Overview
As a Senior Business Development Manager on the Frontier AI Partnerships team, you will shape strategy and drive execution for Microsoft’s most strategic and complex partnerships. This role sits at the intersection of business development, product, engineering, legal, security, and executive leadership, translating strategic intent into durable agreements, scalable operating models, and measurable outcomes.
You will lead high‑stakes negotiations, operationalize partnership commitments, and establish the operating rigor required to run a multi‑product, multi‑year collaboration at global scale. Success in this role requires exceptional judgment, executive presence, and the ability to operate with clarity and momentum in highly ambiguous environments. This is a high‑visibility individual contributor role with broad influence across Microsoft and our Frontier AI Partners.
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
Strategic Deal Execution & Negotiation
- Lead the negotiation and structuring of complex, high‑value partnership agreements, ensuring Microsoft’s commercial, IP, security, and long‑term strategic priorities are reflected in final terms.
- Own end‑to‑end “Sell To” deal execution for Frontier AI partners, including deal structuring (inclusive of commercial terms) renewals, amendments, and expansion motions across infrastructure. Act as the primary business owner for assigned partners, with end-to-end accountability across pricing, billing, capacity planning, contract terms, and operational execution.
- Influence build/buy/partner decisions by framing tradeoffs, risks, and long‑term value for executive stakeholders.
- Serve as a primary business development interface with senior partner counterparts, balancing relationship health with disciplined outcomes.
Cross‑Functional Orchestration
- Partner deeply with finance, engineering, legal, capacity and infrastructure supply teams, and product leadership to translate commercial agreements into executable operating models.
- Drive forecasting, financial modeling, and pricing analysis to support deal decisions, capacity commitments, and long‑range planning.
- Translate complex technical, legal, and commercial inputs into clear executive narratives and decision‑ready materials.
- Ensure decisions are captured, documented, communicated, and driven to closure.
Executive Communication & Insights
- Frame and drive executive decision-making on capacity allocation, risk tradeoffs, and long-term planning. Lead the creation of executive‑level dashboards, briefs, and presentations that convert data and discussion into accountability and action.
- Prepare and coach senior leaders for high‑stakes internal and external meetings with partners.
- Provide forward‑looking insights on partnership health, emerging risks, and strategic opportunities.
Thought Leadership & Team Impact
- Act as a trusted thought partner to senior leaders and peers, providing guidance on negotiation strategy, partnership design, and conflict resolution.
- Mentor and support teammates by sharing best practices, raising the bar on operating rigor, and modeling calm, high‑impact execution.
- Champion Microsoft’s culture and values, fostering trust, inclusion, and collaboration across teams and partners.
Partnership Operations & Governance
- Design and enforce governance models for Frontier AI Partnerships, including executive escalation paths, decision rights, and contractual guardrails.
- Identify operational risks early and proactively lead cross‑functional mitigation plans to keep deals on track post‑close.
- Own the operationalization of signed agreements, including governance models, executive forums, and tracking of contractual deliverables (e.g., 30/60/90/120‑day commitments).
- Drive accountability across cross‑functional teams by surfacing risks early, managing escalations, and resolving dependencies before they block execution.
- Establish durable operating rhythms (MBRs, QBRs, exec reviews) that provide leadership with clear visibility into progress, issues, and decisions.
- Contribute to standardization and scaling of “Sell To” BD processes, playbooks, and governance models as the Frontier AI portfolio grows.
- Be available to work on-call as needed, aligned with release cycles and role-specific requirements.
- Embody our culture and values.
Qualifications
Required/minimum qualifications
Bachelor's Degree in Business, Liberal Arts, Sciences, or related field AND 5+ years relevant work experience (e.g., investment banking, consulting, finance, marketing, corporate strategy, sales, venture capital, legal, business development, product management, project management, software development, or related field)
- OR equivalent experience.
Additional or preferred qualifications
- 2+ years experience managing cross-functional and/or cross-team projects.
- Proven experience in Business Development, Strategic Partnerships, Investment Banking or Complex Deal Management, with ownership of multi‑stakeholder commercial agreements.
- C****ommercial and financial acumen, including pricing strategy, financial analysis, forecasting, and renewals management.
- Demonstrated ability to operate in high‑ambiguity, fast‑moving environments and independently drive outcomes from problem definition through execution.
- Experience working cross‑functionally with engineering, finance, legal, and operations teams on technically complex offerings (e.g., cloud, infrastructure, AI platforms).
- Proficient written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to synthesize complex issues for senior stakeholders and executives.
- Comfort owning details while maintaining a strategic perspective on partner value, risk, and long‑term scalability.
- Proven track record of leading large-scale, complex programs with executive visibility and business impact.
- Demonstrated ability to influence at the executive level and drive alignment across diverse stakeholder groups providing clarity in ambiguity.
- Exceptional communication skills, executive presence, and ability to operate effectively in ambiguity.
- 3+ years of experience working with AI products, platforms, or services.
- Experience reading and/or writing code (e.g., sample documentation, product demos, prototypes).
- Experience with global partnerships and/or highly regulated industries.
- Demonstrated ability to manage conflict and sensitive issues while maintaining trust and momentum.
Business Development 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.**