Microsoft South Africa Vacancy: Business Planning Manager

Acts as Customer and Partner Experience (CPE) lead for WECA, responsible for promoting the CPE culture, customer surveys (nominations and soliciting responses on time) as well as analyzing the CPE data and leading correction of error plans that emerge. Drive CPE Improvement projects where opportunities arise.

Responsible for managing operational reporting on behalf of the business and marketing officer.
Instills consistency in subsidiary marketing operational reporting both in terms of processes and templates (e.g., scorecards, planning templates).
Creates a review process for monitoring and reporting marketing performance including adherence to budget, return on investment, and other key business metrics. Coordinates with finance, systems, and non-marketing business owners (e.g., SMS&P, Citizenship and enterprise sales) to collect required data.
Engages with corporate and regional headquarters to understand and adhere to broader Microsoft reporting requirements.
Collects corporate and regional benchmarks to aid in evaluation of the subsidiary’s performance.
Understand BG specific reporting/meeting requirements by working closely with the BG leads.

Provides leadership for the successful orchestration of subsidiary strategy and program management.
Responsible for driving orchestration within the subsidiary from process development, communications and actual driving of monthly business orchestration meetings – provide business leadership to make orchestration work within the subsidiary. Works with BMO to ensure orchestration is working smoothly across the subsidiary and is actively driven through each GTM.
Drive the business calendar for the subsidiary across all major orchestration meetings, reviews and leadership team activities.
Facilitates the subsidiary’s preparation for business planning activities by establishing subsidiary processes, coordinating all required pre-work, ensuring dissemination of required data, and locking in process logistics.
Identifies organizational process modifications that create opportunities to improve effectiveness and/or eliminate redundancies.
Maintains links into the relevant business group and marketing contacts to ensure that the subsidiary is at the forefront of orchestration thinking and development.
Ensures business planning concludes with the establishment of goals guaranteeing the connection between the fiscal planning and orchestrated business planning processes.

Leads CPE efforts and plans across WECA.
Co-ordinates and drives CPE efforts (with local CPE Champs) across WECA sub regions to ensure delivery against regional scorecard metrics.
Drives the Red Carpet process for transitioning accounts across segments.
Drive individual planning, measurement and ultimately success in CPE across all segments and audiences.
Drive CPE Survey execution, beat targets for sampling and responses
Accountable for the CPE Business Scorecard, work with the business owners to maintain a green scorecard.
Drive the CPE Culture in WECA, challenge the business leaders to out the customers and partners first. Utilize existing or create an additional local CPE recognition and award program. Ensure all WECA employees have a CPE commitment that they are held accountable for. Drive improvement of the CCI (Customer Centricity Index).

Customer- & Revenue-driven Business Leadership

Draws leaders’ attention to programs/activities that are inconsistent with a customer-focused vision for business growth. Makes changes to marketing processes or systems to improve quality of outputs. Analyzes the business impact of revenue generation activities (e.g., assesses customer opportunities, competitive pricing dynamics and what’s selling) to identify additional ways to drive business. Designs, implements and adjusts programs for optimizing revenue growth across complementary products/services or related segments/channels. Balances tradeoffs between revenue optimization

Integrated Marketing Planning & Delivery

Proactively qualifies sales leads (e.g., identifies decision-makers determines budget, parameters, pinpoints client needs, etc.). Translates global marketing plans into marketing initiatives for own business, including defining budgets, metrics and timelines. Establishes cross-group team charters, articulates shared goals and outlines a common agenda to reinforce integrated marketing and sales efforts. Reengineers work processes and systems to ensure they support/ reinforce integrated sales and marketing efforts. Identifies potent new ways to quantify marketing value (e.g., conducts comparative analyses across integrated efforts over time). Level 3

Proven strategic thinking and orchestration of complex business planning (orchestrating across multiple segments and audiences)
Proven track record of driving strategy and influencing executive level leaders
Experience managing Rhythm of the Business across multiple segments and audiences
Expertise in customer loyalty and culture change management
Analytical background and effective at understanding and using multiple data sources
Strong knowledge of how to use market intelligence and competitive landscape information
Strong project management skills
Strong, proven communications abilities both written and verbal

Communicates ideas and information in a form well matched to, and well received by, the audience. Makes wise decisions on the spot when answering questions in a variety of different circumstances. Makes articulate and effective oral presentations to a variety of audiences, large or small, internal or external, etc. Communicates effectively with Microsoft senior management, using their time to maximum advantage. Level 4

Negotiates agreements with other groups developing service-level agreements and reciprocal commitments. Works to break down artificial silos by working with others around shared need or customer benefit. Provides incentive for cooperation through goals, measurement, and recognition of desired behaviors, seeking balance of cooperation and individual brilliance. Raises team’s awareness of other teams and how they interact with each other. Level 4

Designs and manages complex systems and processes effectively. Has a keen sense for what metrics will provide the most useful data for monitoring systems, and uses these metrics to improve system efficiency and effectiveness. Develops and implements strategies, practices, and procedures that allow him/her to manage processes with minimal need for personal intervention. Level 3

Provides high-level value in helping groups plan, organize, and coordinate their work effectively. Develops efficient work plans for complex projects involving many groups, and effectively implements and coordinates these plans. Demonstrates a keen understanding of the relationships among various components of large-scale programs that cut across groups, organizing them such that limited resources are used most effectively. Is prepared for, anticipates, and effectively deals with problems and roadblocks. Level 4

Efficiently and creatively solves difficult, complex problems that affect other groups. Accurately defines the amount and kind of information that must be gathered for problem solving. Identifies underlying or hidden problems or trends across groups. Anticipates, and proactively works to circumvent, roadblocks to solutions. Challenges his/her staff to think critically in solving problems. Facilitates or leads effective problem solving in meetings and groups. Level 3

Demonstrates a high level of confidence in his/her ability to handle difficult and varied situations. Handles tough problems and situations with little hesitation or doubt. Gladly shares credit for good work with others. Demonstrates self-assurance in leading others in difficult and challenging assignments. Level 3

Understands the business and strategies in inter-dependent areas and applies this knowledge to making good decisions. Thinks ahead 6-12 months, recognizing trends and driving development of plans to take advantage of potential opportunities. Poses credible alternative scenarios for long-range plans relevant to running his/her group’s work, and projects how they will play out. Level 2

8 – 10 years of related experience
Should have at least SV experience or comparable cross-group responsibilities (e.g. as a Project Manager for a significant important project with x-group impact and x-group team setup).
Bachelor’s Degree or Master’s Degree

Job Category: Sales
Location: South Africa, Johannesburg
Job ID: 795170
Product: (Not Product Specific)
Division: (Not Division Specific)