Cloud Solution Architect – Pod Lead

Overview

Microsoft Customer and Partner Solutions-Core (MCAPS) accelerates customer outcomes and business growth. By uniting product, engineering, marketing, sales, customer success, and partners around a common customer mission, we help customers realize value faster and turn innovation into measurable business impact. Through deep technical expertise and differentiated go-to-market execution, we win competitively, capture market share, and scale repeatable growth motions. We differentiate through value creation - delivering world-class, AI-powered customer experiences that accelerate adoption, strengthen loyalty, and create sustainable competitive advantage, driving growth that outpaces the market.

The Cloud Solution Architect (CSA) with POD Lead responsibilities is accountable for driving delivery excellence, technical quality, and operational discipline within a designated group of vendor CSAs (the POD). 

This position demands a strong technical foundation, advanced project management expertise, and proven leadership skills to ensure that every engagement delivered through the Success Program meets Microsoft’s highest standards for quality, consistency, and customer satisfaction. 

As both a technical expert and operational leader, the POD Lead oversees end-to-end delivery performance, enforces compliance with standards, and acts as a regional focal point for escalations and strategic alignment. Through hands-on engagement delivery, quality oversight, and mentoring, the POD Lead elevates both customer outcomes and team capability.

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.

Responsibilities

Technical Delivery & Quality 

• Serve as a technical authority within the POD, providing architectural guidance, best practice validation, and delivery assurance across multiple Microsoft solution areas (Azure, Security, AI, or Modern Work). 
• Conduct random delivery audits, reviewing customer deliverables for accuracy, alignment to frameworks, and technical depth. 
• Lead key customer engagements to set delivery standards, ensuring technical excellence and knowledge transfer. 
• Partner with SMEs and IP Leads to pilot new content and improve delivery methodologies based on field insights. 

Program & Project Management 

• Maintain the Rhythm of Business (ROB) cadence by facilitating bi-weekly POD syncs, monthly dashboards, and quarterly business reviews to ensure visibility, accountability, and performance tracking. 
• Monitor vendor CSA utilization, engagement compliance, and CSAT performance, applying short-term corrective actions and operational optimizations based on data insights. Drive delivery lifecycle governance, ensuring timely kickoffs, milestone tracking, deliverables submission, and closeouts fully aligned with Success Program SLAs and documentation standards. 
• Oversee workload planning and capacity management in collaboration with Resource Coordinators (RCs) and Service Delivery Managers (SDMs) to balance priorities and ensure effective allocation. 
• Track and report key performance indicators (KPIs)—including utilization, CSAT, audit coverage, compliance, and billable contribution—to assess delivery health and inform decision-making 

Leadership & People Enablement 

• Act as a territorial leader, representing the POD in regional forums, QBRs, and stakeholder reviews. 
• Mentor and enable vendor CSAs, fostering a culture of accountability, growth, and continuous improvement. 
• Partner with CSAMs, TZ Leads, and SDMs to ensure engagement readiness, operational compliance, and business alignment. 
• Promote knowledge sharing and collaboration across PODs and solution areas, driving operational maturity. 
• Proactively identify systemic issues or delivery risks and collaborate with leadership to implement corrective actions. 

Innovation & IP Contribution 

• Provide structured feedback loops to IP Leads and central teams to improve delivery IP and automation opportunities. 
• Participate in pilot programs and testing of new Success Program engagements or frameworks. 
• Champion innovation by bringing field learnings, best practices, and process improvement ideas back into the global community.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, Business, Liberal Arts, or related field AND 4+ years experience in cloud/infrastructure technologies, information technology (IT) consulting/support, systems administration, network operations, software development/support, technology solutions, practice development, architecture, and/or consulting OR equivalent experience

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, Business, Liberal Arts, or related field AND 8+ years experience in cloud/infrastructure technologies, information technology (IT) consulting/support, systems administration, network operations, software development/support, technology solutions, practice development, architecture, and/or consulting OR Master's Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, Business, Liberal Arts, or related field AND 6+ years experience in cloud/infrastructure technologies, technology solutions, practice development, architecture, and/or consulting OR equivalent experience.
• 4+ years experience working in a customer-facing role (e.g., internal and/or external).
• 4+ years experience working on technical projects.
• Technical Certification in Cloud (e.g., Azure, Amazon Web Services, Google, security certifications).

This position will be open for a minimum of 5 days, with applications accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.

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Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran or military status, race, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance with religious accommodations and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about requesting accommodations.