Are you passionate about outmaneuvering the competition in the fast-paced world of AI-driven business solutions? As the Director, AI Applications and Agents – Competitive Strategy for our AI Apps & Agents GTM team, you will be the architect of our competitive AI strategy, ensuring Microsoft not only keeps pace with industry evolution but leads it. In this pivotal role, you’ll blend industry insight, strategic planning, and field strategy to ensure Microsoft wins in the era of Generative AI and agentic applications.
You will work cross-functionally to analyze how top competitors approach AI in commercial scenarios and to strengthen Microsoft’s positioning. By anticipating market trends and “skating to where the puck is going,” you will help Microsoft proactively differentiate its offerings and enable our sales teams to consistently win competitive deals.
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.

REQUIRED/MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, Marketing, Finance, Engineering, or related field AND 5+ years experience in business consulting, sales, sales operations, information technology (IT), account management, business development, marketing, IT field sales, or a related field OR equivalent experience.
• 6+ years experience in Near Term Strategy (2 years out), Management Consulting, Sales AND in go-to-market (GTM) roles. Proven track record of value selling or challenger sales in enterprise technology environments, with exposure to AI-driven solutions, modern application platforms, databases, or business intelligence tools.
• Proficient in AI and cloud services: including AI Agents, Generative AI models, AI services, machine learning concepts and modern app development frameworks. You understand how technologies like LLMs, AI orchestration, and cloud platforms play in enterprise scenarios.
• Deep understanding of enterprise sales, particularly for complex AI/cloud support offerings, and proven ability to differentiate in competitive scenarios.

Additional or preferred qualifications

• Master’s Degree in Business Administration or related field AND 5+ years of marketing, strategy, sales, sales leadership, program management, project management, business planning, consulting, banking, finance, economics, and/or partner organization experience OR Bachelor’s Degree in Business, Finance, Economics, Computer Science, or related field AND 7+ years of marketing, strategy, sales, sales leadership, program management, project management, business planning, consulting, finance, economics, and/or partner organization experience OR equivalent experience.
• Prior experience in a competitive analysis or competitive strategy role in the tech industry, especially related to cloud or AI products.
• Enterprise AI/Cloud domain knowledge. Understanding of how major cloud providers (Google, AWS) and AI companies (OpenAI, Anthropic) go to market. Experience formulating strategies to compete against these players.

Sales Strategy Enablement IC5 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $130,900 - $251,900 per year. There is a different range applicable to specific work locations, within the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area, and the base pay range for this role in those locations is USD $165,600 - $272,300 per year.
Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here: https://careers.microsoft.com/us/en/us-corporate-pay
Microsoft will accept applications for the role until August 17, 2025.
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

• Competitive Strategy & Insights – Lead Microsoft’s competitive intelligence on AI applications and autonomous agents by:
• Researching industry trends and competitors in AI to identify Microsoft’s strengths and gaps.
• Turning competitor analysis into actionable strategies and briefs for GTM improvements.
• Advising leadership with data-driven recommendations on product and market positioning.
• Market Trends & Differentiation – Anticipate AI market shifts to keep Microsoft ahead by:
• Monitoring adoption of generative and agentic AI, focusing on customer value and ROI.
• Proposing proactive differentiation, around the Azure AI, App and Agents portfolio.
• Collaborating with product marketing on messaging that addresses future industry needs.
• Competitive Intelligence Network – Build and activate field teams to collect and share competitive insights by:
• Setting up competitive signal programs and gathering field feedback.
• Coordinating with sales, marketing, and specialists for timely intelligence sharing.
• Consolidating findings into dashboards, newsletters, and updated training materials.
• Deal Strategy & Recommendations – Convert insights into strategies to win deals by:
• Creating playbooks and recommendations to outperform competitors.
• Identifying and addressing barriers to sales success, advocating for improvements.
• Measuring competitive impact and refining strategies based on market data.
• Sales Enablement & Coaching – Equip sales teams to execute strategies by:
• Running regular reviews and coaching sessions for competitive deal execution.
• Developing up-to-date training materials and objection handling guides.
• Ensuring consistent messaging and integrating competitive tactics across teams.