Empower every person and organization on the planet to achieve more. That is what inspires us, drives our work, and pushes us to challenge the status quo every day. Embracing our cloud-first strategy, we deliver solutions that are optimized for the world and enable customers to drive their business more successfully. Margin Strategy and Investment Optimization (MSIO) Finance is an exciting and fast-evolving finance team at the forefront of Microsoft’s cloud-first strategy. We are looking for a talented and motivated individual to help shape the future of our cloud products.

This team’s charter is to use the insight of first party customer usage to increase efficiencies across our cloud infrastructure. As a critical member of the team, you will support both short and long-term initiatives that drive down costs, test our technology, and keep Microsoft Cloud ahead of the competition, while enhancing transparency into cloud infrastructure investments, and safeguarding shareholder value.

This role will have a focus on strategic iniatives.

Responsibilities

Prioritize

• Performs analysis and research of present and future financial performance, financial plans (e.g., expected returns, resource allocation, pricing, investment opportunities) and economic transactions (e.g., customer deals, commercial partnerships, acquisitions, etc.).
• Provides business leader support and actionable insights. Reviews recurring financial reporting and presentations. Identifies trends, and formulates action plans. Determines financial results and conducts scenario analyses. Identifies variance causes and solutions. Collaborates to ensure execution of plans and accountability for results.

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Partnership

• Provides business insights and recommendations to peers and stakeholders to achieve COGS and profitability goals and drive shareholder return, including cost optimization, trends, and future requirements. Manages and executes processes through engagement with internal and external stakeholders. Collaborates with business leaders to define action plans for financial and business analysis findings.

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• Applies advanced understanding of Microsoft Finance and business to multiple situations to evaluate results and analysis. Develops and manages strategies to proactively mitigate, or reactively address, potential adverse effects of macroeconomic and/or geopolitical risks. Maintains working knowledge of Microsoft financial systems, policies, and processes to evaluate potential impacts of changes, and drives improvements in efficiency and accuracy.
• Contributes to new and unconventional methods and approaches to data collection, analysis, interpretation, and financial models. Provides advice and direction to teammates and peers on data management and operations.
• Integrates varied data sources and assimilates the information into a comprehensive, clear narrative. Communicates results in a compelling and understandable message. Articulates understanding and awareness of business partner situation.

Protect

• Ensures compliance with company policies, legal standards, and regulatory requirements by reviewing and monitoring accuracy of financial documents and business processes. Drives corrective measures. Consults with business partners on sharing financial information, approved instruments and processes, and consistency with corporate policies. Collaborates with Compliance groups to ensure team is current on company policies and procedures.

Qualifications

Required/Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration, Accounting, Finance, Economics, Data Science, or related field AND 4+ years of post-graduate financial analysis, accounting, controllership, or finance work experience
• OR Master's Degree in Business Administration, Accounting, Finance, Economics, Data Science, or related field AND 2+ years of post graduate financial analysis, accounting, controllership, or finance work experience
• OR equivalent experience

Preferred Qualifications

• Strong analytical skills, financial modeling capabilities and strategic thinking
• Self-starter who thrives in ambiguous, fast-moving environments with evolving technology and business model trends
• Ability to communicate complex analysis in a simple way. Executive level oral and written communication skills.
• Proven leadership skills, with demonstrated results in proactively driving and delivering high value/high-impact project results through both individual and v-team efforts
• Strong partnering capabilities, with the ability to influence others without direct authority and appropriately push back when required
• Comfort working at multiple altitudes, from strategic/high-level projects to detailed COGS analysis
• Ability to handle multiple tasks under tight deadlines, quickly prioritize for impact and the resourcefulness to deliver; project management skills preferred.

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.