If you love the pursuit of excellence and are inspired by the challenges that come through driving innovations that impact how the world lives, works and plays, then we invite you to learn more about Microsoft Business Operations – and the value we deliver across Microsoft and to our customers and partners. We offer unique opportunities to work on interesting global projects in an environment that appreciates diversity, focuses on talent development and recognizes and rewards great work.
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The Planning & Launch Manager is responsible for Cross Company stakeholder engagements and managing a portfolio of launches through design to deployment impacting Microsoft Commercial Sales.
This role leads new process design, focused on balancing cost reduction with improving quality and speed, through a mix of Subject Matter Expertise on the Volume Licensing/Enterprise Agreement business, project management, systems and processes coupled with process methodology expertise. The role will drive optimal process design from concept to deployment, through to monitoring process performance in the “live” environment, identifying waste and continuous improvement opportunities. The role will also provide an optimization and improvement capability across Operations owning, driving and delivering tangible cost reduction, increased velocity, resulting in quality Customer and Partner Experience (CPE) benefits. This role will leverage Microsoft’s Operating Delivery Lifecycle (ODLC) methodology to ensure launch excellence and compliancy. Cross team collaboration is required across a broad range of teams from Operations, Product Marketing Groups, Policy, Engineering, Finance and Microsoft Services with an ability to effectively influence decisions, direction and outcomes.
Here is your profile – You love learning about different parts of the Microsoft services business thus contributing towards Microsoft’s transformation journey. You care deeply and bring diverse perspectives while designing a solution thus striving for excellence in design and quality execution. Your heart skips a beat when a big, hairy problem is put in front of you because you are so excited – you can’t wait to solve it. You see opportunities when others see failures. You can build alliances with the stakeholders you work with and a great communicator. You value diversity and are a generous listener. You are a process professional with design with quality in your DNA. You are a meticulous process designer, knowing how to instrument processes and ensure quality in design before even getting to launch. You are a rigorous project manager and take pride in delivering solid, clean, projects. You can’t wait to dig into your next system architecture diagram to understand cross dependencies. You troll for risks and mitigate them like a super-hero…and, you have a sense of humor!
Qualifications:
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor’s Degree in Operations, Business Supply Chain, Finance, Business Management, Program Management, Project Management, Accounting, Human Resources (HR), Organizational Development or related field AND 4+ years Operations or Process Design or Program/Project Management experience
- OR equivalent experience.
Preferred Qualifications
- Volume Licensing/Enterprise Agreement, Enterprise Customer Segmentation and MS Enterprise Direct Support knowledge or background in a similar industry (e.g., LSP)
- Capacity for leading change, dealing with ambiguity, and providing creative solutions.
- Able to work effectively with all levels of internal and external personnel to drive for results and solve problems.
- Interpersonal, communication and presentation skills with a preference for journalistic/editorial experience. Able to relate and communicate effectively at different levels, across different cultures.
- Ability to identify and implement industry best practices to improve existing processes; demonstrable achievement within a results-driven, highly ambiguous and dynamic environment.
- Ability to manage short, medium, and long-term planning horizons concurrently
- Customer advocacy to ensure impact minimalization
Launch Management IC4 – The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $91,800 – $178,800 per year. There is a different range applicable to specific work locations, within the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area, and the base pay range for this role in those locations is USD $117,900 – $195,000 per year.
Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here: https://careers.microsoft.com/us/en/us-corporate-pay
Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations and ordinances. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application or the recruiting process, please send a request via the Accommodation request form .
Benefits/perks listed below may vary depending on the nature of your employment with Microsoft and the country where you work.
Responsibilities:
The Planning & Launch Manager will have accountabilities including but not limited to the following:
- Creates and maintains Portfolio artifacts as defined in all phases of Microsoft Operations Delivery Lifecycle (OLDC)
- Accountable for the delivery of technical and business process design and roadmaps
- Accountable for the required criteria and content for portfolio prioritization and approval to manage End to End launches through all stages
- Accountable for sign-off of Build to Deploy transition to ensure alignment to portfolio
- Ability to manage short, medium, and long-term planning horizons concurrently
- Accountable for delivery of Operations Delivery Life Cycle (ODLC) artifacts & stage gate criteria for all stages
- Contribute to the movement of approved projects through the Operations Delivery Life Cycle (ODLC)
- Provides input on portfolio decision making and prioritization communications as part of the defined Portfolio rhythm of the business
(ROB) - Participate and facilitate in cross Go To Market (GTM) portfolio discussions
- Participate and facilitate in the Business Portfolio rhythm of the business (ROB)
Other
- Embody our culture and values