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The Payments and Commerce Strategy and Business Development Manager is a new, industry-focused role within Microsoft’s Artificial Intelligence and Intelligent Cloud Business Development team. This individual will use their business development, consulting, corporate strategy, product management, and/or technical experience in the Payments and Commerce or FinTech industry to develop a deep understanding of customer needs in order to influence Microsoft’s Payments industry strategy and accelerate digital transformation of the $2T Payments sector through innovative partnerships with industry-leading companies and disruptors.

By 2020, a forecasted $4T will be spent on digital transformation across all industries. 85% of enterprises will use AI and Intelligent Cloud services to digitally transform their businesses in areas such as product transformation, operational efficiency, empowering employees, and customer engagement. At Microsoft we have the opportunity to deliver the intelligent cloud + intelligent edge services that deliver these outcomes. The newly chartered Payments and Commerce Business Development team will play a pivotal role influencing how Microsoft will serve customers through such digital transformation.

Responsibilities

• Strategy Development: Collaborate with stakeholders across the company (engineering, marketing, finance, legal) in implementation of business and product strategy, translate these strategies into a partner plan and identify partnerships that can accelerate our business growth beyond our owned and operated properties.
• Transaction Execution: Assist in identifying, evaluating, and prioritizing specific opportunities in support of the broader partner strategy including developing the business case for a partnership (strategic rationales and economics), and assist with structuring deal terms and negotiations. Communicate with internal stakeholders at all stages of the deal process to secure buy-in and approvals. Help drive complex deals and drive less complex deals to closure while maintaining a willingness to walk away from deals which did not meet business objectives or introduced an unacceptable risk while adhering to core deal principles.
• Deal Governance: Monitor deal performance for moderately complex deals and track efficacy relative to expectations post-close. Support maintainance of ongoing relationships with partners to ensure compliance and commitments are fulfilled.
• External Partnerships: Establish a network of relationships across the industry with potential partners, competitors, investors, thought leaders, etc. plus retain, manage, and help grow a portfolio of partners.
• Industry Expertise: Analyze the secular trends driving the growth of the payments industry.  Develop industry expertise including competitive and market dynamics, product and technology trends.

Qualifications

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Planning and Strategy: Business strategy and market development knowledge with demonstrated analytical and business modeling skills
• Passion: Must be passionate about consumer product, technology, and creating great customer experiences and consumer services.
• Positive Attitude: Ability to contribute consistently and positively in a high-paced, fast-changing, and sometimes unpredictable work environment.
• Collaboration: Work with cross-disciplinary virtual teams to help drive key business development initiatives from creation to implementation in partnership with key stakeholders.
• Influence: Ability to influence and drive results in a complex technical and business environment, including ability to communicate and influence various internal stakeholders and across functions (such as engineering, marketing, sales, services, finance and legal).
• Key interpersonal traits: Motivation, creativity, adaptability, unquestionable ethics & integrity, and a willingness to take calculated risks.

Required/Minimum Qualifications

• Minimum of 3+ years experience in a business discipline which could include business development, consulting, strategy, product management, business planning, marketing, sales, partner management, finance, legal, or software engineering.
• Bachelor’s in business or related field or equivalent alternative education, skills, and/or practical experience 
• Understanding of Payments, Commerce, and/or Fintech industries.
• Willingness to travel up to 25%
• Candidates should have high fluency (written and spoken, business and technical) in English

Additional or Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in a role that included external-facing engagement with customers/partners.
• Relevant experience analyzing market trends and business opportunities.
• How cloud computing is impacting the sectors of Payments, Commerce, Retail, and/or Fintech
• Solid familiarity with US and international business and social culture in Europe and Asia.

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.

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