Director, IMAPS (702546 - External)

Director, IMAPS Research

Job Title: Director
Location: WA - Redmond
Product: Global Advertising
Travel Required: Yes/ 20-25%
Division: Central Marketing Group

This is an incredible opportunity for a senior leader experienced in driving media measurement and learning, influencing global marketing strategies, and driving outcomes for our multi-billion dollar marketing campaigns. If you’re a strategic leader with a passion for media research, and the energy, creativity and cross-functional skills to help shape Microsoft’s global advertising strategy, then this could be the ideal role for you!

Responsibilities:
In the coming year Microsoft will spend more marcom money, executing global ad campaigns than we have ever done in our history. The story of “why Microsoft” is more important than ever given the global economic climate and ongoing competitive pressures. This leadership role provides an incredible opportunity for a world class media research consultant and marketing strategist.
This broad, strategy-setting role will be responsible for Microsoft’s Integrated Marcom Analysis and Planning team (IMAPS). The person in this role will lead a team that defines how Microsoft measures integrated campaign performance across different media (paid, earned and owned) audiences (IT Professionals, Consumers, Business Decision Makers), and end actions (competitive momentum, perception change, online engagement, purchase). This person should drive campaign measurement and learning agendas that provide accurate, near-real-time updates on different measures of campaign performance, with the time and insight necessary to affect change while the campaign is running. Successful execution requires strong conceptual thinking skills, a focus on operational excellence, and effective executive communication capabilities.
Beyond measuring the success of individual campaigns, this person will lead cross-campaign marcom learning-what works, what doesn’t, and how we need to change our approach to marcom execution across the company. This requires deep, ongoing partnerships with executive leaders across all major product groups, and across several marketing disciplines: global advertising, media planning, PR, operations, and brand strategy.
This role provides the opportunity to showcase deep strategic thinking skills and involves leading and managing cross-group v-teams with representatives from the business groups, central marketing group, and segments.

Experience
Candidates should have executive experience along with 10 years in brand and media research on the corporate and/or agency side. Business research experience is essential.

BS/BA required; MBA/Master’s degree preferred. This position has frequent contact with senior Microsoft executive management.

Keys to success include:
• Experience in developing and maintaining marketing research agendas
Deep expertise in media research (audience understanding, sizing & targeting, brand building, marketing mix modeling, integrated campaign measurement)
In-depth experience in building research programs across multiple marcom channels and customer touchpoints
Demonstrated strength managing virtual teams and being influential in a matrix-management environment
Ability to build strong collaborative relationships with a diverse range of partners
Able to assess complex issues, cultivate customer insights and influence outcomes
Ability to assimilate business group strategy and objectives and develop research programs that support business goals
Strong interpersonal, negotiation, and conflict-management skills