Business Manager

Overview

The Business Manager is a key member of the Sales Design & Incentives (SDI) Business Excellence team, responsible for helping translate organizational strategy into disciplined execution. This role partners across leadership and functional teams to strengthen business operations, improve organizational rhythm and transparency, and enable leaders to make informed, timely decisions.

The Business Manager will lead and support high-impact initiatives spanning business planning, operating rhythms, organizational communications, workforce and resource insights, process and workflow governance, and AI-enabled business transformation. The ideal candidate combines strong business judgment, analytical thinking, executive communication, and operational rigor with the ability to navigate ambiguity and drive work across organizational boundaries.

Responsibilities

Business Management & Operational Excellence

• Drive core business management processes and operating rhythms that enable effective planning, execution, and accountability.
• Translate leadership priorities into structured plans, milestones, actions, and measurable outcomes.
• Identify operational gaps, dependencies, and opportunities to simplify or improve how the organization operates.
• Establish scalable processes, governance mechanisms, and business practices that increase organizational effectiveness.
• Maintain visibility to key priorities, decisions, risks, and follow-through across the organization.

Strategic Planning & Business Insights

• Support annual and ongoing business planning, priority setting, and organizational goal alignment.
• Synthesize business, operational, and organizational data into clear insights and recommendations for leadership.
• Develop executive-ready business reviews, decision materials, dashboards, and leadership briefings.
• Connect signals across workstreams to proactively surface risks, opportunities, and areas requiring leadership attention.

Leadership Operating Rhythm

• Help design and manage leadership operating mechanisms, including business reviews, leadership meetings, planning sessions, and key organizational checkpoints.
• Ensure leadership forums are decision-oriented, with clear objectives, pre-reads, actions, owners, and follow-through.
• Partner with leaders and stakeholders to maintain alignment across organizational priorities and dependencies.

Organizational Governance & Communications

• Develop and operationalize governance frameworks that clarify decision rights, ownership, escalation paths, and accountability.
• Partner with stakeholders to deliver clear, consistent organizational communications aligned to leadership priorities.
• Support organizational changes and strategic initiatives through structured stakeholder engagement and change management.
• Simplify complex business topics into concise, actionable communications for leadership and broader audiences.

AI-Enabled Business Transformation

• Identify opportunities to apply AI, automation, and digital tools to improve business processes, insights, and employee experiences.
• Help modernize recurring business management activities by reducing manual work and improving access to actionable intelligence.
• Partner with functional and technical stakeholders to translate business needs into practical AI-enabled solutions.
• Champion responsible adoption of AI and new ways of working within the organization.

Cross-Functional Partnership

Build trusted relationships across SDI and key partner organizations, including Finance, HR, Operations, and other business functions.

Drive cross-functional initiatives by establishing clarity of scope, ownership, dependencies, and desired outcomes.

Influence without direct authority and bring stakeholders together around shared priorities.

Represent Business Excellence in broader organizational initiatives as needed.

Required/minimum 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.

Additional or 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.

Strong ability to translate ambiguous business challenges into structured plans and executable solutions.

Excellent analytical and problem-solving capabilities, including the ability to synthesize multiple inputs into clear business insights.

Strong written and verbal communication skills, with experience developing executive-level communications and presentations.

Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities and drive cross-functional work in a complex, fast-moving organization.

Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills.

High degree of judgment, discretion, ownership, and attention to detail

Experience supporting a senior leadership team or large, complex organization.

Experience establishing business rhythms, governance frameworks, planning processes, or organizational operating models.

Experience using data and business intelligence to influence decisions and improve organizational performance.

Familiarity with AI, automation, or digital transformation and an interest in applying emerging technology to business operations.

Experience working across sales, incentives, finance, operations, or related enterprise functions.

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:

https://careers.microsoft.com/us/en/us-corporate-pay

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.

Insights from previous hires

Top skills: Business Management, Leadership

Common previous titles: Customer Manager, Business Program Manager, Business Manager, Business Operations, Manager Business Operations, Human Resources Generalist, Director Sales, Manager, Technical Solution Manager, Senior Program Manager