Silicon Engineering Operations Leader

About the role

Microsoft Silicon Cloud Hardware Infrastructure Engineering (SCHIE) is the team behind Microsoft’s expanding Cloud Infrastructure and responsible for powering Microsoft’s “Intelligent Cloud” mission. SCHIE delivers the core infrastructure and foundational technologies for Microsoft's over 200 online businesses including Bing, MSN, Office 365, Xbox Live, Skype, OneDrive, and the Microsoft Azure platform globally. Our focus is on smart growth, high efficiency, and delivering trusted experience to customers and partners worldwide.

Microsoft's Cloud Hardware organization is seeking a Silicon Engineering Operations Leader to drive business operations, organizational effectiveness, and operational excellence across a global Silicon Engineering organization. This role serves as the primary business partner to engineering leadership and owns the operational ecosystem supporting custom silicon development—from strategic planning and financial governance to supplier management, PMO, analytics, AI enablement, and engineering support operations.

Responsibilities

• Business Strategy & Operational Leadership
  • Partner with engineering leadership to define and execute the organization's operational strategy and annual objectives.
  • Translate engineering priorities into scalable operational plans, governance models, and measurable business outcomes.
  • Lead organizational planning processes including annual planning, OKRs, headcount strategy, investment planning, and business reviews.
  • Drive operational excellence initiatives focused on scalability, efficiency, automation, and continuous improvement.
• Financial Planning & Portfolio Management
  • Own planning, forecasting, reporting, and governance for a multi-hundred-million-dollar operational portfolio spanning engineering software, infrastructure, managed services, vendor engagements, and operational investments.
  • Partner closely with Finance to optimize spend, improve forecasting accuracy, identify savings opportunities, and ensure financial accountability across the organization.
  • Develop investment strategies and executive recommendations balancing business priorities, growth, and cost optimization.
• Supplier & Commercial Strategy
  • Lead strategic relationships with Microsoft's semiconductor ecosystem, including EDA vendors, cloud partners, managed service providers, and engineering technology suppliers.
  • Drive commercial strategy, enterprise negotiations, renewals, licensing optimization, contract governance, and executive business reviews.
  • Define and monitor supplier KPIs, SLAs, governance frameworks, and continuous improvement initiatives.
  • Partner with Procurement and Legal to structure scalable commercial agreements aligned with long-term engineering needs.
• Program Management Office (PMO)
  • Build and lead centralized PMO capabilities supporting cross-functional engineering initiatives.
  • Define governance models, execution frameworks, risk management practices, portfolio reporting, and executive communication.
  • Drive organization-wide programs involving engineering, infrastructure, finance, procurement, and external partners.
  • Establish standardized project management methodologies that improve execution quality and reduce delivery cycle time.
• Business Intelligence & Analytics
  • Own the organization's operational analytics strategy and executive reporting.
  • Develop scalable dashboards and reporting frameworks covering operational performance, financial health, engineering productivity, supplier performance, and service delivery.
  • Partner with data engineering teams to transform operational data into actionable executive insights supporting strategic decision making.
  • Establish KPI frameworks measuring organizational effectiveness and operational maturity.
• Engineering Operations & Support
  • Lead centralized engineering support functions including CRM and service management platforms, operational workflows, managed services governance, and engineering enablement programs.
  • Define operational processes supporting engineering teams while continuously improving user experience, responsiveness, and service quality.
  • Drive adoption of AI-enabled operational capabilities to increase engineering productivity and automate repetitive workflows.
• Executive Engagement & Organizational Leadership
  • Serve as a trusted advisor to engineering executives, influencing strategic decisions through operational insights and business analysis.
  • Lead executive business reviews, operational reviews, quarterly planning cycles, and cross-organizational governance meetings.
  • Build strong partnerships across Engineering, Finance, Procurement, Legal, IT, HR, and external strategic partners.
• AI & Process Transformation
  • Identify opportunities to leverage automation, AI, and emerging technologies to improve operational efficiency.
  • Sponsor proof-of-concepts and operational AI solutions supporting knowledge management, workflow automation, engineering self-service, and executive decision support.
  • Lead cross-functional transformation initiatives from concept through organizational adoption.

Requirements

• Required Qualifications
  • Doctorate in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field AND 3+ years technical engineering experience
  • OR Master's Degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field AND 6+ years technical engineering experience
  • OR Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field AND 8+ years technical engineering experience
  • OR Equivalent Experience.
• Other Requirements
  • Ability to meet Microsoft, customer and/or government security screening requirements, including:
    • Microsoft Cloud Background Check: This position will be required to pass the Microsoft Cloud Background Check upon hire/transfer and every two years thereafter.
    • This role will require access to information controlled for export under export control regulations (e.g., U.S. International Traffic in Arms Regulations, Export Administration Regulations, EU Dual Use Regulation). Proof of citizenship or U.S. residency/protected status may be required for eligibility.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Data Analytics, or a related technical discipline.
• 12+ years of experience in engineering, technical program management, technical strategy, business operations, or data analytics, including 5+ years leading enterprise-scale cross-organizational initiatives.
• Deep technical expertise in one or more of the following: silicon development and EDA, Cloud/HPC infrastructure, CAD flows (Front-End, Physical Design, Analog), or large-scale engineering compute environments.
• Demonstrated experience leading strategy, operations, and business transformation within a technology or semiconductor organization, including managing complex operational portfolios with significant financial responsibility.
• Proven success driving cross-functional initiatives across engineering, finance, procurement, and executive leadership while influencing outcomes without direct authority.
• Experience developing and managing strategic supplier partnerships, commercial agreements, vendor governance, and performance management.
• Strong data, AI, and automation fluency, with hands-on experience applying analytics platforms, automation frameworks, and AI-enabled solutions to improve operational efficiency and business decision-making.
• Demonstrated ability to establish operational governance, KPIs, scalable processes, and continuous improvement frameworks.
• Exceptional executive communication, strategic thinking, and analytical problem-solving skills, with the ability to simplify complexity, prioritize effectively, and drive execution in ambiguous environments.
• Innovative, outcome-oriented leader with a track record of leveraging emerging technologies, including AI, to accelerate organizational impact and operational excellence.
• Semiconductor, silicon engineering, or hardware development experience.
• Experience supporting global engineering organizations.
• Knowledge of EDA tools, engineering infrastructure, software licensing, or engineering operations.
• Experience driving AI-enabled operational transformation and workflow automation.
• MBA or advanced degree preferred.

Pay

The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $142,800 - $274,800 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 $188,000 - $304,200 per year. Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation.

Find additional benefits and pay information here.