Job Description

At Microsoft our mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. In Consumer Channel Sales & Marketing (CCSM) our purpose is to create value with our partners, to market and sell innovative consumer solutions powered by Windows, Office, Surface, and Xbox. We’re positioned right at the intersection of customers, hardware partners, and channel partners. Our team works with ecosystem partners and internal business groups to drive digital excellence and e-commerce capability, as well as accelerate cloud and subscription adoption. Together, we win by delivering compelling at-home and on-the-go experiences combining intelligent edge devices and services that create Microsoft fans for life.

As a member of our team you’ll be part of growing a multi-billion-dollar business, charting new areas of innovation and impacting billions of lives around the world. You also will be a part of a culture centered on embracing a growth mindset, a theme of inspiring excellence, and encouraging teams and leaders to bring their best each day. If that appeals to you, it’s an exciting time to be here in CCSM.

We are seeking a Partner Readiness & Influence Lead for the Asia region, to develop our strategy and execution plan for building brand and product advocacy with retail stores and sellers and driving conversion with consumers in-store and online through our key retail partners. With the reach of 3000+ retail locations, 30+ partner websites and 6000+ retail sales professionals selling the Microsoft ecosystem, the Partner Readiness & Influence team has a direct impact on being the first, and sometimes only, impression of the Microsoft brand for our consumers and partners.

In this role, you will work with the teams in the Asia region (Japan, ANZ, Korea, India and SEA) to be the voice of the consumer and the face of the brand at retail, responsible for maintaining our shop-in-shop programs, building brand advocacy by educating & engaging retail sellers and impacting conversion by influencing conversion online and in-store through our live commerce, assisted and virtual sales programs. A role that once was heavily focused on in-store retail marketing has evolved to be truly omnichannel, leveraging the power of people to engage with our audiences across digital and physical channels through digital, social and in-person to build a community of powerful influencers that expand the reach and impact of the brand.
We need proven leaders with deep marketing services, partner marketing and omnichannel experience to manage all aspects of our field force and evangelism programs, including managing and driving accountability for field force execution, leading readiness initiatives, capturing and delivering local data/insights and cultivating relationships with key partners to drive execution excellence, sell-through and brand advocacy.

There is an art and science to delivering great readiness and influence programs. We are looking for someone that has a broad-based understanding of evangelism & influencer marketing, but also the data-driven mindset and expertise to optimize our retail partner coverage model and tactics to drive the highest ROI. The art is in leveraging worldwide assets to create compelling local content, engagement vehicles and build a strong community of Microsoft advocates and fans. The perfect candidate will also have a deep understanding of the science behind field execution programs – how best to deploy teams across retailers, coverage model methodology and how to maximize our partner-facing time through data and insights across markets.

Working with the Worldwide Partner Experiences Team, you will shape the sales motion and partner experience in-store and how we humanize the shopper journey online. This global team represents the hands, head and heart of how Microsoft shows up with our partners, their staff and our customers. You’ll be joining a tight-knit global community with deep expertise and a passion for transforming traditional labor programs into digital-first readiness and influencer marketing strategies. Partner Readiness & Influence Leads have an exciting opportunity to make local and global impact based on innovating and expanding this critical function.

Responsibilities

Key areas of responsibility:

Drive partner readiness initiatives, lead digital and in-store execution via our Microsoft Representative field teams teams and store staff training platforms, and earn fans by being a Champion of the Brand and the primary product storyteller for 3rd party retail store staff, also be responsible for implementation of in-store experiences and shop in shop areas across the region.

Strategic Business Planning (30%):

• Develop and execute the vision and strategic plan for how we engage & influence our partners’ sellers & customers
• Work with sub regions and agencies to build a partner coverage strategy, including partner support model, reach and tactics
• Work with the sub regional teams and agencies to digital partner activation plan that leverages online training platforms, social media and virtual experiences to create an omnichannel strategy for 3rd party field force programs
• Plan the execution and measure the performance of the Microsoft Integrated Store Experience solution ( Shop in shop)
• Optimize coverage & support based on current partner performance, cost to serve/ROI and insights.

Partner Readiness: (20%):

• Drive the selection and management of field labour and evangelism/Marketing services agencies and their deployment and performance management/measurement across the region working with the sub region teams
• Work with the Sub region Partner Readiness and Influence teams to ensure that the Microsoft representatives in each sub region reflect the best of Microsoft and bring to life the Microsoft ecosystem
• Plan, Execute, Manage & Monitor (PEMM) to ensure we’re maximizing Microsoft’s investment in third party field force teams across the region
• Monitor the efficient delivery of all execution tactics including merchandising, assisted sales, training and store relationship management.

Evangelism (20%):

• Ensure that the Asia sub regional teams leverage worldwide assets and platforms to develop local content, sales tools and resources. Support the localisation of assets when needed
• Maximise a blended learning model to build Retail Pro proficiency on in person, social and online learning. Drive completion of accreditations, training and engagements in the digital tools
• Work wth the sub Regional teams to build strategies to develop communities of engaged Retail pros and brand advocates through ongoing engagement, seeding and Champion program, recognising and rewarding the greatest advocates at a local and regional level.
• Work with the sub regional evanglism teams to develop robust editorial content that leverages people within the evanglism teams to deliver compelling content through social, video, livestreaming and in-person/virtual events

Partner excellence (10%):

• Publish execution data and insights, package trends and performance for partners around training proficiency, execution compliance and sales conversion for Asia and ensure actions gathered from Insights are delivered
• Use learnings across ther region to influence the sales motion and Sub region programs and adapt as required to maximise the consumer sales experience in the region
• Drive knowledge and expertise around retailers, tracking trends, competition and partner dynamics/environments in the region.

Partner insights (20%):

• Faciliate the use of worldwide data capture tools and platforms to collect and package insights from partners, consumers and Retail Sales staff as well as retail investments in MISX to help inform execution and enhance positioning, presence and conversion
• Contribute ROI expertise to the help shape strategies for partner investments.

Qualifications

Experiences Required: Education, Key Experiences, Skills and Knowledge:

• 10 years college degree or relative work experience
• 3-5+ years of retail, retail marketing or marketing services experience, knowledge and experience working across digital and physical channels
• 5+ years of execution management experience either with a brand or with an agency
• Good understanding and experience of the Asia retail landscape
• Strong retail relationships, in-depth understanding of retail store operations, readiness & in-store and digital selling motions
• Ability to manage and inspire large, indirect teams through training, evangelism, and targeted goals/priorities
• Operationally savvy – a master project planner and time maximizer, passionate about metrics and insights
• Proven management capability in driving exceptional business results within a positive work/health culture.

Good negotiation and data analytics skills
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.

Benefits/perks listed below may vary depending on the nature of your employment with Microsoft and the country where you work.