Overview
The **Go-to-Market (GTM) Retail Execution Category Manager **leads our WW (worldwide) retailer execution, ensuring field-managed retail partners are fully prepared to activate strategy and deliver consistent, high-quality execution across the channel. The role is responsible for translating Windows Consumer priorities into retailer-ready actions, driving aligned activation across Top Market Maker retailers, ensuring Collections participation and guideline compliance, and partnering across planning, portfolio, silicon, OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer), and channel marketing to deliver retail execution focused on improving conversion & share.
As a strategic individual contributor, this role operates at the intersection of strategy, portfolio, category management, and channel marketing — shaping how Windows shows up for consumers in partnership with our key retail partners worldwide.
This role ensures Windows strategy becomes reality in the retail channel — connecting portfolio direction, category guidance, and channel activation into a cohesive execution engine. The GTM Retail Execution Category Manager shapes how consumers experience Windows at the point of sale, driving conversion, partner confidence, and competitive share worldwide.
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
Retail Channel Strategy
- Set and evolve the Windows retail channel strategy to drive growth, deepen partner engagement at Top Market Maker retailers, and scale globally. Coordinate retailer commitments in close partnership with GTM OEM Execution to ensure plans are grounded in OEM and silicon realities and translate into consistent, high-quality execution across brick-and-mortar and online retail.
Retail Execution Briefs
- Deliver clear, actionable GTM briefs for Top Market Maker retailers, defining Collections, assortment intent, compliance requirements, and success metrics. Drive consistent activation through anchor moments and frameworks such as CES, Executive Briefing Centers (EBCs), and Internal briefings, ensuring retail teams are aligned, enabled, and confident in how to bring Windows priorities to market.
Channel Marketing Enablement
- Provide crisp retail priorities to enable Channel Marketing to activate — aligned campaigns, merchandising, and clear purchase storytelling and experience at the point of sale. Ensure retail-ready offers, training, and seller readiness reach the field with consistency across markets.
Portfolio-to-Retail
- Translate OEM, silicon, and portfolio roadmaps into simple, compelling retail guidance that informs assortment, positioning, and in-store and online execution. Influence offers, financing, bundles, and attach motions to support portfolio intent, win share across key price bands and segments, and reinforce Collections strategies in close partnership with retailers and category teams. Lead Project orchestration across retail surfaces.
Activation Readiness
- Partner closely with retail planning and execution teams to drive end-to-end activation readiness, including alignment on key beats, milestones, and dependencies. Ensure early assortment and floor-set reviews, validate merchandising and content maturity, and proactively identify risks — driving mitigation plans to ensure high-quality, on-time activation with minimal execution gaps.
Retail Performance Loop
- Establish and run a disciplined retail performance loop that tracks execution against commitments, KPIs, and investment effectiveness. Identify gaps in planning or execution, and work with Planning and Business Group partners to rebalance investments, adjust strategies, and refine Collections and category guidance — continuously improving performance and outcomes over time.
Qualifications
Required/minimum qualifications
4+ years experience in GTM (go to market), channel strategy, category management, or sales/marketing execution within a global consumer technology environment, or related work experience AND Bachelor's Degree in Business, Marketing, Communications, Economics, Public Relations, Engineering, or related field
- OR equivalent experience.
Additional or preferred qualifications
- Experience working with or for major consumer electronics retailers (big-box, e-commerce, or specialty).
- Understanding of retail partner dynamics, field-managed execution models, and conversion drivers at the point of sale.
- Proven ability to translate strategy and portfolio complexity into clear, actionable guidance for retailers.
- Demonstrated influence across cross-functional teams (Planning, Marketing, Business Groups, Finance) without direct authority.
- Communication skills with a bias for execution, clarity, and measurable outcomes.
Category Management IC4 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $106,400 - $203,600 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 $137,600 - $222,600 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
This position will be open for a minimum of 5 days, with applications accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.
Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran or military status, race, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance with religious accommodations and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about **requesting accommodations.**