Strategic Account Technology Strategist

The Strategic Account Technology Strategist is the leader responsible for designing the strategy and technology architecture to drive digitalization and innovation of our Retail and Consumer Goods customers and acts as the Innovation and DT Thought Leader. With deep business understanding, broad technology skills and industry knowledge; the ATS starts with Innovation/ DT agenda of our Retail and Consumer Goods customers, connects business/industry priorities to technology strategy and develops value propositions which align with our customer’s organizational business strategies, leveraging the rich portfolio of Microsoft and its partner ecosystem. **Key areas of responsibility**: - ** Digital Transformation & Innovation Strategy**:Understand customer's business goals and the trends, Microsoft solution areas and partner solutions to build the 3 Horizon roadmap to enable customer’s DT/Innovation agenda. Expand Microsoft relationships with customers into DT partnerships - ** Technology Thought Leadership**:Reimagine the role of technology as a business and innovation partner to drive DT agenda of our Retail and Consumers Goods customers, help them understand the impact of emerging and strategic technologies and inspire & influence them for Microsoft technologies to become the main enabler of business innovation - ** Industry & Business Architecture**:Create long-term strategy which links business, technology, and industry needs of our Retail and Consumers Goods customers to enable their business and transformation strategy, based upon customer’s organization, business, technology and industry knowledge - ** Technology Sales**:Orchestrate technology sales activities to drive the digital transformation vision and roadmap of our Retail and Consumers Goods costumers with Microsoft technologies. Plan and orchestrate the solution proposal and coordinate technology sales teams to provide the right solution to the customer - ** Account Leadership**:Change Agent internally and externally to inspire and ideate about possibilities new technologies provide to drive business strategy and priorities of our customers. Own and Strengthen the relations with C-level technology, innovation executives and technology decision makers **Responsibilities**: Customer and Industry Insights - Generates business insights based on knowledge of the customer's technology landscape, engagement experience, and proactive collaboration with the customer, internal teams, and industry, to conduct forecasting and develop recommendations for managing accounts. Challenges customers to consider alternative business models to meet business and market needs, and adapts plans to insights. - Orchestrates teams to gather information, collaborate on performance markers, and identify potential risks in customer accounts. Brings in business and industry insights to address the broader business challenges for the customer and deliver solutions. - Applies expertise in customer businesses and technology platforms and maturity to build digital transformation (DT) strategy with the customer that is aligned to business outcomes. Challenges customers’ assumptions with constructive dialogue about their business and technology. Helps to create a board-ready message (e.g., sustainability) for customers' compliance alignment. Trusted Advisor - Acts as the "virtual Chief Technical Officer (CTO)/Chief Digital Officer (CDO)" and supplements existing technical decision maker (TDM) and/or business decision maker (BDM) relationships with additional connections at the Chief Information Officer (CIO) or CIO direct-report level by researching organization charts, identifying and contacting TDMs/BDMs, and beginning to advise on solutions and position Microsoft capabilities to best meet the customer's needs. Leverages account information technology (IT), industry, and business strategy to provide coaching to internal Microsoft teams on customer technology profiles and strategies. Provides technical guidance to internal teams to position technology while using customer landscape knowledge. - Proactively builds and maintains a strong knowledge of Microsoft's product landscape, solutions, and strategy in the industry of assigned accounts, as well as of the business priorities and potential threats the customers face. Leverages leaders from the partner ecosystem to bridge process gaps. Coordinates with internal industry experts (e.g., industry - solutions executives) to gather industry data of assigned accounts and improve planning. Demonstrates a strong understanding of the customers' business strategy and the direction of the industry. - Acts as the voice of the customer, industry, and internal advocate by providing insights, feedback, and challenges from the customer to internal teams (e.g., product groups, engineers). Technology Strategy Formulation - Provides analysis of overall customer needs, outcomes, and potential blockers. Leverages understanding of business str