Manager, Microsoft Licensing Operations

Manager, Microsoft Licensing Operations

Job Summary

The Manager, Microsoft Licensing Operations will focus on all operational activities required to maintain our Microsoft licensing business and ensure our customers’ licensing needs are properly executed. Your responsibility will extend to implementing changes to quoting, contract processing, order fulfillment and maintenance to optimize efficiencies. The Manager, Microsoft Licensing Operations will continue to build functional relationships with internal teams to improve customer service, program compliance, and operational effectiveness. Their management will extend to developing strategies and processes that optimize licensing practices and continuously improve operational results. The Manager, Microsoft Licensing Operations will be accountable for achieving defined team KPIs reflecting customer outcomes and critical operating and productivity activities.

The Manager, Microsoft Licensing Operations will be responsible for the management and staff development of their team members and oversee the effectiveness of the core processes and tools used by this team to execute their deliverables. The Manager Microsoft Licensing Operations will have direct and indirect reports from supervisors and individual contributors.

Job Responsibilities

People and Personal Development

• Acquire, develop, and retain employees.
  • Initiate and drive the hiring process to fill critical roles with desired licensing profiles and competencies.
  • Provide regular coaching, development, and performance management conversations through individual one-on-one.
• Build a strong team that can execute consistently on team deliverables.
  • Provide vision and strategy for the team, constantly connecting them to the business at large.
  • Build team knowledge and camaraderie through regular team meetings, scorecard reviews, and other ongoing communications.
  • Provide management and direction over the scope of the team and its activities.
  • Drive resolution of operations-related issues, staffing requirements, scheduling, and workflow management.
  • Facilitate meetings to capture feedback, set goals and expectations, and establish goals/objectives for the team.
• Provide Leadership in your management role, including strong communications.
  • Be the escalation point that resolves team or process issues.
  • Keep current on best practices, regulatory environment, and emerging tools and standards related to the management of licensing programs.
  • Identify personal development opportunities that will support your ongoing capability to execute your deliverables now and in the future.
  • Promote and create synergies between the team and other teams across the business.
  • Initiate activities/communications to promote interdepartmental visibility, cooperation, and cohesion. 
  • Communicate effectively with key stakeholders across the organization.
  • Communicate effectively with the senior management team.

Operational Strategy, Execution, and Effectiveness

• Manage and execute the licensing strategy to ensure alignment with the overall corporate strategy.
• Manage and drive compliance to program requirements to optimize fees/rebates and reduce costs/steps.
• Set team productivity, quality, and objectives and determine the strategy to achieve established KPIs.
• Execute defined process improvements to meet and exceed current customer commitments to service their accounts (SLA’s etc); including accuracy, turn-around time, and overall effectiveness of the team’s operations and outputs.
• Ongoing audits of processes and systems to ensure they fulfill the team’s mission and goals efficiently and effectively.
• Own and execute training plans for partner and internal training and knowledge management content.

Business Management

• Identify trends, challenges, and risks within processes/technology/enablement. Apply critical thinking and analytical skills to provide remediation and implement solutions.
• Be future-oriented, challenge the status quo, understand business trends and drivers, and evolve the team as the business grows, support and execute on the corporate level vision.
• Ongoing delivery of operational and cost improvements through process and tool/system improvements.

• Identify risks and implement a risk management strategy.
• Stay current on industry trends and use the information to make recommendations applicable to licensing practices.

Requirements

• Up to 3 years’ experience in the technology industry or related licensing or operational background and experience
• Post-secondary education obtained at college or university.
• Substantial experience in operations, licensing program management, and analytics to effectively analyze the processes supporting licensing contract management and order fulfillment processes.
• Direct people management experience strongly recommended, with evidence of strong coaching and leadership skills. Capable of attracting, developing, managing, and promoting people and building highly engaged teams
• Business process improvement orientation preferred.
• Proven track record of executing change initiatives and delivering transformational change.
• Engaging and effective communication skills; can explain and appropriately position complex topics in the context of a discussion with team members, peers, and organizational leaders.
• Strong customer service and customer experience orientation as evidenced by experience in customer-facing roles or customer process improvements.
• Excellent knowledge of MS suite of technologies (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.)