Sales Director for Cloud & AI

Overview

Are you curious and deeply passionate about technology and sales, and ready to tackle complex challenges in a dynamic environment in the era of AI? Are you passionate about empowering financial sector customers to achieve more with technology and help them succeed in their digital transformation?If so, we invite you to join our Canadian team as a Solution Sales Director for Cloud & AI at Microsoft. In this role, you will be at the forefront of innovation, working on cutting‑edge projects that leverage the latest cloud and AI technologies to drive meaningful impact for citizens and a variety of industries. Join us and be part of a team that thrives on collaboration, creativity, and continuous learning.  Microsoft believes that our Canadian organizations have a unique opportunity to transform society at scale. From central government and agencies to local authorities, healthcare institutions and education, these organizations are reinventing how they deliver secure, trusted and efficient services to citizens. With Microsoft Cloud, we aspire to empower every finance sector organization to innovate and modernize on our platform, while meeting the highest standards of security, compliance and digital sovereignty.

Customer Engagement & Deal Execution

• Lead the sales team responsible for driving Cloud & AI revenue across accounts, ensuring disciplined execution of the end‑to‑end sales cycle (prospection → qualification → deal shaping → closing).
• Ensure teams adhere to Microsoft sales methodologies (including AI‑enhanced sales frameworks) to qualify opportunities, accelerate deal velocity and improve win rates.
• Orchestrate complex deal cycles involving procurement, multi‑stakeholder governance, and compliance constraints typical of the French Financial Sector.
• Coach sellers on how to engage, influence and secure executive alignment with C‑level decision makers (CEO, CIO, CTO/CDO, Business Line Leaders) to land Microsoft Cloud value propositions.
• Drive competitive positioning, ensuring the team can clearly articulate differentiators against hyperscalers and specialized competitors.

Sales Leadership & People Management

Microsoft managers deliver success through empowerment and accountability by Modeling, Coaching and Caring:

• Model: Embody Microsoft leadership principles, customer obsession, integrity, and inclusiveness.
• Coach: Set clear revenue targets and performance expectations, support deal strategy, help sellers adapt, learn and improve continuously.
• Care: Attract, develop, and retain great sales talent; understand individual motivations; and support team members’ career growth.

Concrete expectations:

• Build a strong, high‑performing sales culture: discipline in forecasting, usage of tools (MSX, CRM), robust pipeline management.
• Establish a consistent coaching rhythm (1:1s, forecast reviews, opportunity strategy sessions, joint customer engagements).
• Help sellers strengthen their executive communication skills—ensuring compelling, outcome‑focused conversations with Finance Sector leaders.

Sales Strategy & Pipeline Management

• Own Cloud & AI revenue results for the territory: pipeline health, forecasting accuracy, bookings, consumption growth, and renewal performance.
• Guide teams in building and maintaining high-quality pipelines with sufficient coverage, leveraging data (propensity, consumption trends, renewal risk, competitive signals) to prioritize and optimize effort.
• Lead regular pipeline and forecast reviews with internal stakeholders, ensuring data‑driven decision making and early risk identification.
• Ensure disciplined execution of sales plays aligned with Microsoft’s Cloud & AI priorities (modernization, data & AI, digital sovereignty, cybersecurity, app innovation, etc.).
• Drive whitespace analysis and identify new growth vectors across industries

Account Strategy & Cross‑Team Collaboration

• Partner closely with Account Executives (AEs) to strengthen account strategies and ensure Cloud & AI sales motions are fully embedded in the account plans.
• Collaborate with Customer Success, Marketing, Partner teams and industry specialists to maximize impact, support strategic engagements, and ensure value realization for customers.
• Foster strong collaboration with the partner ecosystem (GSIs, local integrators, software vendors, start‑ups) to drive differentiated, customer‑aligned solutions.
• Ensure storytelling, customer references, and ecosystem success stories are captured and shared to fuel future wins. 

Required Qualifications:

Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Business Administration, Information Security, or related field AND 8+ years experience in technology-related sales or account management OR equivalent experience.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Business, Economics, Management, Engineering, or any relevant field — OR equivalent practical experience.
• Experience in complex enterprise sales, ideally in cloud, software, digital transformation, or technology markets.
• Experience leading sales teams, including field sellers and/or virtual teams in competitive, high‑stakes environments.
• Demonstrated experience selling to regulated industries, with strong understanding of procurement cycles, governance, and compliance requirements.
• Proven ability to manage large opportunities and multi‑million‑euro deal cycles involving multiple stakeholders.
• Executive presence and communication skills; ability to simplify complex value propositions and engage Finance Sector leadership.
• Data‑driven mindset applied to forecasting, pipeline analysis, and revenue planning.

Solution Area Specialists M6 - The typical base pay range for this role across Canada is CAD $181,000 - CAD $303,000 per year.

Find additional pay information here:
https://careers.microsoft.com/v2/global/en/canada-pay-information.html

Pour plus d'information au sujet de la rémunération, veuillez cliquer ici:
https://careers.microsoft.com/v2/global/en/canada-pay-information.html

Ce poste sera ouvert pendant au moins cinq jours et les candidatures seront acceptées de façon continue jusqu’à ce que le poste soit pourvu.

This position will be open for a minimum of 5 days, with applications accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.

Microsoft est un employeur offrant l’égalité d’accès à l’emploi. Tous les candidats qualifiés seront pris en considération pour l’emploi, sans égard à l’âge, à l’ascendance, à la citoyenneté, à la couleur, aux congés médicaux ou familiaux, à l’identité ou à l’expression de genre, aux renseignements génétiques, à l’état d’immigration, à l’état matrimonial, à l’état de santé, à l’origine nationale, à un éventuel handicap physique ou mental, à l’affiliation politique, au statut de vétéran protégé ou au statut militaire, à la race, à l’ethnie, à la religion, au sexe (y compris la grossesse), à l’orientation sexuelle ou à toute autre caractéristique protégée par les lois, ordonnances et règlements locaux applicables. Si vous avez besoin d’aide avec des accommodements religieux et/ou d’un accommodement raisonnable en raison d’un handicap pendant le processus de candidature, apprenez-en plus sur la demande d’accommodement.

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.