion performance excellence. Invest in building best-in-class capabilities within the telecom & Global SI Services domain, while empowering every team member to achieve their professional aspirations. Coach the team to win prestigious Azure projects through innovative, outcome-based selling and deep customer engagement.
3. Strategic Market Insight & Competitive Edge
4. Drive significant revenue growth by influencing cloud technology decisions across your customer portfolio. Leverage robust business value analysis and cloud economics expertise to position your team as trusted advisors, securing high-impact Azure projects. Lead your specialists to deliver holistic, future-ready solutions—from enterprise-wide migration and modernization to advanced data platforms and AI-driven agent development—cementing Microsoft’s leadership in the market.
5. Pioneering Pipeline Management & Forecasting
6. Collaborate with area leaders to establish precision forecasting and manage healthy opportunity pipelines across Azure’s Migration& Modenization, Data Platform and AI/Agent development pillars. Harness AI-powered analytics to optimize decision-making and maximize sales impact. Model best practices in sales leadership and knowledge sharing, setting new standards for operational success.
7. Innovative Partner Ecosystem Engagement
8. Forge and strengthen alliances with leading SI partners and ISVs, expanding market reach through joint go-to-market initiatives and co-created solutions. Channel real-world customer and partner feedback into actionable insights that refine and enhance our solution strategy.
9. Operational Excellence & Strategic Coordination
10. Raise the bar for operational rigor and governance, ensuring flawless execution of sales motions and seamless cross-organizational alignment. Mitigate opportunity risks, optimize costs, and drive partner readiness to deliver exceptional results in complex Cloud & AI transformation engagements.
11. Championing Compliance & Ethical Leadership
12. Cultivate a culture where integrity is celebrated and compliance is second nature. Set the standard for ethical leadership, encouraging open discussion, recognition for responsible choices, and unwavering adherence to policies. Ensure full team participation in compliance training and proactively address operational risks for sustained organizational excellence.

Required / Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Business Administration, Information Security, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• Substantial, proven experience in cloud technology-related sales or account team management, with a strong record of driving revenue, managing complex customer relationships, and influencing senior stakeholders.

Additional / Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s Degree in Business Administration (MBA), Information Technology, Information Security, or a related field, or equivalent advanced experience.
• Extensive, progressively senior experience in cloud technology-related sales or account management, ideally overseeing major strategic accounts and navigating complex deal cycles.
• Demonstrated expertise in solution- or services-led sales, with the ability to shape customer strategy, orchestrate high-performing virtual teams, and deliver comprehensive, end-to-end cloud and AI solutions.

This position will be open for a minimum of 5 days, with applications accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.

Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. 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 with religious accommodations and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about requesting accommodations.