Director Category Management

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.

In Surface, our business goal is clear: Profitably Grow Surface Volume & Share. We accomplish this goal in two ways:

• Selling TO our retail partners: Use consumer insights, market data, store level analysis, and device sales information to evaluate our business performance and develop seasonal, launch & sustain plans to improve our partners business, win share, sell units, and drive revenue/ GM.
• Selling THRU our retail partners: Plan and execute thoughtful and impactful promotions and full-funnel-marketing plans, focused on driving purchase intent, conversion & post purchase advocacy & consumer lifetime value for Surface devices & accessories.
  

Responsibilities

Key areas of responsibility:

Drive Always on Marketing Campaigns – Sustain Marketing to drive familiarity for Surface across the family, leveraging the following tactics:

• Manage Launch Events – Leverage PR Moments we can showcase new products and tell our innovation story across the entire portfolio
• Land the Essential Features – Drive Media campaigns that focus on essential features that meet customers needs in the changing world around us that showcase the portfolio
• Drive Influencer Marketing – Leverage Influencers to tell our story in their own words reaching new audiences
• Build Brand Partnerships – Partner with consumer and software brands to create new experiences that delight fans and introduce Surface to new audiences
• Create Value-add Bundles – Create limited edition bundles pairing the best accessories and/or entertainment services for each product
• Design Qualified Traffic Campaigns/Retargeting Campaigns – Invest in sustained Paid Media, driving qualified traffic to online retail, optimize for retargeting, focus on engagement
• Execute POS Activations – Leverage brand partnerships, influencers and our marketing efforts to create unique experiential retail events in retail stores
• Build strong Co-Marketing Campaigns in partnership with Market Makers and Strategic Accounts to have a joint and consistent Surface message thru the partners lens
  

Optimize your Portfolio – “Work the portfolio” with thoughtful assortment and maximizing variants at launch and beyond by:

• Selective usages of Variants, Exclusives and Doorbusters to deliver differentiated value proposition to Consumers and retail partners throughout the product lifecycle
• Land right device & accessory assortment in partnership with our retail buyers to optimize for that partners core customers, executed to WW guidance & planogram
• Leverage existing product portfolio to create partner exclusives that gain unit commitment & win share
• Plan variants with top accounts/ markets that drive differentiation, gain unit commitment, incremental Marketing Opportunities or win share
• Ensure device & accessory forecast accuracy to 90%+ with channel fill (6-8 weeks of supply)
  

Conversion And Key Beats – Land Strong Offers Where They Count, Maximizing The Real Key Beats, Leveraging Financing, And Value Add To Drive Conversion

• Thoughtful usage of evergreen promotions like Financing, Trade-in, Student Offers and Value-added Bundles to align with marketing messaging and drive engagement
• Diversify promotional tactics while aligning promo efforts to upper funnel activities thru Device Only discounts, Soft Bundles/Value Adds, Doorbusters, Variants and Exclusives, Financing/Leasing Offers, and Trade-in Offers
• Drive sales thru various Surface Consumer Programs such as the Student Offer Program to increase share in the education market
• Measure and report on offers performance and apply data driven insights to drive investment efficiency on an ongoing basis
• Minimize promotional fatigue by optimizing promotions (Right price, Right time).
• Manage partner incentive programs (example, Volume Incentive Program) to achieve strategic business goals including revenue and volume targets, driving premium mix and reward top performing Surface partners
• Manage EOL inventory for product refreshes with target 2-4 Week of Supply at launch
  

Be a Trusted Advisor to create mutual growth for Surface partners; ensuring compliance, driving profitability, and delivering strong category insights.

• Leverage industry knowledge, channel insights, and customer understanding to drive strategic alignment, digital transformation, and land joint business objectives with partner s
• Scale relationships to develop a One Microsoft Surface strategy with Market Makers, Strategic Accounts, and Disti partners
• Capture and deliver insights based on our in-store and online execution
  

Qualifications

Experiences Required:

• 10+ years Consumer Electronics/IT ecosystem experience with a focus on devices and services sales across consumer segments
• Bachelor's Degree in Business, Marketing or related field, or related experience. MBA a plus.
  

Skills

• Understanding of consumer sales channels, as well as the retail landscape and digital marketplace
• Track record of sales delivery and execution through partner/customer obsession
• Consumer channel management with proven business operational excellence and sales results through joint business planning, landing channel strategies, account management, and performance monitoring
• Driving long-term sustainable sales growth with partners
• Strong delivery on Quarterly and Annual Account Budgeted Revenue and key scorecard metrics
• Entrepreneurial mindset and innovative thinking to identifying and executing business opportunities
• Ability to analyze sales data, draw relevant conclusions, develop accurate business plans and forecasts, and drive execution
• Understanding of budget, profit & loss, margin, investment, and operating expense accountability
• Ability to influence multiple stakeholder groups and connect with diverse audiences
• Thought leader, risk taker, and lifelong learner; Digital and social influencer in the market
• Have experience planning and executing marketing strategies and activities that drive business results while remaining true to the brand.
• Have experience translating Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) into actionable plans to accelerate or capitalize on growth opportunities
• A character that exemplifies Microsoft values including integrity, honesty, openness, personal excellence, constructive self-criticism, and mutual respect
  

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.