Microsoft Strategic Practice Director

The Opportunity: We are seeking a strategic, customer-facing leader to drive Microsoft cloud growth within a Cloud Solution Provider and partner-led services organization. This role serves as the primary advisor on Microsoft strategy, aligning customer business objectives with Microsoft’s evolving cloud ecosystem across Microsoft 365, Azure, Security, Copilot, and Azure AI.

The ideal candidate combines business strategy, presales leadership, Microsoft partner expertise, funding program navigation, and operational rigor. This person should bring the credibility of a high-caliber former Microsoft-facing partner leader or Partner Development Manager—someone who can engage Microsoft field sellers and Partner Development Managers, shape customer opportunities, translate partner programs into revenue, and turn designations, incentives, and go-to-market investments into measurable growth.

This is not a pure alliance role or a pure presales role. It is a hybrid operator role spanning Microsoft relationship management, go-to-market development, customer-facing solution strategy, funding and incentive orchestration, and business reporting.

• Role: Microsoft Strategic Practice Director
• Experience: 7 to 12 years in the Microsoft ecosystem, including CSP, systems integrator, managed service provider, distributor, or Microsoft partner-led motions
• Location: Plano, TX
• Employment Type: Full Time
  
  

Responsibilities

Microsoft Relationship and Strategic Advisory

• Act as the trusted advisor to customers and internal sellers on Microsoft cloud strategy, licensing, roadmap alignment, and partner motions.
• Own and manage the Microsoft partner reseller relationship, including cadence, escalation, opportunity alignment, field mapping, and joint planning.
• Drive alignment with Microsoft field teams, Partner Development Managers, account sellers, and strategic partner resources.
• Translate Microsoft priorities such as AI, security, cloud migration, Copilot, and Azure modernization into actionable customer strategies.
• Help determine when Technologent should lead directly versus leverage delivery or licensing partners.
  
  

Go-to-Market Leadership

• Develop and execute joint go-to-market strategies across Microsoft solution areas, including Modern Work, Microsoft 365, Teams, Copilot, Defender, Sentinel, Entra, Purview, Azure infrastructure, migration, modernization, data platforms, Azure AI, and the Copilot ecosystem.
• Build repeatable solution motions for migration, modernization, AI adoption, security transformation, and managed services.
• Develop go-to-market messaging, campaign themes, talk tracks, seller enablement content, and strategic positioning.
• Translate Microsoft solution priorities into practical field motions.
  
  

Presales and Customer Engagement

• Lead strategic presales calls, workshops, and executive discussions with enterprise and mid-market customers.
• Shape solution direction, business cases, and Statements of Work tied to Microsoft cloud adoption.
• Position value-based outcomes such as cost optimization, security posture improvement, cloud modernization, AI transformation, and recurring managed services.
• Support account teams with licensing strategy, funding alignment, partner selection, and commercial positioning.
• Act as an escalation point for complex Microsoft opportunities requiring cross-functional coordination.
  
  

Microsoft Funding and Incentive Navigation

• Identify, align, and secure Microsoft funding programs, including ECIF, Co-op, Azure credits, CSP incentives, and Azure Accelerate, for customer engagements.
• Work directly with Microsoft stakeholders to nominate opportunities and unlock funding.
• Build funding-led deal strategies that reduce customer friction and accelerate sales cycles.
• Align Statements of Work, milestones, and engagement scope to Microsoft funding eligibility requirements.
• Track funding usage, governance, proof of execution, and performance against Microsoft targets.
• Establish repeatable internal processes for determining which funding vehicles can be combined and which cannot.
  
  

Partner Program and Incentive Optimization

• Ensure optimal use of CSP, Partner Center, Microsoft Commerce Incentives, and related co-sell and attribution structures.
• Drive correct attribution models, including CPOR, DPOR, and PAL, to maximize incentive eligibility, designation progress, and partner benefits.
• Track Microsoft incentive performance across Azure consumption, Microsoft 365 growth, Copilot adoption, Co-op usage, and program compliance.
• Maintain deep fluency in Microsoft Solutions Partner designations, advanced specializations, solution play eligibility, and Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program benefits.
• Help the business package opportunities so they qualify for multiple aligned motions without violating program rules.
  
