Director, AI Co-Innovation Labs

The Data & AI Business Development team is responsible for strategic partnerships, opportunity identification, and growth initiatives across Microsoft’s Data & AI portfolio.

We are seeking a Director, AI Co-Innovation Labs to join and lead the Business Development Strategy & Ventures (BDSV) AI Co-Innovation Laboratories team to support partners and customers through their hardware, software, and AI challenges, via rapid ideation and prototyping engagements, on their path to market. The lab programs are a critical asset that enriches and accelerates strategic partnerships across Microsoft.

In this role, you will:

• Lead and develop a high performing team of lab managers, setting the tone, culture and expectations of high-quality impact and execution
• Define and author strategies for each lab in close collaboration with each lab manager.
• Expand the reach and relevance of the AI Co-Innovation Labs, through meaningful engagements and marketing activities.
• Work closely with product, engineering, marketing, sales, teams to evaluate, explore and execute programs that will be impactful in driving adoption of the Azure AI Platform via lab engagements.
• Be an knowledgeable on the AI space: follow the latest news, network heavily, develop technical / platform depth and have a systematic approach to identifying and executing against market trends in the lab setting.
• Demonstrate and live our values and principles of teamwork, curiosity, self-awareness, integrity, diversity and allyship.

This work helps to develop utilization of AI technologies by customers and partners that enables commercial acceleration of our AI Platform.

Responsibilities

People Management

• Managers deliver success through empowerment and accountability by modeling, coaching, and caring.
• Model - Live our culture; Embody our values; Practice our leadership principles.
• Coach - Define team objectives and outcomes; Enable success across boundaries; Help the team adapt and learn.
• Care - Attract and retain great people; Know each individual’s capabilities and aspirations; Invest in the growth of others.

Operational Excellence

• Maintain fiscal oversight of budgets across all labs and maintain operations under budget.
• Support the management of over 30 contract lab members, supplied by 3 different vendors.
• Maintain customer satisfaction and acceleration scores at target levels.

Labs Strategy / Execution

• Sets key performance indicators (KPIs) for labs based on collecting and sharing input from lab engagements, advancing partnerships through engagements, and advancing commercial opportunities with Azure AI.
• Sets strategy for new lab launch in new geographies based on market demand and KPI potential.
• Engages customers and partners to highlight the value of Microsoft opportunities, leveraging internal stakeholders. Influences internal stakeholders and partners and promotes the value of opportunities.
• Provides insight on AI industry and/or competitive trends and drives action based on insights. Educates the team on strategy and ensures strategic focus. Drives knowledge sharing within the team.
• Sources lab engagements through partnerships and market development that target high priority opportunities for Azure AI adoption.
• Manages pipeline by identifying, promoting, prioritizing, guiding, and influencing processes that develop and deliver upon pipeline opportunities and optimize resources. Leads pipeline reviews for the team.

Market Signal

• Develops processes and channels for information gathering and reporting, including synthesizing key insights and trends gathered from engagements for executive consumption.

Management/Governance

• Develops plans for managing 3rd party funding partners, including communications, and reporting. Resolves blocking issues and escalates as needed in circumstances that requires executive engagement. Guides their team with load balancing and prioritizing activities and engagements. Serves as an escalation point to resolve blocking issues.
• Develops Key Performance