Business Program Manager

The Business Program Manager – Service Delivery Management function sits within the Global Vendor Operations team for Microsoft’s Operations Service Center (OSC), a part of the Microsoft Business Operations (MBO) organization. The Business Program Manager is responsible for the Service Delivery management and Contract Management of our outsourced contracts and ensuring all Service Level Agreements (SLAs) are met by our vendors. In addition, the role will be the escalation point for vendor related performance, and will work across various functions such as Procurement and Finance to ensure outsource compliance, and budget management.

The successful candidate should be comfortable working within a highly matrix-driven organization, exhibit organizational, communication, judgement, and analytical skills with a customer and compliance focus.

Microsoft’s mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. As employees, we come together with a growth mindset, innovate to empower others, and collaborate to realize our shared goals. Each day we build on our values of respect, integrity, and accountability to create a culture of inclusion where everyone can thrive at work and beyond. 

Business Program Planning and Design

• Performs program landscape research and analysis (e.g., internal and/or external market, sales, delivery), forecasting, and examines business trends (e.g., customer feedback and expectations) to identify audience size and program scope, and stay current, agile, and competitive. Understands overall business goals, objectives, and strategies, as well as short- and long-term business priorities. Understands and identifies current program risks, impact, and mitigation plans.
• Identifies and scopes opportunities to develop new programs and improve current ones. Identifies and provides solutions to root problems (e.g., root-cause analysis), defines the program strategy, gathers program requirements, identifies resource needs, creates the project plan and targets, and works across teams to align on the plan of record. Improves operations of existing programs by applying industry methodology, defining complex program issues, assessing various scenarios, and selecting the optimal scenario to resolve issues. Drives clarity in complex program issues and strives for simplification.
• Works with cross-functional (e.g., organizational, product, business) stakeholders (e.g., Engineering) to design compliant, complex programs from initiation to delivery with minimal coaching. Produces collateral (e.g., proposals, strategy walking deck, internal and external pitch content) to incorporate stakeholder needs and ensure the business objectives are met.
• Defines and tracks the success criteria and performance metrics (e.g., Objectives and Key Results [OKRs] and Key Performance Indicators [KPIs]), such as quality, adoption, usage, impact, effectiveness) for the program.

Buisness Program Excellence and Execution

• Defines and executes on landing and communication plans, such as the target audience(s) and communication strategy. Leads the rhythm of business (ROB) during plan execution to ensure participants and stakeholders are communicating and responding according to the necessary cadence. Works across teams (e.g., Landing Design, Engineering, Supply Chain, Finance, Technical Program Management) to ensure all program requirements are understood and can be met.
• Evangelizes complex programs to stakeholders, partners, and customers to gain buy in. Leverages data and performance metrics (e.g., Objectives and Key Results [OKRs] and Key Performance Indicators [KPIs]) to demonstrate the value of the program and show business impact. Adapts communication style and storytelling strategy according to audience and business needs. 

 Business Program Management

• Contributes to or leads a portfolio of projects including the project plan, timelines, milestones, financial management, performance metrics, and/or resource needs for complex programs. Communicates the program status and risk to relevant stakeholders and holds them accountable for following the established schedule, risk mitigation plans, and processes.
• Demonstrates an understanding of mapping or how systems work and impact one another. Works with and leverages other teams (e.g., Supply Chain, Engineering, Sales) to ensure program processes are rigorous and executed efficiently. Develops processes around scope and scheduled changes for programs, and communicates them to stakeholders.

Business Program Evaluation and Improvement

• Conducts cost-benefit analyses to examine performance to value drivers (e.g., profit and loss [P&L], return on investment [ROI]). Contributes to monthly business review (MBR) and runs rhythms regularly to identify what is working and what is not, and makes improvements accordingly.
• Collects and evaluates success criteria and performance metrics (e.g., Objectives and Key Results [OKRs] and Key Performance Indicators [KPIs]), such as acquisition, usage, impact, effectiveness, and customer feedback, and uses scorecards and dashboards to monitor complex programs and ensure all activities align with business and program objectives. Uses data analytics (e.g., scenario analyses) to derive insights and training that help identify current and future program risks and mitigation plans, as well as opportunities to streamline and optimize programs based on lessons learned.
• Utilizes direction and strategy from leadership regarding business area of expertise in order to help create and execute plans that shift current priorities to new organizational initiatives and objectives, and influences others to change behavior accordingly. Defines vision and strategy for change, broad and specific impact, and the flow of communication to the organization. Ensures buy in and adoption of the new program or change by others in the organization. Develops the collateral required to enable key stakeholders and others to be on board. Contributes to the training, reskilling, and mapping of individuals in partnership with Human Resources (HR).