Cloud & AI Specialist Sales Manager

About the role

In the Small, Medium Enterprise & Channel (SME&C) organization, we empower customers through the unique value of the Microsoft cloud by building a globally led, digital-first scale organization aligned with partners. As part of the Americas SME&C Corporate team, you will support a dedicated set of customers in identifying and achieving their business objectives through best-in-class digital engagement and partner co-selling. You will work cross-collaboratively while living our shared SME&C Corporate priorities: Diversity and Inclusivity, Well-being, Sustainability, and Learning.

This role focuses on helping customers undergoing significant changes in their work models as we shift into a hybrid work environment. As the Cloud & AI Specialist Sales Manager, you will lead a team of Azure Specialists to sell best-in-class cloud services and platforms, driving digital transformation for customers, partners, and Microsoft.

Microsoft’s mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. We embody a growth mindset, innovate to empower others, and collaborate to realize shared goals, building on values of respect, integrity, and accountability to create an inclusive culture.

Responsibilities

People Management

• Model Microsoft’s culture, values, and leadership principles.
• Define team objectives and outcomes, enabling success across boundaries and helping the team adapt and learn.
• Attract and retain great people, understanding individual capabilities and aspirations, and investing in their growth.
• Coach and lead a team of Digital Specialists and solution professionals, fostering deep AI expertise, customer obsession, and outcome-based selling practices.

Sales Excellence

• Participate in strategic planning for assigned territory, aligning team plans across departments and engaging with external executives for strategic input.
• Build and transform new markets by leveraging technical and industry expertise, partners, and resources to optimize the portfolio and facilitate customer innovation.
• Complete required training and obtain relevant certifications; mentor and coach the team on sales and product knowledge, ensuring certifications are completed.
• Oversee end-to-end business across geographical regions, ensuring the team meets sales targets, operational standards, and maintains healthy metrics.
• Guide the team in whitespace analysis to identify potential business opportunities and align analysis approaches across teams.
• Develop long-term customer satisfaction strategies, proactively building influential relationships and resolving sales/delivery issues for strategic accounts.

Sales Execution

• Coach the team to collaborate with partners and internal teams (e.g., Technical Sales Professionals, global black belts) to drive consumption and remove blockers.
• Develop and implement strategies for driving and closing opportunities, ensuring alignment with the account team and sharing close plans to de-risk deals.
• Guide the team in understanding customer business needs, developing solutions across solution areas, and creating customer visions to drive sales.
• Identify and engage decision-makers and stakeholders to expand customer/partner relationships, including C-Suite engagement for opportunity discovery.
• Lead the team in identifying and tracking new opportunities, building pipelines, and applying Microsoft’s sales process (MSP) to qualify opportunities.
• Bring industry insights into customer engagements, acting as a thought leader in digital transformation and advising customers on AI, governance, security, compliance, and organizational readiness.
• Build and maintain executive-level relationships as a trusted advisor on AI transformation.
• Lead strategic projects and high-impact solution sales deployments that enable digital transformation and deliver business value.

Scaling and Collaboration

• Guide the team to build a network of partners for cross-selling, up-selling, and co-selling, including identifying, evaluating, and onboarding new partners.
• Facilitate the development and execution of partner strategies, providing input to One Commercial Partner (OCP) on partner capabilities and consumption plans.
• Coach the team on applying the orchestration model, facilitating internal collaboration, and removing barriers.

Technical Expertise

• Support the team in participating in Microsoft events, contributing to event setup, and promoting best practice sharing.
• Coach the team on business and market knowledge, leading internal collaboration to position Microsoft solutions against competitors.
• Act as a thought leader to help the team connect Microsoft solutions to customer business impact.

Qualifications

Required/Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Business Administration, or related field AND 7+ years of technology-related sales or account management experience.
• OR 9+ years of technology-related sales or account management experience.

Additional/Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s Degree in Business Administration (e.g., MBA), Information Technology, or related field AND 8+ years of technology-related sales or account management experience.
• OR Bachelor’s Degree in Information Technology or related field AND 10+ years of technology-related sales or account management experience.
• OR 11+ years of technology-related sales or account management experience.
• 6+ years of solution or services sales experience.
• 3+ years of people management experience (highly preferred).

Pay

The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $129,300 - $220,400 per year. A different range applies to specific work locations, including the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area, where the base pay range is USD $167,800 - $239,800 per year. Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Additional pay information can be found here.