Job Description
The Architect Manager leads and manages a team of Cross-Domain Solution Architects in EMEA (CEE, France, Germany, MEA, Western Europe and UK) who are delivering engagements at customers, working on pre-sales opportunities, and developing strategies to deliver CDSA services. The Architect Manager delivers in alignment with corporate goals, industry trends, and customer business requirements through pre-sales architecture leadership and solution delivery quality oversight.
The Architect Manager responsibilities include: delivery leadership for CDSA, development of customer executive relationships where appropriate, pre-sales process support, alignment with other architects in Global Domains, Account aligned, CDSA, and Areas, collaborating and partnering with Pursuit Leads across the business, quality improvement activities, and people management.
The role is involved in business and technical risk management as well as the entire pre-sales and delivery lifecycle, with broad focus on developing and attracting solution architect talent, consistent delivery, innovation and solution alignment.
The Architect Manager works closely with the Global Domains, Account Aligned resources, organizations within Cross-domain Capabilities and Operations (CDCO), WW Sales, and WW Strategy & Offerings to support the sales strategy and execution plan across the business.
Duties of the Architect Manager include:
People Management
• Resource & capacity planning for the Solution Architect Team
• Drive on-boarding and ongoing training of Solutions Architects
• Help to define readiness and training approach and activities for the architect team
• Career and performance management of a team of architects
• Recognizing excellence: supporting, rewarding and encouraging key technical leaders
• Being a visible role model: demonstrating integrity and career potential
• Growing talent: coaching, supporting and guiding top talent
Sales Management
• Support the sales motions, driving influenced NWS
• Ensure staffing of solution architects to appropriate sales engagements, for pre-qualification and pre-sales activities
• Develop and drive execution of the CDSA business and technical strategy in collaboration with appropriate parties
• Support discovery sessions with customers to define goals, scope and ultimately estimates for services
Delivery Excellence
• Effective practice leadership, demonstrating executive maturity and building a high performing team
• Act as project sponsor to key customers as required by the business
• Provide oversight to critical engagements and provide assistance and oversight for recovery of select critically troubled engagements. Help ensure that required technical and business criteria are met on critical projects.
• Build solution credibility with our customers by helping them to understand our capability, capacity and quality.
• Customer satisfaction tracking, ensuring initial customer expectations and conditions of satisfaction are set and met.
Operations Management
• Cross-team orchestration and collaboration, including Sales, Operations, Finance, HR, CDCO, and Global Domains
• Drive appropriate Enterprise Services NWS, CSAT and other business metrics and KPI’s
Qualifications:
• Extensive experience in a consulting or services environment, direct managed services including (expert level) in design, delivery, contractual and operational practices
• Solid experience in supporting services sales including project envisioning, planning, and scoping of work effort, as well as experience leading and managing teams of 5-10 direct reports
• Experience working in a time zone (or broader) leadership and business role
• Demonstrated understanding of Business and IT strategy and principled approach to broad architectural challenges and opportunities
• Ability to move between executive value conversations, high level architectural review/design and tactical work of delivering services
• Ability to contribute to sales and people operations in a reliable manner, from account planning and engagement sales, through delivery to customer satisfaction and renewal, with an inflexible focus on quality and continuous improvement
• Experience in people management and proven talent for team leadership, driving team performance and growth through customer satisfaction
• Proven organizational skills incl. ability to manage resources and orchestrate multi-organizational physical and virtual resources and initiatives
• Understanding of Microsoft’s Enterprise Services offerings, as well as key solutions and services such as Azure, Cloud, Platform & Productivity, Business Analytics, Devices & Mobility
• Large enterprise deployment experience in complex environments
• Executive-level interpersonal, verbal, written and presentation skills; ability to mesh well with customer decision makers, by being a good listener, a team builder and an articulate advocate of Microsoft’s vision and value proposition.
Travel is a part of this position as are high levels of recognition and visibility. Potential for 50% travel, including international travel, will be required of the selected candidate.