Operational Excellence Program Manager

Overview 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 and we need you as an Operational Excellence Program Manager within our Cloud Operations & Innovation (CO+I) organization. The role works across country leadership teams and key functional stakeholders to strengthen operational discipline, leadership alignment, communication, governance, and execution across the data center portfolio. The successful candidate will influence executive decision-making by clarifying priorities, ensuring decisions are acted upon, surfacing risks appropriately, and focusing leadership attention on the areas that matter most. 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. Do you want to empower billions across the world? Come and join us in CO+I and be at the forefront of the action! Responsibilities Strategy & Business Planning Partner with the Regional Director and Leadership Team to translate priorities into actionable plans with clear milestones, ownership, and measurable outcomes; coordinate annual, quarterly, and long-range planning; track priorities requiring leadership intervention; and support business reviews, offsites, and strategic planning sessions. Operational Governance & Execution Establish strong governance to track commitments, actions, risks, and dependencies; ensure leadership decisions are executed; promote consistent practices across countries and data centers and help surface material risks relating to availability, safety, security, operational readiness, capacity, and compliance. Executive Communications Support the Regional Director with clear, consistent executive communications that translate complex operational information into concise presentations, briefings, and leadership updates. Stakeholder & Cross-Functional Alignment Serve as a coordination point between Regional Director, country leaders, and partner functions to build strong cross-functional relationships, facilitate shared ownership and ensure operational priorities are represented in broader organizational discussions. Business Performance & Insights Monitor regional KPIs, commitments, and strategic initiatives; consolidate performance data into concise executive insights that identify trends, gaps, dependencies, and priorities; and enable transparent, data-driven leadership decisions. Qualifications Required  - Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field and industry experience - Experience in senior level program or portfolio governance roles within complex operational environments. - Strong governance, structure and execution discipline with proven experience working with senior leadership and translating strategy into execution. - Experience operating as an individual contributor with executive level exposure. Background Check Requirements: Ability to meet Microsoft, customer, and/or government security screening requirements are required for this role. These requirements include, but are not limited to the following specialized security screenings: - Microsoft Cloud Background Check: This position will be required to pass the Microsoft Cloud background check upon hire/transfer and every two years thereafter. Additional or preferred qualifications - Experience working in a data center, critical infrastructure, technology operations, or similar infrastructure environments. - Ability to understand technical dependencies and operational risks without being the technical decision owner. 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.