Solution Area Specialist

Overview

Shape the future of learning. Drive innovation. Grow your career.

As a Solution Area Specialist, you'll be at the forefront of transforming Higher Education with secure, AI-powered solutions.

This is your opportunity to accelerate your professional growth by mastering cutting-edge technologies, and work alongside intelligent, motivated colleagues who share your passion for innovation and impact.

You will be able to make a real difference by helping universities, business schools, and research institutes embrace hybrid learning, collaborative research, and institutional productivity.

You'll partner with academic leaders and IT decision-makers to align Microsoft's Modern Work solutions with their unique priorities. Using AI-driven insights and market intelligence, you'll foster long-term partnerships that enable world-class education and research.

Find out more about our culture and values, and the environment you will be working in.

Responsibilities

You'll play a pivotal role in enabling secure, AI-powered transformation across universities, business schools, and research institutes, and some of your main responsibilities will include:

Customer Engagement

• Build trusted relationships with university executives and research leaders to align Modern Work solutions with institutional goals.

• Activate partner resources early in the sales cycle to drive co-selling and accelerate value realisation.

• Apply consultative selling techniques to qualify opportunities and orchestrate deals across STU, CSU, and partner teams.

Sales & Pipeline Management

• Maintain pipeline hygiene and leverage AI-powered forecasting tools to ensure accuracy and meet sales targets.

• Monitor adoption and usage trends to identify intervention opportunities, driving expansion and healthy renewals.

• Utilise automation and analytics to prioritise opportunities and support growth within the Higher Education segment.

Sales Strategy

• Collaborate with account teams to position Modern Work solutions as enablers of secure, AI-driven transformation in academic environments.

• Incorporate security and compliance principles in all engagements to maintain trust.

• Use whitespace analysis and predictive analytics to identify emerging trends and align sales plays with customer needs.

Qualifications

• Your ability to influence and engage with decision-makers, and your comfort discussing technical topics will position you well for success. Some of the key area you will be able to demonstrate include:

• Significant experience in technology-related sales or account management, ideally within Higher Education or Public Sector.

• Strong knowledge of Microsoft Modern Work solutions (Microsoft 365, Teams, Security, Copilot.

• Experience engaging with senior stakeholders and delivering technical presentations and demos

• Familiarity with Microsoft Azure Cloud

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Information Technology, or related field OR equivalent experience.

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.