Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Technical Program Manager

Microsoft Cloud Operations + Innovation (CO+I) is the engine that powers Microsoft’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) and cloud platforms and services that millions of people use every day. With more than 95% of Fortune 500 business on Azure, 180 million using Office 365, and millions using other services – all running on Microsoft's cloud infrastructure – CO+I builds and operates the foundation upon which Microsoft’s mission to empower every person and organization comes to life, delivering IT capacity to Microsoft customers worldwide.     
    
Within CO+I, the Cloud Innovation Services & Solutions team is responsible for delivering solutions and services that enable reliable cloud growth and operational excellence, including end to end program management, security, risk and governance, planning, learning and development and sustainability.     
  
The Cloud Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) team focuses on preparing for  requirements and market expectations, and ensuring timely and accurate disclosure.  

We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Technical Program Manager to oversee the development of technology-enabled solutions (software) for Sustainability and ESG use cases. This role is critical in driving our sustainability initiatives and ensuring that our technology solutions align with our ESG goals. The successful candidate will have a background in software development, project management, and a passion for sustainability. The individual will also be responsible for engaging with stakeholders across the business group to improve data maturity and drive data traceability, in addition to enabling data analysis and performance tracking towards Microsoft's sustainability commitments and regulatory requirements.

You are excited about empowering CO+I with the necessary ESG data insights to support fast and targeted decision-making for performance and impact, timely and accurate disclosure and drive data accountability across the organization to help translate ESG requirements into a compete opportunity. You are adept at working in a multi-stakeholder, multi-background environment, building enduring trusted relationships and efficiently influencing with limited control. You work effectively with executives, engineering and operations, focusing on crisp and actionable communication, and bring a strategic data perspective, supporting the team by innovating. You have been successful working within a matrixed organizational structure where you lead through influence and teamwork.   
     

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. 

• This role is located in one or all hub locations - Atlanta, GA, Washington, D.C., Redmond, WA, San Antonio, TX or Phoenix, AZ.
• Relocation support will be provided, and successful candidates must relocate or reside within 50 miles of the hub office location.
• This role is eligible for hybrid or remote work, up to 100%.

Required/Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Sustainability, Data Science, Project Management, Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field with 4+ years experience in engineering, product/technical program management, data analysis, or product development
  • OR equivalent experience, with a focus on sustainability and ESG solutions.
• 2+ years experience managing cross-functional and/or cross-team projects.
• 2+ years experience managing complex software development/implementation project with experience in stakeholder management, change management and user adoption.

   

Other Requirements: 

Ability to meet Microsoft, customer and/or government security screening requirements are required for this role. These requirements include, but are not limited to the following specialized security screenings: 

• Microsoft Cloud Background Check: This position will be required to pass the Microsoft Cloud background check upon hire/transfer and every two years thereafter.

Additional or Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Sustainability, Data Science, Project Management, Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field, AND 8+ years experience in engineering, product/technical program management, data analysis, or product development
  • OR equivalent experience with a focus on sustainability and ESG solutions
• 6+ years experience managing cross-functional and/or cross-team projects.
• 1+ year(s) experience reading and/or writing code (e.g., sample documentation, product demos).
• Technical experience with data schemas, data management, and data security best practices.
• Understanding of sustainability and ESG principles and practices.
• Experience with external-facing sustainability or ESG reporting frameworks (e.g., Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), Energy Efficiency Directive (EED)).
• Proficiency in data lake architecture and management, including experience with Azure Data Lake, AWS Lake Formation, or similar platforms, OR knowledge of data integration, ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) processes, and data warehousing.
• Understanding of machine learning and AI techniques for data analysis and insights, and proven experience conducting data analysis or developing data visualizations for sustainability or ESG topics.

As part of this team, you will collaborate across a broad set of stakeholders within CO+I and Microsoft. You will support the ESG Data Management team through the development of technology-enabled solutions in collaboration with the software engineering team to streamline ESG and Sustainability data aggregation and reporting across the organization, improve data traceability, auditability and accuracy with a focus on cross-functional relationships and company-wide alignment. 

• Lead and manage the development of technology-enabled solutions for Sustainability and ESG use cases across CO+I to develop and manage a scalable solution for centralized ESG data aggregation, reporting and analytics.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including engineering, product management, and sustainability Subject Matter Experts, to define business use cases, design technology solutions and execute project plans.
• Lead the roll-out and user adoption of existing and new solutions to streamline ESG data aggregation from diverse sources within the organization's datacenter fleet. 
• Support automation and development of data interfaces​; Assess data gaps and recommend actionable solutions to drive improvements including leveraging Microsoft solutions, automated reporting capabilities, etc.
• Ensure that all solutions meet the highest standards of quality, performance, and security.
• Drive innovation by staying up-to-date with the latest trends and technologies in sustainability and ESG.
• Implement and uphold data management and data security best practices to maintain the accuracy, completeness, and reliability of ESG data throughout the collection process​.   
• Collaborate across the organization and with data owners to ensure auditability and traceability of data through defined data lineage and audit trails.  
• Prepare content for senior management review and approval, communicate progress & performance and share insights from ESG data initiatives  
• Develop and maintain relationships with internal and external partners.