Senior Sales Director, Consumer Goods

Job Description

Overview

The ATU Lead for Consumer Goods is a Sales Director responsible for Microsoft’s engagement with major Consumer Goods companies including a portfolio of the both Global and UK brands. This is a growth orientated role that has opened due to leadership progression and the forward looking focus will be on accelerating momentum in an established and mature business.

The Consumer Goods ATU Lead will combine their deep industry expertise of the consumer goods industry with the transformational capability of Cloud & AI technologies to shape a commercial and sales strategy to drive revenue growth and market leadership for both clients and Microsoft.

In this role, you will own Microsoft’s sales strategy for the consumer goods industry, oversee a team including people managers, account executives and account technology strategists (account CTO’s), and ensure that the very best of Microsoft’s technology solutions are being delivered to help our customers in achieving their business objectives. You will act as the executive sponsor for key client relationships, with regular engagement at the CxO level to co-develop innovative digital transformation opportunities. Equally important, you will lead as a “people-first” manager, fostering an inclusive and supportive team culture where your sales teams are inspired to excel and feel valued, especially as they navigate recent changes in structure and leadership

Responsibilities

Strategic Sales Leadership: Set and drive the go-to-market strategy for the Consumer Goods sector. You will define clear objectives for growth in this vertical, identifying priority accounts and opportunities (across sub-segments like food & beverage, personal care, tobacco, apparel, etc.). This includes establishing sales targets, aligning Microsoft’s resources to consumer goods industry plays, and ensuring execution excellence. You will regularly analyze market trends and the competitive landscape in consumer goods to adjust strategy and keep Microsoft ahead of the curve.

Executive Customer Partnership: Serve as a trusted advisor to C-suite executives. Developing long-term partnerships with CEOs, CIOs, Chief Digital Officers, and other senior leaders of our customers, you will frequently engage these stakeholders in strategic discussions both directly and in a coaching capacity through your team, exploring how Microsoft’s technologies can enable their corporate priorities – for example, how AI and analytics can drive product innovation or how cloud solutions can improve supply chain resilience. By co-creating new ideas and solutions with customers, you help them envision what’s possible and position Microsoft as a key partner in their digital transformation. This consultative, innovation-focused approach should lead to expanded business opportunities and multi-year digital transformation roadmaps with each customer.

People Development & Team Culture: Lead a team of account teams (Including at least one Sales Manager and a number of Account Executives and Account Tech Specialists) with a people-first mindset. You will invest time in coaching and mentoring, provide clarity in roles and expectations, and celebrate team successes to energize and inspire your team to great achievements. You will be a role model for Microsoft’s leadership principles of Model-Coach-Care: exemplify the behavior you expect, providing regular coaching, and show genuine care for your team’s well-being and career growth. By cultivating a trusted, open, inclusive environment, you enable your team to perform at their peak and deliver exceptional results

Industry-Focused Solution Selling: Leverage your consumer goods industry expertise to tailor Microsoft’s solutions to the unique needs of this sector. You will guide your team in positioning Microsoft’s cloud and AI capabilities in contexts like intelligent supply chain, consumer engagement and loyalty, data-driven product development, and operational excellence in manufacturing and distribution. You will ensure that account plans and sales presentations resonate with industry-specific challenges (e.g., managing channel partnerships, direct-to-consumer trends, sustainability and ESG goals in consumer goods). You will have an exceptional ability to build relationships within a highly matrixed and complex organisational structure and have the ability to orchestrate internal resources and partner solutions to present a unified, industry-relevant value proposition to clients. For instance, you might involve a retail/CPG-specialist ISV partner to strengthen a proposal for a consumer goods client, or coordinate with Microsoft’s Industry Solutions team to host an innovation workshop for a key account.

Cross-Organizational Collaboration: You operate as the “general manager” for your industry vertical, orchestrating a One Microsoft approach for consumer goods accounts. This means collaborating closely with other Microsoft teams — such as Product teams, Cloud Solution Architects, Customer Success Managers, Global Partner Solutions, and consulting services — to ensure customer success. You will lead regular account strategy reviews and deal clinics, bringing in expertise from across Microsoft to tackle customer opportunities or issues. Externally, you will also engage Microsoft’s partner ecosystem (global system integrators, ISVs, solution partners with consumer goods focus) to scale your impact. Part of your role is to build an ecosystem of support around each customer, such that Microsoft and its partners are working in concert to deliver value.

