Microsoft Alliance

Atos; United States; On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

A global IT services firm is seeking a Microsoft Alliance Business Lead to develop and support Microsoft Partner strategy. You will manage relationships to drive joint business growth, focus on sales strategy, and collaborate across teams. The ideal candidate has a strong background in partner management and excellent communication skills. This full-time role is based in the United States and targets mid-senior level professionals.

Qualifications

• Minimum 3 years working with partners in the Systems Integrators, Managed Services & Consulting Businesses sector.
• Fluent in spoken & written English language.
• Strong relationship management skills and the ability to engage with senior management.

Responsibilities

• Own, manage & grow the business relationship with Microsoft.
• Develop and manage the opportunities pipeline with Microsoft.
• Support sales growth by developing pipeline around agreed joint solutions.

Skills

Partner Management

Commercial Skills

Relationship Management

Sales Mind-set

Excellent Communication

Job description

Microsoft Alliance Business Lead

Role Overview

The main purpose of this role is to develop and support Microsoft Partner strategy and relationships that have strategic significance for Atos, working to support Atos’s Global Microsoft alliance strategy for the North America.

This is fundamentally a role to support our sales activities, with goals based upon supporting sales and developing pipeline. The successful candidate will need to ensure executive relationships are established to support Atos ambitions from the partner, drive an appropriate relationship map, develop a joint partner plan to achieve respective business growth, engage across all Atos markets and service lines to achieve success. The role is designed to achieve new business wins for Atos by utilising partners’ solutions and sales capabilities; as well as delivering pipeline growth based on partner generated qualified opportunities.

Goals

• Support revenue and sales targets by supporting key bids, understanding how Microsoft incentive programs can be leveraged by sales teams for best possible win advantages
• Support sales growth by developing pipeline around agreed joint solutions. Running Joint account planning workshops between Atos and Microsoft, with aim to drive joint proactive opportunities.
• Implement a business development plan with Microsoft Country PDM (partner development manager)
• Support the business profitability goals leveraging partner relationships as appropriate
• Develop and drive an overall alliances plan in support of Global Microsoft strategy
• Manage the contribution of Incentive and rebates for UK from Microsoft (Pal, Cpor & Ecif)

Responsibilities

• Partner Management Responsibilities: Own, manage & grow the business relationship with Microsoft to produce new opportunities for Atos services focus.
• Work closely with Sales Directors, Account Directors and Service Line leaders supporting key strategic bids with partner sales & enablement.
• Direct activities across the complete alliance lifecycle, with a clear focus on the bottom line financial contribution of alliance.
• Develop and manage the opportunities pipeline with Microsoft, Own and update country plan.
• Engage with the executive team in Atos and Partner to ensure strategic support is in place and underpins agreed strategies.
• Develop and implement appropriate alliance plans, backed by suitable business cases, engaging Atos business resources required to execute.
• Make recommendations accordingly to country Executives & Executive sponsors on the strategic direction, focus and success of the partnership.
• Drive regular reviews with the partner at all appropriate levels.
• Ensure that the assigned alliances continue to generate on-going value measurable through new business and pipeline growth.
• Support joint initiatives to ensure that Atos personnel are trained on appropriate partner solutions to the correct level of competency
• Provide regular, effective reporting on the alliance portfolio (operational, relationship, opportunities, and financial success)
• Provide guidance & support to junior team members around partnership approaches and strategies for success.

Vertical Market Partner Strategy responsibilities

• Work closely with a vertical market sales director to understand market sales strategy, key focus offering push and strategic bids.
• Develop a market supporting partnership strategy in support of key bids and the market strategy
• Own and manage vertical partnership relationships relevant specifically to the market vertical
• Work closely across the wider Alliance Team to pull in partner support into bids and supporting the vertical market plan.
• Represent the alliances team into vertical market meetings, reporting on progress to date and taking market contribution to develop the plan.
• Develop and maintain professional, constructive and friendly relationships with the principals of alliances and potential alliances organizations

Competencies and behaviours

• Minimum 3 years working with partners in the Systems Integrators, Managed Services & Consulting Businesses sector.
• Broad understanding of industry, competitors and partnership landscape
• Strong commercial skills and understanding, aligning partnership to business growth with and understanding of, and the ability to negotiate, alliance commercial contracts.
• Have a sales mind-set and be able to articulate partner value into Atos sales strategies as well as driving the engagement between partners with Atos sales executives.
• Strong relationship management skills and the ability to engage credibly with senior management & executives in Atos and Partner organisations.
• Have a strong approach to working with virtual teams and able to provide leadership, direction and recommendations around partner strategies when appropriate.
• Ability to understand and articulate the Atos value proposition and creatively generate mutual partner value propositions focused on opportunity development.
• Highly motivated self starter with a hands on approach and excellent planning skills
• Able to build trust & motivate internal & external stakeholders
• Excellent communications skills, both written and verbal
• Fluent in spoken & written English language

Desirable

• Experience of working with major software vendors as partners
• Knowledge & understanding of Atos TOM including Industries and Practices

Seniority level

• Mid-Senior level

Employment type

• Full-time

Job function

• Information Technology

Industries

• IT Services and IT Consulting