  

Financial Reporting and Business Operations

• Own financial reporting and operational visibility for all Microsoft business.
• Report on bookings, renewals, pipeline, Azure Consumed Revenue, Microsoft 365 attach, Copilot adoption, funding secured, incentive yield, and margin performance.
• Create executive-ready scorecards for Microsoft reseller, services, and incentive performance.
• Monitor profitability of Microsoft business across licensing, services, partner fees, and incentive recovery.
  
  

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Collaborate with delivery, cloud engineering, operations, and marketing teams to ensure execution continuity.
• Enable internal sales and technical teams on Microsoft programs, incentives, go-to-market priorities, and funding plays.
• Create feedback loops to improve packaged offerings, Statement of Work quality, nomination readiness, and seller motions.
• Act as the connective tissue between sales, finance, partner operations, Microsoft field teams, and delivery.
• Cultivate and manage a network of Microsoft delivery partners.
  
  

Requirements

• 7 to 12 years of experience in the Microsoft ecosystem, including CSP, systems integrator, managed service provider, distributor, or Microsoft partner-led motions.
• Deep expertise in Microsoft 365 and Security, Azure IaaS, PaaS and AI, CSP and NCE licensing models, Microsoft incentives, Partner Center, and co-sell motions.
• Demonstrated experience leading customer-facing presales engagements and executive-level discussions.
• Strong knowledge of Microsoft partner economics, including rebates, growth accelerators, Co-op, and attribution.
• Strong operational discipline with the ability to own reporting, governance, and business reviews.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, especially in creating go-to-market messaging, internal enablement, and executive-ready strategy content.
• Ability to manage Microsoft relationships, customer opportunities, funding processes, incentive programs, and business reporting across multiple priorities.
  
  

Preferred Qualifications

• Former Microsoft employee or similar background in a Microsoft-facing channel role, such as Partner Development Manager, Partner Technology Strategist, or an equivalent partner growth role.
• Exposure to Microsoft Solutions Partner designations and familiarity with advanced specializations.
• Experience securing ECIF or similar Microsoft funding programs.
• Familiarity with Azure AI, Copilot, Copilot Studio, Azure AI Foundry, and data platform workloads.
• Strong relationships with Microsoft field or channel teams.
• Experience in a technology integrator, reseller, or partner-led services organization.
• Strong Copilot knowledge.
  
  

Education And/or Experience

• 7 to 12 years of experience in the Microsoft ecosystem, including CSP, systems integrator, managed service provider, distributor, or Microsoft partner-led motions.
• Experience leading customer-facing strategy, presales, go-to-market, partner, funding, incentive, and operational initiatives.
• Experience working with Microsoft field sellers, Partner Development Managers, distributors, delivery partners, and internal sales and technical teams.
  
  

Technologent is an Equal Opportunity Employer -- EEO/AA Employer/Vet/Disabled -- for reasonable accommodations, please contact us at

Technologent is a Global Provider of Edge-to-Edge℠ Information Technology Solutions and Services for Fortune 1000 and SMB companies. We offer a unique blend of business practices that are aligned to solve for top CIO concerns. Our core competencies focus on data center infrastructure, business continuity, data protection, service automation and orchestration, continuous intelligence, monitoring, connectivity, collaboration and cybersecurity. These practices are supported by our professional services, digital transformation services and financial services offerings. By providing custom solutions and services designed to fit your business needs, we enable your organization to be more agile, responsive and competitive. Technologent empowers your company to ascend to the next level in IT.

Headquartered in Irvine, CA, Technologent has offices throughout the US and proudly serves clients around the world. When partnering with Technologent, organizations benefit from the highest caliber of professionals, committed to delivering exceptional business outcomes backed by unmatched service and support.