Pursuit Account Director - EMEA AI Natives

Overview Microsoft believes that startups, scale-ups, and unicorns have the potential to change the world. These organizations are transforming industries including e-commerce, fintech, social media, gaming, and more, creating breakthrough applications and new business models that are changing the way we live and work. With the Microsoft Cloud, we aspire to empower high-growth companies to innovate and scale on our platform and grow through Microsoft's ecosystem of customers, developers, partners, and investors. We are looking for a bold, customer-focused, and strategic sales leader to join us as a Pursuit Account Director. This is a unique opportunity to identify and develop relationships with some of the most promising emerging companies in the UK and lead strategic cloud and AI pursuits that drive customer impact, competitive share, and growth for the Microsoft Azure & AI platform. The Pursuit Account Director operates at the leading edge of Microsoft's business, focusing on emerging high-growth startups, scale-ups, and unicorns in the UK that are transforming industries. The environment is entrepreneurial, fast-moving, and highly collaborative, providing an opportunity to work with some of the most innovative companies and leaders in the market. In this role, you will lead and orchestrate the One Microsoft team to drive ambitious growth and strategic wins with startups and unicorns in the UK. You will partner closely with teams across the Digital Natives organization, Engineering, Marketing, Finance, Legal, Business Desk, and other groups across Microsoft to build long-term strategic partnerships and accelerate customers' growth on the Microsoft Cloud. 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 Identify and develop high-potential customers Identify and prioritize high-potential startups, scale-ups, and unicorns based on defined market and business criteria. Assess relevant external and internal insights to understand customer potential, growth trajectory, business opportunity, competitive position, and Microsoft relationship. Build and maintain a strong pipeline of emerging organizations with the potential to scale significantly on the Microsoft Cloud. Lead strategic pursuits and partnerships Engage senior customer stakeholders to understand their strategy, growth ambitions, technology priorities, and business challenges. Determine the right engagement model for each opportunity, from initial Azure projects through broader strategic partnerships and workload commitments. Develop strategic partnerships at the right stage of a customer's growth to help accelerate innovation and create new solutions. Envision new industry scenarios and business models together with customers, connecting their strategy with the capabilities of Microsoft Cloud and AI. Orchestrate One Microsoft Lead and orchestrate virtual teams across Microsoft to develop and execute comprehensive pursuit and account strategies. Drive technical alignment across relevant solution and engineering teams to ensure Microsoft brings the right capabilities and expertise to each customer opportunity. Partner across Engineering, Marketing, Finance, Legal, Business Desk, and other internal stakeholders to remove barriers and accelerate strategic opportunities. Create clarity around customer priorities, competitive dynamics, account strategy, and execution across the extended team. Be the customer advocate Develop and oversee account plans that align customer outcomes with Microsoft business objectives. Build trusted relationships with senior executives, founders, and key decision-makers. Advocate for customers internally and help ensure their strategic needs and requests are understood and addressed across Microsoft. Maintain a deep understanding of customers' businesses, industries, competitive environments, and growth strategies. Deliver sales excellence Lead complex, high-value cloud and AI pursuits from opportunity development through execution. Consistently drive growth in revenue, cloud consumption, and market share through disciplined sales execution. Navigate complex commercial, technical, and competitive environments while maintaining a strong focus on long-term customer value. Bring together Microsoft resources and capabilities to develop differentiated propositions that help customers innovate and scale. Qualifications Required Qualifications * Proven experience working within a relevant industry, such as Digital Natives, SaaS, startups, or scale-ups, and/or experience driving digital transformation. Bachelor's Degree in Business, Technology, or a related field AND experience working in a relevant industry and/or driving digital transformation; OR Master's Degree in Business Administration AND experience working in a relevant industry and/or driving digital transformation; OR equivalent experience. Demonstrated track record of consistently delivering results in account management, sales, business development, or equivalent customer-facing roles. Experience in, or a strong understanding of, business development within the Digital Native, startup, and scale-up ecosystem, including engaging high-growth organizations. Ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment and engage with multiple stakeholders to progress complex business opportunities. Account Management IC6 - The typical base pay range for this role across United Kingdom is £ 120,100.00 - £ 202,000.00 per year. Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here: https://careers.microsoft.com/v2/global/en/corporate-pay/united-kingdom-corporate-pay.html This position will be open for a minimum of 5 days, with applications accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled. * 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.