Senior Business Development Manager - Azure Dedicated & Networking

Lead strategic partnerships and initiatives for Azure Networking within Microsoft’s Azure Core & Infrastructure Business Development team.

Responsibilities

• Build and maintain a comprehensive view of the cloud networking ecosystem, including hyperscale cloud providers, network technology vendors, carriers, colocation and interconnection providers, silicon and optical suppliers, network security companies, observability platforms, content-delivery providers, and emerging infrastructure start-ups.
• Develop partnership strategies to address product gaps, accelerate engineering roadmaps, improve cost or capacity, expand Azure’s global reach, and create differentiated customer value.
• Partner with Azure Networking product and engineering leaders to assess build, buy, partner, and invest options for priority initiatives.
• Create business and technical value propositions based on Microsoft, partner, and customer needs, and secure stakeholder alignment for recommended opportunities.
• Identify opportunities across Azure Networking scenarios, including network foundations, hybrid and multicloud connectivity, application delivery, network monitoring and management, container networking, AI infrastructure networking, and physical and software-defined network platforms.
• Use customer signals, market data, industry analysis, financial analysis, and technical diligence to prioritize opportunities and recommend partners.
• Benchmark Azure’s value proposition against hyperscale and specialized competitors, and translate market insights into actionable partnership and product guidance.
• Develop and manage a high-quality opportunity pipeline, balancing near-term product-gap deals with longer-term strategic initiatives.
• Synthesize complex technical, commercial, and market information into decision-ready materials for senior executives.
• Drive partnership strategy for high-priority Azure Networking initiatives, including secure cross-cloud connectivity, networking for distributed AI infrastructure, high-performance network fabrics, intelligent network operations, observability, container networking, and application-delivery capabilities.
• Identify external technologies that can improve GPU utilization, network performance, reliability, security, deployment velocity, or cost efficiency for AI and cloud workloads.
• Evaluate partnerships that expand Azure networking capabilities across customer datacenters, other clouds, edge locations, third-party infrastructure, and global connectivity ecosystems.
• Work with engineering to define technical requirements, integration models, support boundaries, service-level expectations, and productization plans.
• Develop scalable business models and ecosystem approaches rather than one-off arrangements.
• Lead complex deal opportunities through all stages, including Strategic Approval, Approval to Negotiate, and Final Go/No-Go.
• Represent Microsoft in senior-level partner interactions and lead negotiations covering technical integration, commercial models, intellectual property, support obligations, service levels, security, privacy, compliance, capacity, and go-to-market commitments.
• Design durable deal structures aligning partner incentives with Azure product adoption, engineering delivery, reliability, customer value, and long-term platform strategy.
• Lead cross-functional deal teams spanning product, engineering, finance, CELA, security, privacy, operations, marketing, sales, and executive leadership.
• Anticipate negotiation risks and prepare fallback positions, escalation paths, and alternative solutions that protect Microsoft while preserving strategic value.
• Drive negotiations to timely closure while maintaining decision quality, documentation standards, and stakeholder alignment.
• Maintain workback plans, decision logs, milestones, dependencies, risk registers, and executive communications for strategic initiatives and deals.
• Establish post-signature governance to ensure agreements translate into engineering delivery, product integration, launch readiness, adoption, and measurable business outcomes.
• Track partner performance against contractual, technical, operational, and commercial commitments; identify execution risks early and coordinate cross-functional resolution of blockers.
• Provide portfolio reporting on opportunity stage, strategic value, financial impact, dependencies, risks, and next steps.
• Embody Microsoft’s culture and values; operate with integrity, accountability, a growth mindset, and inclusive collaboration.
• Contribute to the broader Azure Core & Infrastructure Business Development operating model, portfolio priorities, and team development.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree in Business, Liberal Arts, Sciences, or related field AND 5+ years relevant work experience (e.g., investment banking, consulting, finance, marketing, corporate strategy, sales, venture capital, legal, business development, product management, project management, software development, or related field) OR equivalent experience.

Benefits

• Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation.

Additional or Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Business, Liberal Arts, Sciences, or related field AND 7+ years relevant work experience (e.g., investment banking, consulting, finance, marketing, corporate strategy, sales, venture capital, legal, business development, product management, project management, software development, or related field) OR Master’s/Advanced Degree in Business, Sciences, or related field AND 5+ years relevant work experience (e.g., investment banking, consulting, finance, marketing, corporate strategy, sales, venture capital, legal, business development, product management, project management, software development, or related field).
• Experience developing and executing strategic partnerships, complex commercial agreements, or cross-company initiatives in the technology industry.
• Working knowledge of cloud infrastructure and networking concepts, such as virtual networks, routing, private connectivity, hybrid networking, load balancing, application delivery, network security, observability, software-defined networking, or datacenter networking.

Location: Redmond, WA (onsite)

Salary: USD 106,400 - 203,600 per year