What are the responsibilities and job description for the Senior Surface Category Manager position at Microsoft Power Platform Community?
Overview
In the Consumer Sales Organization (CSO) our purpose is to earn fans and drive growth by building emotional connections to delight and empower everyone. We engage with consumers globally throughout their shopping journeys, navigating both physical storefronts and digital visits across Direct and Partner Channels in Gaming, Windows, M365 and Surface. Together with our ecosystem partners, we strategize and implement plans for customer engagement and economic growth.
We are looking for a Senior Surface Category Manager. As a member of our team, you’ll be part of growing a multi-billion-dollar business, charting new areas of innovation, and impacting billions of lives around the world. You also will be a part of a culture centered on embracing a growth mindset, a theme of inspiring excellence, and encouraging teams and leaders to bring their best each day. If that appeals to you, it’s an exciting time to be here in CSO.
In Surface, our business goal is clear: Profitably Grow Surface Volume & Share. We accomplish this goal in two ways:
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.
Responsibilities
This role requires strong analytical capabilities, financial acumen, and the ability to synthesize data into actionable insights & strategies that drive business growth. It includes the following Areas of Responsibility:
Required/Minimum Qualifications
Additional or Preferred Qualifications
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
Microsoft will accept applications for the role until April 17, 2025.
Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations and ordinances. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application or the recruiting process, please send a request via the Accommodation request form .
Benefits/perks listed below may vary depending on the nature of your employment with Microsoft and the country where you work.
In the Consumer Sales Organization (CSO) our purpose is to earn fans and drive growth by building emotional connections to delight and empower everyone. We engage with consumers globally throughout their shopping journeys, navigating both physical storefronts and digital visits across Direct and Partner Channels in Gaming, Windows, M365 and Surface. Together with our ecosystem partners, we strategize and implement plans for customer engagement and economic growth.
We are looking for a Senior Surface Category Manager. As a member of our team, you’ll be part of growing a multi-billion-dollar business, charting new areas of innovation, and impacting billions of lives around the world. You also will be a part of a culture centered on embracing a growth mindset, a theme of inspiring excellence, and encouraging teams and leaders to bring their best each day. If that appeals to you, it’s an exciting time to be here in CSO.
In Surface, our business goal is clear: Profitably Grow Surface Volume & Share. We accomplish this goal in two ways:
- Selling TO our retail partners : Use consumer insights, market data, store level analysis, and device sales information to evaluate our business performance and develop seasonal, launch & sustain plans to improve our partners business, win share, sell units, and drive revenue/ GM.
- Selling THRU our retail partners : Plan and execute thoughtful and impactful promotions and full-funnel-marketing plans, focused on driving purchase intent, conversion & post purchase advocacy & consumer lifetime value for Surface devices & accessories.
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.
Responsibilities
This role requires strong analytical capabilities, financial acumen, and the ability to synthesize data into actionable insights & strategies that drive business growth. It includes the following Areas of Responsibility:
- Investment Planning & Strategy
- Leverage historical investment data to guide front-end margin standardization and partner segmentation.
- Conduct investment ROI analysis to ensure efficient resource utilization .
- Lead strategic discussions with key partners (e.g., Amazon, Best Buy) to align investment strategies and improve profitability.
- Adjust investment approaches based on performance insights, optimizing promotions and assortment decisions.
- Cost-To-Serve (CTS) & Financial Analysis
- Lead the in-cycle live CTS model, enabling real-time performance monitoring.
- Provide weekly insights to identify growth opportunities and address deficiencies, ensuring alignment with budget and CFO targets.
- Conduct in-depth GM analysis to assess investment effectiveness and optimize resource allocation.
- Develop market maker insights to tailor strategies across the US, Canada, and Mexico.
- Market Insights & Competitive Analysis
- Drive strategic market insights for Copilot PC’s post-launch phase to enhance product awareness.
- Identify data gaps in third-party market reports and collaborate with the Windows category team to bridge them.
- Analyze Best Buy partner data alongside third-party insights to assess Surface’s position relative to Qualcomm Windows OEMs.
- Provide leadership with actionable intelligence to inform promotional strategies and competitive positioning.
- Surface Quarterly Planning
- Lead front-end margin management and financial goal setting for Surface Next Generation products.
- Develop a data-driven model to illustrate partner margins and guide pricing strategy.
- Expand the quarterly planning model to serve as the primary tool for forecasting, contingency planning, and long-term budgeting.
- Support critical EOL transitions and secure approval for Q4 closing strategies.
- P rogram Framework & Partner Engagement
- Redesign the programmatic framework to monitor performance across partners and business units.
- Collaborate with WW finance and category teams to refine incentive structures and align investment strategies.
- Standardize target-setting and ROB processes to enhance transparency and execution.
- Act as a subject matter expert, testing new tools and providing feedback to WW teams.
- Promo Analysis
- Lead the evaluation of Circana Pricing Tool as a new data source, gaining a deep understanding of its methodologies and collaborating with the WW team to leverage it for promotional efficiency analysis.
- Conduct promo analysis, assessing the effectiveness of two key promotions at the SKU level, including product specifications and color variations.
- Adapt analysis as needed by incorporating internal Microsoft sales data, partnering with finance to develop and implement a robust forecasting method for promotional impact assessment.
- Cross -Functional Leadership & Collaboration
- Partner with WW finance, supply chain, and sales teams to drive data-driven decision-making.
- Ensure consistency in revenue adjustment meetings, budget planning, and investment validation processes.
- Validate partner profitability metrics to enhance financial reporting accuracy.
- Facilitate communication between WW and regional finance teams to streamline strategic initiatives.
- Embody our culture and values .
Required/Minimum Qualifications
- 4 years category management, finance, product management, marketing strategy, business planning, product planning, or related work experience AND Bachelor's Degree in Business , Marketing, Finance , Economics, or related field
- OR equivalent experience.
- Ability to analyze sales data, draw relevant conclusions, develop accurate business plans and forecasts, and drive execution.
- Understanding of budget, profit & loss, margin, investment, and operating expense accountability.
Additional or Preferred Qualifications
- 6 years category management, product management, marketing strategy, business planning, product planning, or related work experience AND Bachelor's Degree in Business , Marketing, Communications, Economics, Public Relations, Engineering, or related field
- OR equivalent experience.
- 4 years experience managing and expanding a category and attaining sales and profitability targets within a complex (e.g., multinational or matrixed) organization
- OR equivalent experience.
- 5 years Consumer Electronics/IT ecosystem experience with a focus on devices and services sales across consumer segments.
- Understanding of consumer sales channels, as well as the retail landscape and digital marketplace.
- Consumer channel management with proven business operational excellence and sales. results through joint business planning, landing channel strategies, account management, and performance monitoring.
- Strong delivery on Quarterly and Annual Account Budgeted Revenue and key scorecard metrics.
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
Microsoft will accept applications for the role until April 17, 2025.
Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations and ordinances. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application or the recruiting process, please send a request via the Accommodation request form .
Benefits/perks listed below may vary depending on the nature of your employment with Microsoft and the country where you work.
Salary : $103,800 - $200,300
