OverviewThe Digital Account Executive serves as the primary customer relationship owner for a portfolio of Education customers, helping institutions achieve their strategic priorities through technology. This role develops and maintains trusted relationships with executive leaders, including Superintendents, Chancellors, CIOs, CTOs, CAOs, and other business and technical decision makers, while leading conversations focused on AI readiness, security, cloud adoption, data modernization, and educational outcomes.
The Digital Account Executive is responsible for driving renewal retention, customer expansion, and new growth opportunities across the Microsoft portfolio, including Microsoft 365, Security, Azure, Data & AI, Fabric, and Copilot. The role leverages digital engagement strategies, customer signals, and partner co-sell motions to accelerate customer success and business outcomes.
Working across a virtual account team, the Digital Account Executive orchestrates Microsoft specialists, customer success resources, and partners to ensure customers maximize the value of their technology investments. The role also serves as the voice of the customer within Microsoft, sharing industry insights, identifying emerging needs, and helping shape strategies that support the evolving needs of the education sector.
This opportunity provides the ability to accelerate your career growth, strengthen your sales and leadership capabilities, deepen cloud and AI expertise, and contribute to transformational outcomes that positively impact educators, students, staff, and communities.
ResponsibilitiesThe Digital Account Executive is responsible for managing a portfolio of Education customers and driving the full customer lifecycle, including renewals, expansion, pipeline creation, executive engagement, partner co-sell motions, and AI-led transformation initiatives. The role serves as the primary territory owner, coordinating internal resources, partners, and customer stakeholders to achieve revenue retention and growth objectives.
Account Management
- Strategically determines priority and depth for each account in the portfolio. Coordinates cross-functional resources to develop and execute against prioritization. Leverages relevant data (e.g., individual customer plan, analysis, available resources/programs) to craft and implement strategic plans that meet or exceed quota for the upcoming quarter/half. Ensures a strategic and cohesive plan across consumption, upsell, and renewal. Utilizes investment programs to maximize impact across customers. Leverages existing sales plays and prioritized partners to drive new business and pipeline creation. Coordinates and participates in the development of success plans for unified support and consumption plans for MACC customers, in partnership with customer success (e.g., CSAM) teams. Develops co-sell strategy with partner(s) as part of portfolio planning. Develops and leverages advanced industry knowledge. Holds self and others accountable for agreed upon time frames.
- Drives collaboration with internal and external stakeholders to achieve revenue targets and key deadlines. Coordinates strategic alignment of teams and resources with customer needs to enhance experience. Delivers organizational insights and aligns virtual teams with key opportunities. Leverages a broad network within and across partner ecosystem and resources to optimize account performance. Identifies resources (e.g., v-team orchestration) and partner solutions to help customers derive value from existing Microsoft investments.
- Proactively identifies and qualifies business opportunities, guiding them through the sales lifecycle to expand customer engagement. Improves pipeline accuracy and hygiene by using common sales and delivery methodology for the Microsoft sales organization (e.g., MCEM) criteria for qualifying and advancing sales prospects. Advocates MSFT solutions to the customer by demonstrating value and encouraging upsell/cross-sell opportunities. Understands customer strategy and presents tailored Microsoft solutions in complex deals. Engages with customer leaders and stakeholders to discuss budget considerations and align strategic priorities for investment.
- Attends to and proactively addresses renewals and anniversaries for both enterprise agreement (EA) and cloud solution provider (CSP), optimizing customer engagement. Customizes renewal options that align with partners and customer business outcomes and licensing vehicle. Identifies opportunities to consolidate and proactively engages in cross- and upsells that closely align with customer priorities and predicted outcomes. Adheres to process for forecasting and timing renewals to accelerate growth, consumption, and on-time renewals. Designs and directs actions for T-minus plans with a focus on strategic impact. Understands available licensing SKUs and programs. Defines negotiation strategies and stakeholder maps. Collaborates with partners to ensure right outcome(s) for the customer. Works with customers and partners to drive assessments and deep dives into customer environments. Understands and leverages investments in best possible way during renewal process. Conducts in-depth assessments into customer environments to understand needs and coordinates and implements resources and internal partners (e.g., commercial executives) to drive growth and consumption targets.
Customer Engagement
- Serves as the primary contact for and orchestrates customer engagements, strategically aligning resources (e.g., pod members, partners, v-teams, cross-functional teams). Coaches others on customer relationships and engagement. Synthesizes customer interactions to maximize effectiveness and strategic impact. Builds and deepens relationships with customers and implements a tiered approach to cadence of customer engagements across multiple lines of business. Serves as the voice of the customer and advocates for customers within the organization/Microsoft. Utilizes and enhances customer relationship management tools (e.g., MSX D365) to track and foster client relationships. Proactively reaches out to and engages with customers through diverse digital channels (e.g., social selling, podcasts, webinars).
- Proactively analyzes customer satisfaction metrics (e.g., timeliness and quality of contact) and develops strategies to address identified trends. Serves as resource for others on customer satisfaction strategy. Independently oversees primary contact and ensures comprehensive feedback is gathered from appropriate contact, inputs information into applicable database(s), and incorporated from a broad range of sources. Leads in triaging customer dissatisfaction and implements effective resolutions promptly (e.g., prioritization, escalation). Serves as a point of contact for customer issues and ensures responses to customers are completed in a timely manner. Optimizes escalation process and strategically engages Microsoft executives to enhance impact. Anticipates and preemptively addresses potential customer issues, tailoring requirements to solutions to maximize satisfaction and streamline experiences. Proactively establishes conditions of satisfaction with customers at outset of engagement.
- Captures and synthesizes key learnings internally and externally about customers. Develops deep understanding of customer business and drives business discussions (e.g., ROI). Leverages digital tools to conduct comprehensive research on existing accounts and customers and identifies decision makers within the customer organization. Understands and relates customer business needs and priorities to Microsoft priorities and strategy. Demonstrates expertise across applicable industry and brings tailored use cases to customers, anticipating their needs and industry trends.
Maintain Solution and Industry Expertise - Proactively builds and maintains a deep knowledge of Microsoft's landscape, solutions, and strategy in the industry of assigned accounts, as well as of the business priorities. Demonstrates a deep understanding of the strategic customers' business strategy and the direction of appropriate industry(ies). Completes required training and certifications. Develops and implements personal development plan.
QualificationsRequired Qualifications
- Bachelor's Degree in Business Management, Information Technology, Marketing (or equivalent) or related field AND 1+ years sales and negotiation experience or related work experience
- OR 3+ years sales and negotiation experience
- OR equivalent experience.
Preferred Qualifications
- Bachelor's Degree in Business Management, Information Technology, Marketing (or equivalent) or related field AND 5+ years sales and negotiation experience or related work experience
- OR 7+ years technology sales and negotiation experience
- OR equivalent experience.
Digital Account Management IC3 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $31.15 - $64.95 per hour. There is a different range applicable to specific work locations, within the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area, and the base pay range for this role in those locations is USD $48.37 - $69.18 per hour.
Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here:
https://careers.microsoft.com/us/en/us-corporate-pay
This position will be open for a minimum of 5 days, with applications accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.
