Senior Submarine Project Manager

at  Microsoft

Over the past years, Microsoft has made significant 1st party investments into submarine network systems around the world to help drive industry innovation and ensure our global capacity demands are met. We hold our obligations in these investments, commitments with investment partners and host nations, as well as our duties to the end user customers in the highest standards. As such, Microsoft is seeking world class talents to drive the on-going success of these long-term projects from the operational angle. Projects which are highly strategic to our overall capability as a cloud provider and AI services used by millions of consumers and business around the world. We’re looking for an experienced and courageous professional who can support, influence, and deliver network infrastructure in a fast-paced production environment—you must be agile and able to adapt to changing conditions and priorities. The successful candidate will need excellent analytical, communication, people management and collaboration skills. You will be working with people from many different teams and backgrounds requiring an open mind-set. You must be able to influence others and work cross-functionally to achieve broad goals. A proven track record of successfully managing projects, great talent and stakeholders are skillsets needed to be demonstrated resulting in measurable impact to be successful in this role.
In alignment with our Microsoft values, we are committed to cultivating an inclusive work environment for all employees to positively impact our culture every day.
The Submarine Operations Manager will be responsible for managing, normalizing, and driving steady state execution across several aspects of our subsea investment portfolio. This position will hold deep submarine projects and operations responsibilities supporting several systems.

QUALIFICATIONS

Required Qualifications

• B.S - Engineering, Communications Infrastructure Related
• Effective executive communication, organizational and presentation skills
• Executive level budgeting and strong financial acumen
• Demonstrated outstanding contracts organization skills, contractual risk and priority assessment skills and obligation evaluation acumen.
• Minimum 5+ Years’ Experience Planning, Budgeting and Executing submarine cable projects.
• Minimum 5+ Years proven experience and deep understanding of the following types of agreements in the subsea communications industry on one or several major subsea cable systems as a first party owner:
• Project implementation
• Planning
• Engineering
• O&M

• Aligning with Microsoft network investment and commercial managers bringing a system operators approach and outlook to engagements in and to the submarine consortium or joint investment community on a system-by-system basis.
• Active and key contributor at consortium/committee meetings, particularly in CCM, IPG, MWG & TWG to effectively represent the needs and interests of Microsoft.
• Responsible for ensuring submarine cable project implementation, be a part of a dynamic workforce ensuring smooth operations, maintenance and technical excellence.
• Establish partnership strategies for long term relationships with key vendors and peers including pulling parties together into submarine cable projects with negotiating ITT, JBAs / C&MAas, Supply Contracts & Non-Supply Contracts.
• Internally responsible for planning, communicating, representing, and securing the ongoing funding year over year needed to meet and exceed our obligations to the system often as the Maintenance Authority.
• Responsible for ensuring billing milestones and payment are met with predictability and ease through proper long range & detailed budgeting across all Supply and Non-Supply contracts. Heavy engagement with Microsoft Finance and Tax team
• Planning, communicating, and executing against budgets on system upgrade plans.
• Work with and across procurement organizations, planning annual purchase orders and executing contracts as needed, ensuring a predictable rhythm to this business.
• Serve as the escalation point and remediation expert for all matters related to MSFT owned Cable systems and Cable landing station infrastructure (access and related works), Network Operations (NOC) and Data Centre (DC) as needed across multiple systems. Works closely with Security, Facilities Management, External Service Providers and Vendors.
• Partner with global Microsoft Legal teams to ensure contract clarity, contract integrity, contract compliance in each country of operation or/and obligation.
• Ensure all MSFT contracted year over year obligations is clearly communicated to CO+I executive leadership, perform executive briefings on the status and health of the systems, cost reviews and the partnering relationships around the system.
• Ensures and develops internal repository and secure access and availability to information pertaining to all aspects of MSFT’s involvement in MSFT contracted subsea programs.
• Works externally representing MSFT and / or a “system” to various environmental groups and 3rd party industry committees of which we are in deep cooperative efforts to ensure the health of our systems.