Account Executive - Digital Native and Startups

Microsoft’s mission is to empower every person and organization on the planet to achieve more. Our culture is centered on embracing a growth mindset, being diverse and inclusive and encouraging teams and leaders to bring their best each day. Growth in mindset encourages each of us to lean in and learn what matters most to our customers, to create the foundational knowledge that enables us to make customer-first decisions in everything we do. In doing so, we create life-changing innovations that impact billions of lives around the world. You can help us achieve our goal.   

The new pursuit team at Microsoft Asia is at the leading edge of our business and one of the fastest growing and most exciting groups at the Company. We operate like a “startup” within Microsoft and the team driving this initiative is incredibly entrepreneurial and high-performance. 

The Account Executive (AE) is leading and orchestrating the One Microsoft team efforts to drive ambitious growth and wins, with mid-stage start-ups and ISV, on Microsoft cloud Platform. The AE will be building trust by sharing insights into how to capitalize on market opportunities by partnering with Microsoft. This role will partner closely with resources in the Business Development Organization, Engineering, Marketing, Finance and Legal, Business Desk, and other groups across Microsoft.   
 

This is a unique opportunity for a bold, real hunter, customer oriented with technical depth, strategic thinker to help identify unique prospects and execute Microsoft cloud deals that drive significant publicity, competitive share, and revenue for the Microsoft Azure platform.  The primary focus will be mid-stage start-ups and ISV’s that are transforming key verticals.   

​The AE leads the building of the joint business plan with the partner to define their solutions portfolio, Go-To-Market, sales and marketing strategies, and driving implementation of all aspects of the strategy by orchestrating relationships between the startup technical, sales and marketing teams and Microsoft’s to ensure excellence in execution of the strategy and achieving partnership growth goals and sales targets.  

Required/minimum qualifications

• Experience in Greenfield / Pursuit / Acquisition function for a technology, software or similar business.
• Technically proficient, foundational understanding of cloud technologies; cloud certifications, application + data architectures, and open-source technology experience a plus.
• Bachelor's Degree in Business, Technology, or related field AND 5+ years experience working in an industry (e.g., Financial Services, Retail, Manufacturing, Healthcare, Energy, Government, Education), driving digital transformation, or other relevant work experience (e.g., consulting, technology) OR
• Master's Degree in Business Administration AND 4+ years experience working in an industry (e.g., Financial Services, Retail, Manufacturing, Healthcare, Energy, Government, Education), driving digital transformation, or other relevant work experience (e.g., consulting, technology)
• OR 7+ years experience in working in an industry (e.g., Financial Services, Retail, Manufacturing, Healthcare, Energy, Government, Education), driving digital transformation, or other relevant work experience (e.g., consulting, technology).

Additional or preferred qualifications

• EQ and executive presence to engage with C-level leaders and a passion to demonstrate how the Azure cloud can realize initiatives technically and commercially — trusted advisors for the long-term business priorities.
• A passion for co-creating inclusive and diverse cultures where team members build on one another’s strengths and encourage individual and team growth.
• Experience working with startups, scaleups or building new businesses is a plus.

Industry Knowledge

• If aligned by industry, exhibits deep knowledge of the industry, current trends, and market dynamics, and the competitive landscape. Leverages their depth of industry knowledge to position Solution Area technology in industry context. Demonstrated ability to position how Microsoft products and solutions will help customers realize innovation through business transformation.

Customer Engagement

• Supports business transformation through technology for assigned accounts in multiple business units to drive business outcomes and create business value for customers. Leverages consultative and insightful listening skills that disrupts the mindset of customers by bringing innovative ideas that showcase the need for change and new strategic direction. Is sought out by the customer for guidance related to transformation. Proactively involves corporate resources and engages cross-industry resources to drive customer transformation. Ability to influence and mitigate proactively competitive risk. Ensures line-of-business wins are captured (e.g., customer write ups) as reference for scale through insightful listening.
• Proactively cultivates relationships with customers and uses Microsoft sales strategies with executive, business, and technical decision makers at high levels of the customer's organization through consultative engagement to establish alignment and secure buy-in and execution. Connects the customer to Microsoft business and technical executives. Establishes Rhythm of Business (RoB) with top customer sponsors to regularly highlight the value of the Microsoft solutions and subsequent Return on Investment (ROI). Works with the customer partners foster trust and brand growth and loyalty through multiple levels (e.g., managers, executives) of the customer's organization in the assigned accounts. Assists partners in joint-selling by establishing joint desire to create new go-to markets by starting to build relationships in new markets (e.g., Vice President). Leverages digital selling methods (e.g., digital) to grow your network and create a pipeline, consume account-based marketing output, and reflect in the engagement strategy in our customer plan.
• Proactively develops a comprehensive understanding of customer's business and technology needs and strategies for each assigned account, of their priorities, and of the industry direction. Anticipates customers' needs to deliver new insights on customers' business strategies and educate customers on ways to jointly address these needs. Identifies and pursues opportunities to offer business and technology solutions. Leverages internal influence to advocate on behalf of the customer internally (e.g., driving changes to roadmap, engaging with product groups), working to prioritize customers' requests and meeting their business needs. Creates trust to influence for impact and acts as a trusted advisor to help the customer transform its business model. Connect customers with other customers/partners on areas that may benefit them. If industry aligned, also develops a deep understanding of the customer's industry.

