Director- Business Development

The Microsoft AI Experiences and Monetization BD team has a unique opportunity to directly shape the strategic direction of AI and Microsoft’s Content Publisher Ecosystem. As a Director -Business Development, you will lead strategy development and relationships with key publishing partners to support Microsoft Copilot as well as own the development of crucial categories for AI model training. You’ll work collaboratively with partners and internal Microsoft teams both in Microsoft AI and across Microsoft to identify and capture business opportunities in a rapidly growing space and advance partnership approaches along with the industry and Microsoft.  You will grow your career by developing new strategies in an evolving area and honing your deal making and negotiation skills through “first-chair” deal responsibilities.  

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 

Responsibilities

Partner & Customer Focus 

• Leverages internal and external relationships as a trusted advisor to advise complex (e.g., large, high impact) customers and partners on domain expertise as a sought-out resource across multiple lines of business, geographies, and cultures, as appropriate. Advises partners and decision makers on the industry and company and provides industry expertise internally and externally. 

• Drives customer and partner business initiatives, and contributes to partner's strategy discussions, leveraging knowledge of customer and partner business priorities and/or drivers and anticipating changes and actions to drive influence around the product roadmap, prioritization, and proactively guide customer and partner decision making. 

Partnership Strategy 

• Creates business value propositions based on company, partner, and/or customer needs for a particular product/industry. Drives support and action by influencing internal stakeholders and partners and promoting the value of opportunities. 

• Positions the Microsoft value proposition versus competitors and works with stakeholders to influence the build/buy/partner decision to meet customer needs, leveraging knowledge of Microsoft and customer issues in conjunction with product/industry teams to establish a foundation for future opportunities in competitive situations through collaboration. Provides insight on industry and/or competitive trends and drives action based on insights. 

• Leverages relationships with a diverse set of stakeholders to identify and validate unique opportunities that cross business areas or target high-priority gaps across technology, product, business, and/or geography. Leverages trends in data to inform decisions across deals. Drives deals to increase growth and achieve desired outcomes, anticipating potential issues. Provides input into recommendations on partners. 

• Formulates partnership strategy for products and businesses with input from relevant stakeholders. Manages pipeline by identifying, promoting, prioritizing, guiding, and influencing processes that develop and deliver on pipeline opportunities and optimize resources. Prepares information for reporting to key stakeholders, including synthesizing key work for