Cloud Solution Architect - Cloud & AI Data

Overview

Microsoft is on a mission to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. Our culture is cantered on embracing a growth mindset, a theme of inspiring excellence, and encouraging teams and leaders to bring their best each day. In doing so, we create life-changing innovations that impact billions of lives around the world. You can help us to achieve our mission. 

Do you want to be part of a commercial sales team at one of the largest cloud companies in the world at the most exciting transformative time in the industry?   The UK Commercial Executive role operates at the intersection of commercial strategy, negotiation, and customer transformation in a fast-paced, high-accountability environment. The Commercial Executive is expected to demonstrate thought leadership in complex deal making, applying creativity, commercial acumen, and strategic insight to design innovative deal structures that balance customer outcomes with Microsoft business objectives. Success in this role requires exceptional negotiation skills, the ability to influence senior stakeholder decisions, and the confidence to navigate ambiguity, resolve complex commercial challenges, and drive agreement to close. This role is aliged to Public Sector customers.

Please note that this role is based in Paddington, London.

Responsibilities

• Commercial and Deal management  

• The ideal candidate thrives in a fast-paced environment, bringing thought leadership, commercial judgement, and a relentless focus on customer and business outcomes across both Commercial and Public Sector organisations.

• Lead the commercial strategy and negotiation of complex, high-value opportunities.

• Design and build innovative commercial constructs that address unique customer challenges while maximising business outcomes.

• Act as a trusted commercial advisor to our customers and Microsoft stakeholders, influencing business decisions through data-driven insights, commercial expertise, and strategic recommendations.

• Challenge conventional thinking and apply creativity to develop innovative commercial constructs, unlocking opportunities that would not be achieved through standard deal approaches.

• Demonstrate thought leadership in deal making by identifying creative approaches to commercial, contractual, and financial challenges (e.g., productivity gains, financial impact to a customer, Opex versus Capex). 

• Excellent communication skills, influence C-suite and senior stakeholder decision-making through compelling commercial storytelling and strategic recommendations. Specifically, when explaining commercial structures, investment processes, T&Cs and briefing stakeholders in the business. 

• Absolute accountability of deal management tracking deals to close.  

• Examine deals from different angles (e.g., year over year), modelling different variables to make the most effective deal.  

• Ensure compliance is embedded in the deal making process.

• Collaboration and Alignment Across the UK Business

• Microsoft is a dynamic, fast-paced environment where success is driven through collaboration across a broad ecosystem of stakeholders including Account Teams, Specialist Sellers, Customer Success, Support Services, Finance, Legal, Partners, and Executive Leadership. As a Commercial Executive, you will bring strong leadership, influence, and commercial judgement to orchestrate complex opportunities, align diverse stakeholders, and drive successful customer and business outcomes.

This includes:

• Demonstrating thought leadership and strategic influence across multiple stakeholders to ensure Microsoft presents the strongest possible customer-focused solution.

• Leading collaboration and orchestration across Sales, Finance, Legal, Deal Desk, Operations, and Partner teams to shape innovative commercial constructs and deliver successful deal outcomes.

• Assessing when executive engagement and escalation is required based on the size, complexity, risk profile, or strategic importance of an opportunity.

• Building trusted relationships with senior internal and external stakeholders, influencing decisions and navigating competing priorities to achieve alignment.

• Working collaboratively with Microsoft's partner ecosystem to deliver customer-centric commercial solutions and accelerate business growth.

• Providing feedback and influencing the development of local programmes, commercial motions, and best practices that improve deal quality and business performance.

• Sharing expertise, coaching others, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement in commercial strategy, negotiation, and deal making.