Partner Solution Architect

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The App Innovation focused Partner Solution Architect (PSA) within the GPS UK Independent Software Vendor (ISV) team gathers customer/partner insights, such as feedback around technical preferences, environments, business needs, and leverages these insights and existing plans to map solutions with customer/partner business outcomes. The focus of the architectural work is around AI solutions, features, and products across all aspects of the tech stack. The role leverages cutting-edge technologies and approaches such as Azure, OpenAI, LLMOps, and cloud-native solutions to drive innovation and optimize performance. The architect designs and supports on the implementation of scalable, secure, and high-performance applications using a range of technologies. They also utilize modern application development methodologies to ensure the solutions are robust and efficient.

They identify and begin developing impactful relationships with internal teams and customer and partner technical specialists during initial preparation and ramp-up stages. Contributes to customer satisfaction by providing a positive customer/partner experience. Independently identifies issues and advises customers/partners to operate and optimize performance in accordance with Microsoft best practices. Understands the competitor's architecture solutions and identifies Microsoft's strengths over competitive solutions to demonstrate Microsoft's value to customers/partners. Supports research projects and contributes to scoping surveys for customers/partners to assess potential intellectual property (IP) needs or process changes. Shares ideas, insights, and technical input with virtual team members using a working knowledge of specific Microsoft architectures and other relevant products.

The ISV team within the Global Partner Solutions (GPS) team works with UK software makers to plan and build innovative solutions that meet custom demands – focused on AI design wins, Copilot and Marketplace opportunities. The GPS team is a sales organization accountable for the commercial partner business at Microsoft, and the mission is to build and sell Microsoft Cloud applications, services and devices with partners, empowering people, and organizations to achieve more. Join our team as an ISV Partner Solution Architect and play a pivotal role in shaping the future of digital transformation for our partners. By leveraging your strategic mindset, technical expertise, and persuasive communication skills, you will drive our partners' success and unlock new possibilities in the ever-evolving world of technology.

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 (RQs)

• Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, Business, or related field AND 2+ years experience in cloud/infrastructure technologies, information technology (IT) consulting/support, systems administration, network operations, software development/support, technology solutions, practice development, architecture, and/or consulting
  • OR equivalent experience.

Preferred Qualifications (PQs)

• Knowledge of the Microsoft App Innovation technologies and wider tech platform, project management, technical sales, and technical account management.
• Experience of app and web development, developer experience and DevOps/MLOps/LLMOps.
• Experience with Active Directory/Entra, RBAC, Service Principals, and app registration
• UI experience in the context of chat and agent UX
• Inclusive and collaborative approach to driving teamwork and cross-team alignment.
• Problem-solving mentality, leveraging internal and/or external resources, conflict resolution, and follow-through with partners.

Technical Leadership

• Supports research projects and contributes to scoping surveys for customers/partners to assess potential intellectual property (IP) needs or process changes around infrastructure, AI, DevOps, LLMOps, etc. Supports identification of opportunities for IP reuse and consumption acceleration. Contributes to IP creation and updates by identifying gaps through delivery and communicating those gaps to others (e.g., Leadership, managed intellectual property, Design, and Governance).
• Leverages development opportunities (e.g., mentorships, role-based resources, trainings, events) to learn new technologies and services as advised by leadership team/manager.
• Shares ideas, insights, and technical input with virtual team members using a working knowledge of specific Microsoft architectures and other relevant products. Participates in internal and external technical community events (e.g., conferences, seminars, technical meetups, Webcasts, blogs, hackathons) and shares learnings with the internal team.

Business Impact

• Leverages knowledge of the products, services, and value propositions of Microsoft and its competitors in customer/partner conversations to assess customer/partner needs and independently identify growth opportunities. Leverages an existing architecture approach or reference architecture to propose a solution or achieve Microsoft's Customer Promise. Identifies opportunities to expand or accelerate consumption (e.g., cloud and support). Participates in discussions around architecture design, resiliency reviews, and technical optimization that result in production deployment application and increase customer/partner usage and consumption. Independently consults on technical solution design, development, and deployment and supports the customer/partner throughout implementation to achieve value outcomes and Microsoft's Customer Promise.
• Drives customer/partner relationships to anticipate, identify, escalate, and work to resolve technical blockers to accelerate consumption and solution implementations (e.g., by application of technical capabilities). Routes non-technical issues for removal by the appropriate party. Applies broad business and technical knowledge across various architecture or other Microsoft solutions to meet business and information technology (IT) requirements and resolve identified technical constraints. Shapes and enhances customers' requirements.

Customer Centricity

• Actively listens and respectfully challenges customers/partners when going in the wrong direction, presents insights and alternatives, and takes action appropriately.
• Contributes to customer satisfaction by providing a positive customer/partner experience. Demonstrates an understanding of customer/partner conditions of success. Identifies dissatisfied customers and builds remedial actions (e.g., post-mortem reviews).
• Gathers customer/partner insights (e.g., feedback around technical preferences, environments, business needs, competitive landscape), and maps architecture and digital transformation solutions to customer/partner business outcomes. Acts as the voice of the customer (VOC)/partner by driving new feedback, insights, and resources across internal teams to add and prioritize. Represents the customer/partner to internal teams (e.g., Engineering) to shape products and services by providing insights across the territory. Advocates for the customer/partner at all opportunities and shares customer success stories with the wider internal team.