Business Development Manager

In this role, you will:

• Identifyanddevelopstrategic partnershipswith data-rich platforms and providers to access to proprietary, high-signal data sets that enhance Copilot's ability to reason overand transform commercialworkflows

• Drive interoperability initiativesthat enable seamless integrationand contextualization of external data sources into Microsoft 365 Copilot, ensuring relevance across diverse industries and customer environments.

• Design and implement ecosystem strategies forpartners holding domain-critical data, working cross-functionally to accelerate time-to-value and unlock differentiated AI capabilities.

• Continuouslymonitorand assess emerging ecosystems,data trends, regulatoryshifts, and platform innovations to inform partnership priorities and ensure Copilotremainsat the forefront of enterprise knowledge enrichment; have a structured way to execute.

• Have consistent high-level visibilityandbeexpected to be a trusted strategic advisor to executives across product, engineering,legal, and marketingteams.

• Demonstrate and live our values and principlesof teamwork, curiosity, self-awareness, integrity,diversityand allyship.

Microsoft Strategy Alignment (Product Insights and Innovative Projects/Pilots)

• Collaborates with team to help create practices that enable partners to influence the product. Progresses product improvement with engineering by collectingcustomer andpartner feedback thatidentifiespotential gaps and areas of opportunity within products. Begins to improve operations of existing programs by applying industrymethodologyand innovation, defining program issues, assessing various scenarios, and selecting theoptimalscenario to resolve issues.Identifiesinternal opportunities to developnew programsand improve current ones, with some oversight and guidance, learns about methods foridentifyingprocess improvement areas. Collaborates with others toidentifyroot problems (e.g., root-cause analysis), define the program strategy, gather program requirements,identifyresource needs, create the project plan and targets, and work across teams toalign onthe plan of record.

Microsoft Strategy Alignment (Stakeholder Engagement and Deal Diligence)

• Collaborates with internal teams and business units to build relationships and build knowledge of internal resources. Builds working relationships with Microsoft and business partners, and executive relationships (e.g., Sr. Directors).Identifiesrepeatable opportunities to sharesignalon Microsoft products and services tobenefitinternal stakeholders. Contributesnew ideasas a member of the deal team and assesses opportunity to engage with Microsoft during investment diligence process and contributes to the creation and maintenance of existing thesis areas over time, learning to build relationships with stakeholders.

Negotiation

• Identifiesactions to lead deal opportunities across deal stages (e.g., Strategic Approval (SA), Approval to Negotiate (A2N), Final Go-no-go (FGNG)), to closure andclosesprescribed business opportunitieswith speed.Identifiesnegotiation scenarios and escalates asappropriate. Closes opportunities using predefined program frameworks or templates, asappropriate.

Partner & Customer Focus

• Develops internal and external relationships toestablisha network of business and technical decision makers for assigned accounts.

• Develops an understanding of customers, partners business, strategy, and relevant industry trends through research (e.g., reading industry research reports, attending internal/external conferences, SME/mentor feedback,leveraginginternal resources, talking with partner directly, gathering third party resources).Articulatesthe Microsoft point-of-view and product road mapregardingrelevant industry trends and impact to customers and partners.

Partnership Strategy

• Researchestechnology, industry, and competitive trends, and works internally to understand how Microsoft is positioned. Shares research and insights withteamandidentifiesactions based on insights.

• Utilizesprocesses to lead development and maintenance of the pipeline. Prepares information for reporting to key stakeholders.

• Works with stakeholders to developtargetcustomer/partner list to close high-priority gaps across technology, product, business, and/or geography.Identifiesopportunities and strategy andmapstarget customers/partners. Utilizes quantitative data (e.g., usage, revenue) to inform internal and external decisions. Provides input into recommendations on partners.

• Articulates opportunities for Microsoft to create a business value proposition. Supports senior colleagues in execution of business value proposition. Engages customers and partners to highlight the value of Microsoft opportunities,leveraginginternalstakeholdersand escalating to senior colleagues as needed.

Required/minimum qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Business, Liberal Arts, Sciences, or related field AND 3+ years relevant work experience (e.g., investment banking, consulting, finance, marketing, corporate strategy, sales, venture capital, legal, business development, product management, project management, software development, or related field)

  • OR equivalent experience.

Additionalor preferred qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Business, Liberal Arts, Sciences, or related field AND 5+ years relevant work experience (e.g., investment banking, consulting, finance, marketing, corporate strategy, sales, venture capital, legal, business development, product management, project management, software development, or related field)

  • OR Master's/Advanced Degree in Business, Sciences, or related field AND 2+ years relevant work experience (e.g., investment banking, consulting, finance, marketing, corporate strategy, sales, venture capital, legal, business development, product management, project management, software development, or related field)

  • OR equivalent experience.

• 4+years experiencein the technology industry OR in a technical role (e.g., IT, Engineering).