Partner Development Manager

Join Microsoft’s AI Frontier Partnerships Team!

Are you ready to shape the future of Artificial Intelligence? Microsoft is seeking visionary leaders to build and grow partnerships with the world’s most innovative AI infrastructure, model, and agent providers. This is your chance to work directly with high-growth, AI-native companies that are driving the next wave of technological transformation.

What You’ll Do:

• Build a Thriving AI Partner Ecosystem: Leverage Microsoft’s cutting-edge products, platforms, and go-to-market capabilities to empower our partners and accelerate their success.
• Lead 360° Business Planning: Take ownership of end-to-end business planning for assigned AI partners, defining and driving joint success metrics across product integration, Go-to-Market (GTM) activation, and joint sales initiatives.
• Drive Impact Across Microsoft: Collaborate with teams spanning AI products, business development, marketing, startups, and enterprise customers—learning from the best and making a real difference.
• Shape the Agentic Era: Be at the forefront of technological shifts, working with companies that are redefining what’s possible with AI.

Why Join Us?

• Innovative Environment: Work with a highly motivated, energetic, and fun team committed to each other’s success and ambitious growth.
• Career Growth: Learn from industry leaders and expand your expertise across multiple domains within Microsoft and the broader AI ecosystem.
• Meaningful Work & Rewards: Make a tangible impact by building partnerships that drive the future of AI.

If you’re passionate about AI, business strategy, and building lasting partnerships, we want to hear from you!

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.     

In alignment with our Microsoft values, we are committed to cultivating an inclusive work environment for all employees to positively impact our culture every day.  

Required/minimum qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Marketing, Business Operations, Computer Science or a related field AND 8+ years' experience in partner management, sales, business development, or partner channel development in the technology industry or related experience
  • OR equivalent experience.

•  8+ years' experience in cloud partnerships, sales, SaaS, or product and technology integrations.

Other Requirements 

• Microsoft is unable to sponsor a work visa for this role due to the nature of the role’s job duties. 

Additional or preferred qualifications

• Master's Degree in Business Administration, Business Science, or an advanced degree in a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) or a related field AND 10+ years' experience in partner management, sales, business development, or partner channel development in the technology industry or related experience
  • OR equivalent experience.
• 1+ years' experience in working with AI Model companies, AI start ups
  • OR equivalent experience.  

Partner Development Management IC5 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $133,000 - $222,700 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 $170,300 - $239,800 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

Microsoft will accept applications and processes offers for these roles on an ongoing basis.

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.  We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application or the recruiting process, please send a request via the Accommodation request form.

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

Business Leader

• Build, maintain, and own a trusted-advisor relationship with C-suite leaders of complex partners to achieve strategic alignment and drive growth. Understands and aligns partners’ priorities, strategies, and goals with Microsoft’s to build mutually beneficial partner plans across technical product integrations, joint Go-to-Market (GTM) and joint business growth.
• Execute and drive action through regular partner reviews and quarterly business reviews to track plan execution, identify gaps and agree on any correction of errors.

Partner Assessment and Qualification

• Develop partner recruitment plans to recruit new partners or expand current partnerships to create a balanced portfolio, grow business, and fill market opportunities.
• Influence partners and business leaders to upsell Microsoft products and services.
• Understands the ecosystem and the various disrupters, influencers, etc., and how best to bring in potential big wins.
• Leverage understanding of the investing community and pull information and insights from them.

Performance and Impact:

• Define joint success Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and leverage all organizations within Microsoft to provide better solutions, generate broad solution awareness and faster sales cycles for partners.
• Ensure results on partner's behalf through resolution of complex and urgent escalations.
• Lead the orchestration of response to the partner to ensure timely action and resolution from internal teams.

Partner Sales and Consumption:

• Designs and creates new offer and incentive structures to the partners and provides perspective when others are drafting Go-to-Market packages.
• Oversee planning, campaign tactics, offers, and incentives. Ensure core activities are agreed upon before executing and helps to coordinate resources.
• Provide oversight to ensure Launch Excellence with sales readiness, and Go-to-Market (GTM) activities.
• Demonstrates a comprehensive understanding of Go-to-Market (GTM) programs and runs complex campaigns, and actively coaches team.

Other

• Embody our Culture  &  Values.