OverviewMicrosoft Silicon, Cloud Hardware, and Infrastructure Engineering (SCHIE) is the team behind Microsoft’s expanding Cloud Infrastructure and responsible for powering Microsoft’s “Intelligent Cloud” mission. SCHIE delivers the core infrastructure and foundational technologies for Microsoft's over 200 online businesses including Bing, MSN, Office 365, Xbox Live, Teams, OneDrive, and the Microsoft Azure platform globally with our server and data center infrastructure, security and compliance, operations, globalization, and manageability solutions. Our focus is on smart growth, high efficiency, and delivering a trusted experience to customers and partners worldwide and we are looking for engineers to help achieve that mission.
The Compute Silicon & Manufacturing Engineering (CSME) organization within SCHIE is responsible for design, development, manufacturing and packaging of Microsoft's state-of-the-art computer chips, notably the Azure Cobalt. Our solutions provide sustainable strategic advantages to Microsoft and enable our customers to achieve more.
As Microsoft's cloud business continues to grow, the ability to deploy new offerings and hardware infrastructure on time, in high volume with high quality and lowest cost is of paramount importance. To achieve this goal, the CSME organization is instrumental in defining and delivering operational measures of success for hardware manufacturing, improving the planning process, quality, delivery, scale and sustainability related to Microsoft cloud hardware. We are looking for experienced Business Operations professionals with a dedicated passion for customer focused solutions, insight and industry knowledge to envision and implement future technical solutions that will manage and optimize the Cloud infrastructure.
We are looking for a Business Manager to join the team to support our mission as a key role supporting all business-critical operations within the organization.
ResponsibilitiesThe candidate for this position will be expected and able to complete the following responsibilities:
The Business Manager will drive strategic business operations and organizational effectiveness across the CSME organization. This role partners closely with senior leaders to execute business priorities, optimize operational processes, and enable data-drive decision making across a complex, rapidly evolving environment.
Strategic Business Operations
- Serve as a trusted advisor to senior leadership, translating organizational priorities into actionable plans and measurable business outcomes.
- Lead annual and quarterly planning processes, including business reviews, organizational health assessments, staffing strategies, and execution tracking.
- Develop and implement operating rhythms that improve alignment, accountability, and transparency across teams.
Business Management & Financial Stewardship
- Drive budget planning, forecasting, headcount management, and resource allocation processes in partnership with Finance and HR teams.
- Oversee vendor management, purchase order governance, and operational spending to ensure compliance and financial accountability.
- Identify opportunities to optimize investments, improve efficiency, and maximize business impact.
Executive Communications & Leadership Support
- Create executive-ready communications, presentations, scorecards, business reviews, and strategic updates for leadership audiences.
- Synthesize complex operational, financial, and organizational data into clear insights and recommendations.
- Prepare leadership teams for key reviews, planning discussions, and executive engagements.
Cross-Functional Program Leadership
- Lead complex, high-visibility initiatives that span engineering, operations, finance, HR, procurement, and business management functions.
- Drive alignment across diverse stakeholder groups, managing dependencies, risks, and competing priorities to deliver successful outcomes.
- Establish governance mechanisms and decision frameworks that accelerate execution.
Operational Excellence & Process improvement
- Design and implement scalable business processes, tools, and reporting frameworks that enhance organizational effectiveness.
- Leverage data analytics and business intelligence tools to monitor performance, identify trends, and inform strategic decisions.
- Champion continuous improvement initiatives that simplify operations and reduce organizational friction.
Organizational Health & Talent Programs
- Partner with leadership to support organizational planning, employee engagement, training initiatives, morale programs, and talent development efforts.
- Drive execution of organizational programs, compliance requirements, and leadership commitments across the business.
- Foster and inclusive, high-performance culture through collaboration, accountability, and operational rigor.
Risk Management & Decision Support
- Anticipate business risks and operational challenges, providing proactive mitigation strategies and recommendations.
- Ensure leadership has timely, accurate insights to support critical business decisions.
- Establish metrics and executive dashboards to measure progress against strategic objectives.
QualificationsMinimum Qualifications:
- Bachelor's Degree in relevant field (e.g., Liberal Arts, Business Administration, Management, Computer Science) AND 4+ years experience in financial management, business planning, operations management, strategy, project management, human resources, or business-related roles
- OR equivalent experience.
Other Requirements:
Ability to meet Microsoft, customer and/or government security screening requirements are required for this role. These requirements include, but are not limited to, the following specialized security screenings:
- Microsoft Cloud Background Check: This position will be required to pass the Microsoft Cloud background check upon hire/transfer and every two years thereafter.
- This role will require access to information that is controlled for export under export control regulations, potentially under the U.S. International Traffic in Arms Regulations or Export Administration Regulations, the EU Dual Use Regulation, and/or other export control regulations. As a condition of employment, the successful candidate will be required to provide either proof of their country of citizenship or proof of their US. residency or other protected status (e.g., under 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3)) for assessment of eligibility to access the export-controlled information. To meet this legal requirement, and as a condition of employment, the successful candidate’s citizenship will be verified with a valid passport. Lawful permanent residents, refugees, and asylees may verify status using other documents, where applicable.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Master's Degree in relevant field (e.g., Liberal Arts, Business Administration, Management, Computer Science) AND 6+ years experience in financial management, business planning, operations management, strategy, project management, human resources, or business-related roles
- OR Bachelor's Degree in relevant field (e.g., Liberal Arts, Business Administration, Management, Computer Science) AND 8+ years experience in financial management, business planning, operations management, strategy, project management, human resources, or business-related roles
- OR equivalent experience.
- Experience supporting executive leadership teams, including driving Rhythm of Business (ROB), organizational planning, communications, and execution of strategic priorities.
- Proficient financial acumen with experience managing budgets, forecasts, headcount planning, vendor management, purchase order processes, and operational reporting.
- Experience building executive-level dashboards, scorecards, and business insights, using Power BI, Excel, or similar analytics platforms.
- Exceptional executive communication and stakeholder management skills, including preparation of leadership reviews, business updates, presentations, and decision-supporting materials.
- Proven ability to translate ambiguous business challenges into scalable processes, governance frameworks, and measurable outcomes.
- Experience driving operational excellence programs, process automation, and continuous improvement initiatives in highly complex organizations.
- Demonstrated ability to influence without authority and successfully navigate competing priorities across multiple organizations and leadership levels.
- Track record of leading organizational change management efforts and driving adoption of new operating models, tools or business processes.
- Experience partnering with geographically distributed and global teams while maintaining execution rigor and accountability.
- Proficient analytical, problem-solving, and strategic thinking skills with the ability to balance long-term planning and day-to-day operational execution.
- Passion for fostering an inclusive, collaborative culture and helping teams achieve high-impact business outcomes.
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Business Management IC4 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $97,600 - $188,400 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 $125,000 - $206,400 per year.
Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here:
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.