Area Support Lead

With more than 45,000 employees and partners worldwide, the Customer Experience and Success (CE&S) organization is on a mission to empower customers to accelerate business value through differentiated customer experiences that leverage Microsoft's products and services, ignited by our people and culture. We drive cross-company alignment and execution, ensuring that we consistently exceed customers' expectations in every interaction, whether in-product, digital, or human-centered. CE&S is responsible for all up services across the company, including consulting, customer success, and support across Microsoft's portfolio of solutions and products. Join CE&S and help us accelerate AI transformation for our customers and the world.

Are you a Leader who likes to engage CxOs during crisis situations? Do you have mastery in leading during ambiguous situations? Can you influence beyond boundaries to drive complex Customer outcomes? Does Executive communications come naturally to you.

As the Area Support Leader (ASL) you are responsible for Area crisis response, acting on behalf of Microsoft Executives in crisis events, key customer escalation management, and ensuring customer confidence in Microsoft support and crisis response. You will liaise and triage between the customers and Senior Leaders across organizations within Microsoft, serving as the Area's trusted advisor and partner, consulting with relevant teams and customers to drive systemic improvement in customer health and resiliency.

The ASL role is designed to strengthen resiliency for customers and the Area overall. As such, the ASL role requires technical ability, understanding of operational health, and the ability to manage relationships effectively when there is ambiguity, uncertainty, and pressure. The ASL should be able to converse with technical leaders in engineering and the CSA community in the CSU and be able to review components during and post customer events to avoid repeat. The ASL should exhibit executive maturity, executive presence (confidence, communications, control), impact and influence, and leadership in ambiguity.

This role is flexible in that you can work up to 100% from home.

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
Crisis Management:

Crisis Response: The ASL is responsible for coordinating crisis response during high impact service incidents. They are the Incident Commander within their Area Crisis Coordination Group (CCG), triaging and coordinating between stakeholders, reducing confusion, and instilling confidence during and after a crisis.

Crisis Readiness: The ASL role requires a deep understanding of Microsoft Crisis Response processes and resources, as well as completion of Crisis Response and Field Drills training content. The ASL will need to execute on various tasks throughout the crisis lifecycle, including readiness, response, and recovery

Consulting and Advising: In preparation for any future crisis, the ASL also serves as the Area's trusted advisor and partner, consulting with relevant v-teams, and customers to drive systemic improvement in customer health and resiliency

Operational Health Improvement: The ASL is responsible for driving operational health improvement plans for selected customers and owning actions to prevent recurrence.

Key Customer Escalation Management
The ASL is responsible for managing Area executive escalations and restoring confidence with key customers. They participate in Root Cause Analysis (RCA) and Post Incident Reviews (PIR) for escalated events to fully understand the cause and the strategy to prevent recurrence and improve customer health and readiness. They may also preside over confidence engagements as the delegate for Microsoft executives, talking to the customer about why an issue occurred and how to prevent it from recurring.

The ASL also provides consultative support for select customers in the same way that CE&S leadership does through their account sponsorship, including driving systemic improvement in services health for key customers in their Area. They work with the customer's account teams to ensure the customer's architecture is as resilient as possible to minimize business impact.

Systemic Issue Management
The ASL is responsible for managing systemic issues that are creating dissatisfaction for customers. They work to ensure that systemic issues are captured, reported, and communicated. The ASL is uniquely positioned to observe the impact of systemic issues on key customers and to ensure that feedback is directed to the appropriate resources for management.

The ASL will consult with relevant v-teams and customers to identify opportunities for process improvement and incorporate automation where necessary to increase efficiency and effectiveness of processes. They also oversee end-to-end governance across business functions and maintain documentation for flow, controls, underlying systems, and requirements as needed

How
Leadership in ambiguity: The ASL should be able to demonstrate leadership in ambiguous situations, with the ability to make decisions and approach challenging situations with a clear strategy. They should be able to problem-solve and collaborate with colleagues and be able to adapt to changing circumstances.

Executive presence: The ASL should have a strong executive presence, with confidence, effective communication skills, and the ability to maintain control in challenging situations. They should be able to make a good impression and communicate confidence, while also seeking feedback and demonstrating strategic thinking.

Relationship management: The ASL should have strong relationship management skills, with the ability to manage relationships effectively when there is ambiguity, uncertainty, and pressure. They should be able to build trust with stakeholders and pivot reactive support conversations into strategic conversations.

Impact and influence: The ASL should be able to create influence strategies that cut across organizational boundaries to achieve broad business outcomes. They should be able to secure strategic alliances or partnerships to gain widespread support and enlist commitment by involving others early and often.

Executive maturity: The ASL should exhibit executive maturity, with the ability to manage themselves and their relationships effectively when there is ambiguity, uncertainty, and pressure. They should be able to provide a "voice of reason" in chaotic situations or offer much-needed perspective in situations that are difficult or contentious, while remaining open to learning from others.

Technical ability: The ASL should have a strong technical background and be able to understand and communicate technical concepts effectively. They should be able to converse with technical leaders in engineering and the CSA community in the CSU and be able to review components during and post-crisis scenarios to avoid repeat.

Understanding of operational health: The ASL should have a deep understanding of operational health, both internally in the Microsoft ATU, and at the customer level. This will be key to unpicking crisis scenarios and driving systemic improvement in customer health and resiliency.

Qualifications
Required Qualifications:

• 11+ years technology industry, customer service, or related experience
• OR Bachelor's Degree in technology, business, or related field AND 8+ years technology industry, customer service, or related experience
• OR Master's Degree in technology, business, or related field AND 6+ years technology industry, customer service or related experience
• OR equivalent experience

Preferred Qualifications
Cloud Technology Certification (minimum of Azure Fundamentals. M365 Fundamentals).

• 16+ years technology industry, customer service, or related experience
• OR Bachelor's Degree in technology, business, or related field AND 13+ years technology industry, customer service, or related experience
• OR Master's Degree in technology, business, or related field AND 10+ years technology industry, customer service, or related experience
• OR equivalent experience

Project or program management experience.

Experience working with Microsoft products and services.

Recommended higher certification levels such as Level 200 and 300 certifications in Microsoft Cloud Technologies.

Reactive Support Experience Preferred
Knowledge and understanding of Microsoft Unified Deal Construction preferred

Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. Consistent with applicable law, 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 and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about requesting accommodations.