Job description

Overview Senior Business Planning & Operations Manager, Events Within Commercial Cloud & AI Marketing, Audience & Experiences Marketing brings teams across Microsoft together to engage audiences through marketing programs that can scale. This includes Microsoft’s global events portfolio. Our events connect customers, partners, and communities with expertise and experiences that spark ideas and help them achieve more. The Senior Business Planning & Operations Manager for Events turns portfolio strategy into coordinated plans and reliable delivery. You will help teams make clear decisions and commitments through practical ways of working that respect program and specialist ownership. You will work with A&E leadership and Product Marketing, alongside Engines & Experiences (E&E), Regional Marketing, and SME&C. Together, you will bring stakeholder priorities into event planning and align teams around shared goals. Through influence, you will clarify roles and decision rights. You will coordinate dependencies and help partners deliver commitments and adopt improvements that make their work easier. 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. 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.      In alignment with our Microsoft values, we are committed to cultivating an inclusive work environment for all employees to positively impact our culture every day.      Responsibilities • Strategic Planning & Rhythm of Business Lead annual and multiyear events planning. Turn priorities into clear goals and milestones with named owners and delivery commitments. • Gather stakeholder input early and highlight dependencies and trade-offs for leadership decisions. Run the events rhythm of business (ROB): planning cycles and business reviews, leadership forums and milestone checkpoints. Prepare focused agendas and materials for decisions. Track commitments, risks, and dependencies across programs and partner teams. • Coordinate corrective actions and escalate issues with options, recommendations, and clear ownership. Establish simple intake, prioritization, routing, and escalation practices for cross-portfolio requests and decisions. Agree decision rights with accountable leaders. Keep a clear record of decisions and follow-up actions, including owners and deadlines. • Clarify cross-team responsibilities and bring unresolved choices to decision makers. Bring financial and measurement inputs into planning and reviews. • Stakeholder Ecosystem & Cross-Functional Alignment Maintain the stakeholder ecosystem across programs, functions, tools, and platforms. Align roles, interfaces, and engagement expectations with program owners, field and CSA partners as needs evolve. Set clear milestones for partner input and cross-functional delivery. • Clarify which decisions partners inform and track commitments to completion. • Make feedback a two-way part of planning and delivery. • Show how input shaped priorities and ways of working. Explain decisions and trade-offs when recommendations are not adopted. • Operational Excellence & Change Adoption Create processes, templates, and handoffs that work across the portfolio. • Use partner feedback and lessons from events to make work simpler and more consistent, with less duplication. • Lead adoption of planning practices, governance, and tools with relevant owners. • Assess how changes affect stakeholders and plan their rollout. Tailor communications and practical support to each team. Track readiness and adoption, working with accountable teams to remove barriers. • Build improvements based on user feedback into the rhythm of business. • Embody our Culture   &   Values. Qualifications Required/minimum qualifications • 5+ years business to business, business to consumer, digital, or experiential/event marketing experience OR equivalent experience. Additional or preferred qualifications • Experience supporting global events or enterprise technology marketing in large multinational organizations. • Familiarity with corporate, regional, and field teams. • Experience designing governance and operating processes and managing stakeholder relationships. • Ability to lead change and support lasting adoption. • Strong judgment and structured problem-solving. • Ability to simplify complex issues and manage dependencies, with accountable follow-through across teams. Events IC5 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $130,900 - $251,900 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 $165,600 - $272,300 per year. Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here: careers.microsoft.com 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.

Requirements

Must-haves

In alignment with our Microsoft values, we are committed to cultivating an inclusive work environment for all employees to positively impact our culture every day.
Strategic Planning & Rhythm of Business Lead annual and multiyear events planning. Turn priorities into clear goals and milestones with named owners and delivery commitments.
Clarify cross-team responsibilities and bring unresolved choices to decision makers. Bring financial and measurement inputs into planning and reviews.
Clarify which decisions partners inform and track commitments to completion.
Make feedback a two-way part of planning and delivery.
Show how input shaped priorities and ways of working. Explain decisions and trade-offs when recommendations are not adopted.
Operational Excellence & Change Adoption Create processes, templates, and handoffs that work across the portfolio.
Use partner feedback and lessons from events to make work simpler and more consistent, with less duplication.
Lead adoption of planning practices, governance, and tools with relevant owners.
Assess how changes affect stakeholders and plan their rollout. Tailor communications and practical support to each team. Track readiness and adoption, working with accountable teams to remove barriers.
Build improvements based on user feedback into the rhythm of business.
Embody our Culture   &   Values.
Required/minimum qualifications
5+ years business to business, business to consumer, digital, or experiential/event marketing experience OR equivalent experience.
Experience supporting global events or enterprise technology marketing in large multinational organizations.
Familiarity with corporate, regional, and field teams.
Experience designing governance and operating processes and managing stakeholder relationships.
Ability to lead change and support lasting adoption.
Strong judgment and structured problem-solving.
Ability to simplify complex issues and manage dependencies, with accountable follow-through across teams.
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.

Nice-to-haves

Additional or preferred qualifications

Application prep

Use the role’s language and application details while tailoring your materials.

Keywords to mirror

Platform: eightfold
Effort: medium