Account Management

• Oversees a complex/multiple account(s) and leads planning and prioritization efforts to anticipate and ensure appropriate responses to account needs. Develops strategies to manage pipeline and meet sales goals by reviewing forecasts, assessing and mitigating risks, and ensuring strategy alignment with business priorities. Leads virtual teams to properly re-adjust priorities, all while maintaining a high level of commitment and accountability. Prioritizes line of business projects to achieve business outcomes. Reduces complexity for the customer and for internal teams by prioritizing the most strategic partners to deliver outcomes.
• Expands network of key internal (e.g., Industry Solutions [IS]) and external partners and other business decision makers in customers' accounts to grow sales and partner impact and to provide a seamless account management experience to the customers, ensuring proper execution of core tasks and account transactions. Engages with key mainstream partners to promote long-term, mutually-beneficial business and technology transformation strategies. Expands network of influence on the board to expand reach and influence decision making. Drives joint solutions with partners. Where applicable, shares opportunities outbound with partners, and reviews/accepts opportunities shared inbound. Proactively engages and works with partners’ sellers directly to drive non-qualified opportunity momentum and deal closure inclusive of partners.
• Develops and oversees the execution of account plans utilizing common sales and delivery methodology for the Microsoft sales organization for multiple accounts and works to ensure engagements yield high volume sales for both Microsoft and the customer that are on track with goals, outcomes, and forecasts. Leads multiple, diverse, and high-performing teams and coordinates with internal industry experts on account planning and execution for various accounts. Coordinates with industry experts to identify new business opportunities and drive account growth. Leads extended team and embraces partners to scale business by understanding partner goals and creating an interest in mutual business growth, and deep understanding of plan to ensures achievement of revenue and consumption targets and drives integrated joint account governance through customer plan on regular frequency to achieve customer outcomes. Identifies initial stakeholders, customer needs, and customer priorities. Proposes initial Solutions/Sales Plays. Leverages strong sales acumen to set action items and approach to drive big bets and drive new business opportunities based on customer strategy and priorities.
• Thinks strategically about customer planning for assigned accounts, setting standards and priorities, outlining where to and how to invest resources of the account management team and other stakeholders, engaging internal and external decision makers on long-term business planning, and anticipating needs of assigned accounts to turn enterprise accounts into strategic accounts. Influences to scale strategic plans (inclusive of partners) and involves senior leadership team. Ensures teams are documenting in the Account Plan.

Sales Excellence

• Actively seeks customer feedback (both formal and informal) of assigned accounts regarding ways to identify and understand the drivers of satisfaction and/or dissatisfaction. Helps in the creation of long-term strategies aimed at maintaining levels of customer satisfaction. Orchestrates others (e.g., Customer Success Account Management [CSAM]) to anticipate issues/risks on customer satisfaction, determine the root cause of problems, remove blockers, and establish recovery action plan to improve customer's overall experience. Leverages key executive relationships to build trust with the customer organization. Proactively establishes agreement on success measures and manages execution on success measures to prevent need for recovery plans.
• Develops compelling, value-proposition presentations (e.g., with the use of business cases) and specialized business plans for customers that drive business outcomes. Demonstrates thought leadership and presents business plans to customers to generate new non-qualified opportunities. Guides others on how to tailor industry-specific presentations. Presents outcome based cross solution strategies.
• Develops and implements plans for maximizing upselling/cross-selling non-qualified opportunities in certain accounts. Drives plans to highlight Microsoft's and partners' solutions to solving additional business and technology issues and aims to expand budget allocated to Microsoft. Leverages virtual teams to identify and act on new non-qualified opportunities while utilizing common sales and delivery methodology for the Microsoft sales organization.
• Engages decision makers of assigned accounts to clearly articulate Microsoft's value proposition aligned to customer's business objectives. Translates features into business impact and outcomes that accelerate the customer's digital presence. Develops plans to offer more targeted solutions that satisfy customers' key performance indicators (KPIs) and align the right partner solution for customer industry needs.
• Positions oneself as a thought leader and trusted advisor internally and externally to executive-level business decision makers of multiple assigned accounts by leveraging best-in-class sales and communication techniques to lead extended virtual teams and key stakeholders with deep industry expertise (e.g., customers' sponsors) to build stronger relationships with decision makers of assigned accounts. Document and creates stakeholder map in the account plan of the key decision makers, influencers, sentiment, etc.