Product Manager - 705229

Do you want to have a measurable impact on education around the world? Do you want to help shape the future of Microsoft’s investments in education and how we create a real difference? Are you passionate about helping education leaders, influencers and decision makers across both K-12 and Higher Education improve their education systems and infuse technology into powerful teaching and learning practices while helping establish Microsoft as an education partner and thought leader around the world?
This Education Leaders Execution Capacity Building role will focus on building integrated highly creative strategies and plans for engaging Education Leaders, through aligned messaging and engagement strategies, subsidiary optimization and world class execution. Key to the success of this role will be the ability to understand how to lead execution, improving Education Leaders NFAV, promoting consistency in landing Top Stories and supporting corporate leaders and subsidiaries to engage their Ministries of Education and other Education Leaders through Education Alliance Agreements, including a strong focus on driving and landing National Academic PC deals in countries who are ready to engage in this approach. Key to success is the ability to work across other audience efforts and bring together disparate v-teams through an Education Alliance approach to support effective area and subsidiary execution.

Key responsibilities include:
• Execution Capacity Leadership – leading, coaching and inspiring areas and subsidiaries in an aligned more powerful approach to engaging and enabling education leaders worldwide with Microsoft’s education vision, partnerships, programs and solutions. This includes a solid plan to develop, manage, scale, measure and message the Education Leaders strategy and plans with the field. Example: Leading the Education Leaders Areas Field Council to support scaling institution, educator and student programs
• Strategic Marketing – promote and drive the education vision, messaging, execution plans, measurement and align resourcing to build excitement around the Education Leaders Audience in the field, growing influence with Citizenship, LSE and Community Affairs to have a one Microsoft approach towards Education priorities with government elites. You will also represent the Education Leaders Audience in critical stakeholder meetings across the company and with outside organizations. Examples: ROB, QBR, Exec Reviews
• Field Engagement and Readiness – work with the Education Area and Subsidiary Leads, and Education Leaders Area and Subsidiary Leads in an Education Alliance approach to align resources and execution for this and future fiscal years to land Education Leaders planning built into Education Alliance plans locally. Build a strong community that empowers leaders to help each other and scale best practices that are proven to be successful. Examples: Leadership for Education Vision tour and our work with Education Impact.
• Creative Partnering – To create interesting and effective programs, offers and engagement opportunities for Education Leaders, it will require partnering with organizations whose reputation, accreditation and existing education engagement is high profile and valuable to the community. Additionally, working with government and other organizations that influence international, national and state education standards, policy, vision, strategies and investments, and other influencers will be strategic. Examples: Managing the CISCO/Intel/Microsoft partnership and ensuring it lands in the field with maximum impact and ROI.

The ideal candidate for this position must also exhibit the following:
• The ability to manage executive relationships, high level field engagements and strategic leadership across company decision makers
• Successful record of driving impact and influence in cross team and cross functional environments, as well as in the field at subsidiary and area levels
• Strength in relationship management and core communications
• Ability to influence without authority and drive a shared vision amongst several stakeholders
• Aptitude to build strategic plans, tactical execution and understanding how to make necessary course corrections to build long term and short term success
• A true commitment to the Education Leaders/Strategic Partnerships/Customer Experience
• Executive Maturity

The ideal candidate will have at minimum:
• An undergraduate degree
• 10+ years of marketing and/or program management experience, with significant education, public and/or education policy and field experience
• Be a creative strategic thinker with the ability to ensure (and a passion for) strong cross-group collaboration and great tactical execution
• A demonstrated knowledge of sales and marketing organizations and processes, and demonstrated achievements in orchestrating effective field readiness and program execution.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to write, speak and present information effectively and persuasively through various communications channels