Microsoft
From Microsoft's careers page
Status: listed on the employer's own careers page when we last checked (daily). Confirm on their site before applying.
The role moves vendor management from reactive, transactional oversight to a proactive partnership focused on results.
Overview
The Service Delivery Manager (SDM) is accountable for how well vendors deliver across VL operations: quality, speed, cost efficiency, compliance and customer satisfaction. The SDM is the central link between Microsoft, vendor partners, and cross-functional stakeholders. The role moves vendor management from reactive, transactional oversight to a proactive partnership focused on results.
This is an individual contributor role that leads through influence rather than direct authority. At Level 62, the SDM independently runs governance across vendors, sites and time zones. The role covers financial and risk stewardship, continuous improvement, and the responsible use of AI and automation.
Microsoft’s mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more, and we’re dedicated to this mission across every aspect of our company. Our culture is centred on embracing a growth mindset and encouraging teams and leaders to bring their best each day. Join us and help shape the future of the world.
Vendor delivery ownership: Own vendor delivery across VL operations against SLAs, KPIs and contract commitments. Provide daily oversight and act as the primary Microsoft escalation point for complex risks and incidents.
Performance governance: Run weekly, monthly, and executive business reviews using scorecards, trend analysis and action logs. Hold vendors accountable through root cause analysis and corrective and preventive action plans, tracked to closure.
Insights and reporting: Turn data on quality, productivity, CSAT, throughput, rework, cycle time and backlog into insights leaders can act on. Check vendor-reported data against source systems.
Financial stewardship: Manage purchase orders and invoices, overtime, accruals, and forecasts. Assess vendor requests for more capacity or investment based on return on investment.
Capacity and demand: Match vendor capacity, skills, and schedules to forecast demand, especially at peak periods and quarter-end, without losing resilience or cost control.
Risk, business continuity and compliance: Identify and reduce operational, commercial, security, compliance and customer-impact risks. Maintain workable business continuity and recovery plans, and keep records ready for audit.
Contracts and vendor lifecycle: Work with Procurement, Legal, Finance and Risk on vendor selection, onboarding, statements of work, contract changes, renewals and remedies. Make sure contract obligations are applied in day-to-day operations.
Continuous improvement and AI: Reduce waste, rework, defects, and cycle time. Work with Vendor Solutions and engineering to pilot and scale responsible AI and automation, with clear benefits and measurable adoption.
Change and transitions: Lead vendor onboarding, transitions, process migrations, and readiness for releases, keeping disruption to a minimum.
Stakeholder leadership: Coordinate across vendors, sales, finance, procurement, legal, risk, engineering, and service design. Explain trade-offs, options and recommendations clearly to senior leaders.
Embody our culture and values
Required Qualifications
Master's Degree in Business Management, or related field AND 2+ years process management, process execution, process optimization, or related experience OR Business, or related field AND 4+ years process management, process execution, process optimization, or related experience OR equivalent experience.
Overall 12+ years of experience in service delivery, vendor operations, outsourcing, business program management or operations leadership, or equivalent experience.
Proven experience managing outsourced or vendor-delivered operations, including performance governance, escalation management and delivering corrective actions.
Knowledge of operations and finance, and a working understanding of engineering, data and analytics.
Experience in commercial operations or deal processing for Volume Licensing.
Experience delivering across multiple sites and time zones, including business continuity planning and site recovery.
Good to know - Lean, Six Sigma, ITIL or PMP certification, and understand AI or automation adoption with measurable results.
Data skills, for example in Power BI or Excel.
Process Management IC4 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $97,600 - $188,400 per year. 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 $125,000 - $206,400 per year.
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.
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