Partner Solution Specialist

Are you passionate about empowering Education Kindergarten to Year 12 (K-12) and nonprofit organisations to unlock the full potential of their cybersecurity capabilities? As a Partner Solution Specialist (PSS) for Security, you’ll lead strategic engagements with education K-12 and nonprofit partners and customers to identify their evolving security needs and align them with Microsoft’s integrated security, compliance, and identity solutions. You’ll guide partners and customers throughout their digital transformation—demonstrating how Microsoft’s advanced security platform, infused with AI and automation, can protect digital estates, streamline security operations, and strengthen organisational resilience. Your expertise will be central in helping partners and customers embrace a Zero Trust approach, enhance threat protection, and build lasting security foundations.

You’ll be part of a high-performing team focused on Microsoft’s most strategic nonprofit and education K-12 partners and customers, driving the daily execution of security priorities. Collaboration across internal teams and the partner ecosystem will be key to delivering impactful security solutions, generating new pipeline, and closing deals that provide measurable security outcomes. With a deep understanding of the Education and nonprofit sector’s unique security challenges, you’ll help customers and partners safeguard their digital environments while leveraging AI for proactive defence. This role blends strategic engagement, technical security expertise, and collaborative execution—enabling you to help advance security postures and realise the full value of Microsoft’s security capabilities through partnership.

Microsoft’s mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. As employees we come together with a growth mindset, innovate to empower others, and collaborate to realize our shared goals. Each day we build on our values of respect, integrity, and accountability to create a culture of inclusion where everyone can thrive at work and beyond.

**Responsibilities**:
**Partner Strategy and Business Planning**
- Develop and execute Partner Solution Area Business Plans that are industry aligned to nonprofit and educationK-12 with key partners. The outcome of the strategic commerical business plans are to drive discovery and qualification of new Cyber Security and AI platform opportunities by building long-term relationships and by understanding customer priorities, budgets, and procurement processes.
- Lead weekly coaching and update calls with invested partners to maintain focus and resolve issues swiftly.
- Collaborate with nonprofit and education K-12 Partner Ambassadors to amplify partner impact.

**Sales and Marketing Execution**
- Drive key marketing and sales activities with partners, including Security and AI Ready Workshops, MCI Workshops, and partner-led events.
- Utilise customer demand generation engines to support partner-led outreach and engagement.

**Channel Development and Enablement**
- Engage with partners to expand customer and wider partner ecosystem reach by ensuring access to key assets and materials.
- Guide partners through transformation journeys to build prioritised education K-12 and nonprofit practices with leadership support and co-investment.
- Coach partners to articulate cloud benefits to customers, increasing paid-to-grant ratios and reducing engagement friction.

**Partner Engagement and Referral Management**
- Own local referral partner relationships, ensuring readiness across Microsoft’s integrated security, compliance, identity, and AI solutions.
- Support Sales team in referral health reviews and provide feedback to improve partner performance aligned to the nonprofit and education K-12 sectors to support the acceleration of security opportunities.

**Territory Growth and Investment**
- Develop and support growth plans focused on nonprofit and education K-12 industry scale.
- Align partner business models and expertise with Microsoft’s mission to ensure strategic focus and impact.

**Performance Management and Reporting**
- Manage monthly reporting cycles to capture insights and inform future investments.
- Act as the local SMB Security Solution Area nonprofit and education K-12 lead, promoting engagement at scale through partners and affiliates.

**Qualifications**:
**Required Qualifications**
- Bachelor's Degree AND 4+ years experience in core sales, CSP program engagement, channel sales, and/or SMB business development.
- ** OR** equivalent experience.
- ** Demonstrated**expertise** in Microsoft’s security** capabilities**, with deep understanding to identify their security needs and align them with Microsoft’s integrated security, compliance, identity, and AI solutions.
- C-900: Microsoft Security Compliance, and Identity Fundamentals Certification or equivalent.

**Preferred Qualifications**- 8+ years of experience in core sales, CSP program engagement, channel