About the job
Microsoft Cloud Operations + Innovation (CO+I) is the engine that powers Microsoft's cloud services and our team is focused on delivering high quality infrastructure to support cloud operations. As Microsoft’s Cloud business continues to mature, our infrastructure expansion accelerates, and Data Centers are central to this growth. To support this, the acquisition and development of our owned, designed, and constructed Data Center facilities will scale to meet the demands of our customers, while we also continue to lease and acquire Data Center capacity at pace, particularly in our high growth markets, working closely with Data Center operators in each region, and across the Globe.
Responsibilities:
Alignment And Execution Of Our Objectives & Key Results
- Oversee Lease Execution: Lead the entire lease process from initial demand analysis to contract execution. Drive all related performance metrics including safety, quality, rates, schedule, and cost, ensuring alignment with critical business timelines.
- Project Management: Manage multiple leasing projects across the Middle East, coordinating with internal teams, lease providers, and external stakeholders to ensure seamless execution.
- Capacity Planning: Collaborate with capacity planners and network teams to gauge and fulfill capacity needs specific to the Middle East, understanding regional site requirements and constraints.
- Lease Negotiation and Evaluation: Coordinate with cross-functional teams to assess, negotiate, and finalize leases. Recommend leasing decisions to higher management based on comprehensive evaluations and strategic fit.
- Strategic Development: Formulate and implement metro strategies that leverage local market insights to achieve optimal time-to-market and cost efficiencies. Drive the negotiation of commercial terms with lease providers to secure advantageous deals.
- Legal and Financial Collaboration: Work closely with the Legal team to ensure leases are legally compliant and executable. Partner with Finance representatives to analyze the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) for leasing versus building options, advocating for the most cost-effective strategies.
- Market Research and Analytics: Conduct detailed market research and analytics in the Middle East, focusing on new and existing metros, as well as potential country expansions. Provide analytical support to the team, highlighting risks associated with delivery timelines and costs.
- Lease Management: Oversee new colocation leases, extensions, and renewals, ensuring they align with strategic business needs and operational requirements.
- Portfolio Management: Review existing site requests and coordinate internally to update any existing contracts to adapt to changes.
- Network Contractual Updates: Support upgrades in Middle East networks and implement any contractual changes needed to adopt changes in the lease contract.
- Cross-Functional Team Leadership: Act as a central point of contact for regional demand planning, engineering, construction, security, networking, energy, and operations teams. Collaborate with global teams to ensure regional strategies align with overall corporate objectives.
Qualifications
Requirements:
- Educational Background: A bachelor's degree in business administration or real estate. Advanced degrees such as an MBA can be beneficial.
- Experience: 5 years experience in real estate management, particularly in leasing, negotiations, and contract management. 2 years of experience in managing large, complex projects and multiple stakeholders across different geographical locations. Familiarity with the real estate market in the Middle East and specific regulatory requirements.
- Skills: Strong leadership and interpersonal skills to manage and integrate efforts across cross-functional teams. Excellent negotiation skills, with the ability to secure favorable terms and understand legal ramifications. Strategic thinking and capacity planning abilities to assess and align real estate needs with business objectives. Analytical skills for market research, financial analysis (including Total Cost of Ownership calculations), and risk management. Effective communication skills, crucial for coordinating with internal and external stakeholders and for presenting recommendations to senior management.
Preferred, Not Required:
- 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.
Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. Consistent with applicable law, 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 and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about requesting accommodations.