Business Management: Oversee the sales operations and performance management for the consumer goods ATU. You are responsible for pipeline management, revenue forecasting, and delivering on quarterly and annual targets for your territory. You will instill rigor in opportunity management (using Microsoft’s sales processes and tools), ensure compliance and ethical deal-making, and report progress to senior leadership. If course correction is needed to meet goals, you will develop and implement action plans (e.g., focused sales campaigns, executive sponsor interventions, resource adjustments) to get back on track. You will also share insights on your business with Microsoft’s area leadership, including feedback on product requirements or market trends that could influence product development or go-to-market investments.

Qualifications

Extensive Sales Leadership: 8+ years of enterprise sales leadership experience, with at least several years in a role managing sales managers or multi-layer teams. You have led sizeable sales organizations and are skilled in setting strategy, managing performance, and driving growth. Candidates should illustrate a consistent history of hitting/exceeding targets and leading market making transformational wins.

Consumer Goods Industry Expertise: Demonstrable expertise in the Consumer Goods industry. This could be through direct employment in a consumer goods corporation or through significant client work in the sector. The ideal candidate understands the business models, market trends, and pain points of consumer goods companies – such as product innovation cycles, supply chain and logistics challenges, consumer marketing and retail channel strategies, and the impacts of digital transformation on the industry. Being conversant in the language of the industry (e.g., discussing FMCG market share, direct-to-consumer initiatives, etc.) is key to establishing credibility.

Strategic CxO Engagement: A proven track record of engaging and influencing C-suite executives in an enterprise sales context. You should be able to cite examples of building a relationship with an executive sponsor and driving a significant deal or partnership through that relationship. This includes strong presentation and negotiation skills, business acumen to discuss ROI and business outcomes, and a consultative selling approach. The ability to instil confidence and become a trusted advisor to executive stakeholders is essential.

People Management & Team Building: Minimum of 3 years in a formal people management role, with experience leading teams through change. You have a track record of hiring, developing, and retaining top talent. Your leadership style should emphasize empowerment, clarity, and empathy – creating an environment where team members can perform their best. Evidence of improving team engagement or rebuilding a team culture in a past role will be valued.

Education: A Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Marketing, Engineering, or a related field is required. An MBA or other advanced degree is preferred, particularly if complemented by relevant industry or management coursework. Equivalent professional experience will also be considered. Regardless of degree, a strong grasp of business strategy and technology is needed.

Qualifications:Consumer Goods Sector Network: A well-established network in the consumer goods sector – for example, connections with industry executives or experience in industry forums – can help accelerate success. The ability to leverage industry contacts for customer insight, market knowledge, or even recruiting strong talents is a plus.

Tech Ecosystem Experience: Experience working within or alongside the technology ecosystem relevant to enterprise sales. This could include prior roles at Microsoft, a Microsoft competitor (such as Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud, Salesforce, SAP, etc.), or a consulting firm/ISV that provides solutions to consumer goods companies. Such experience implies familiarity with enterprise technology sales cycles, cloud platforms, and how to position complex solutions – enabling a smoother transition into this role.

Innovation and Growth Mindset: Demonstrated ability to drive innovation and change. Perhaps you spearheaded a new digital initiative in a traditional company, or you transformed a sales approach to unlock new customer value. We look for a growth mindset – someone who is not satisfied with status quo, but actively seeks ways to improve business outcomes, learn new skills, and encourage the team to do the same.

Analytical and Financial Skills: Strong analytical capabilities to interpret business performance data, identify trends, and make data-driven decisions. Comfort with financial concepts (budgets, P&L, deal economics) is helpful, as this role will involve optimizing large contracts and investments. The ability to think both strategically and execute operationally (switching from “big picture” to “quarterly results” and vice versa) will set the candidate apart.

Commitment to Inclusion: A leadership approach that values inclusion. Microsoft places a high importance on inclusive hiring. A preferred candidate will have examples of championing inclusion initiatives, ensuring a wide array of perspectives and an equitable team environment.

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.