Microsoft delivers more than 200 online services to more than one billion individuals worldwide and AHSI is the team behind our expanding cloud infrastructure.   We deliver the core infrastructure and foundational technologies for Microsoft's cloud businesses including Microsoft Azure, Bing, MSN, Office 365, OneDrive, Skype, Teams and Xbox Live.  

The HSP organization within Azure manages hardware roadmap planning and program management from concept through production for all of Microsoft’s current and future on-line services.  Well-defined and executed strategic planning ensures products meet the requirements for performance, features, and time-to-market. The ability to draw insights from a deep understanding of the cloud HW Infrastructure landscape and industry trends is critical in informing the roadmap and planning decisions.

As a Principal Strategic Planner, you will drive engagement with technology providers, understand their product portfolio and roadmap, work with internal partners and strategize how 1st and 3rd part technology solutions intercept Azure hardware infrastructure roadmap.  The role will involve building a team to perform TCO and performance comparison across variety of hardware offerings, performing “what-if” analysis, synthesizing clear recommendations for hardware development.  Standing up a team to do competitive analysis at the silicon ingredient level and at the rack / data center level and drive innovation that puts Azure hardware infrastructure at a performance and TCO leadership position.

Responsibilities

Workloads and Performance Comparisons: Fundamental understanding of cloud and datacenter workloads. Ability to comprehend and utilize industry tools to project and model performance on variety of CPU architectures and perform TCO analysis.

New performance and workload analysis capability development: Have a good understanding of emerging cloud workloads and map their equivalence with industry standard benchmarks. Evaluate performance of cloud workloads on emerging CPU and GPU architectures, working with 3rd party and 1st party CPU architects. 

Deep dive into CPU, Memory, and Storage technology offerings and trends, quantitatively compare various offerings and develop recommendations and strategy that give a unique edge to Azure hardware infrastructure.

Cost plan management: Lead creation of new plans and scenarios for optimizing cost ensuring goals are achieved. Publish and build plan to engineering groups, planners, execution team and track cost indicators’ performance against plan, proactively managing all deviations and mitigating risks to meeting the commitment. Partner with supply chain, finance, business groups and engineering teams to determine and execute on an optimal cost plan.

Business Intelligence and Analytics: Perform analyses & build ‘what-if’ scenario models to support decision making; work to improve data systems and develop new reporting tools to improve performance model visibility and accuracy.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

BS in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or similar field/experience.

8+ years industry experience in CPU, Memory or Storage technology development.

Knowledge of server technology and x86 architecture

Knowledge of cloud datacenter architecture

Knowledge of CPU/GPU power and performance modeling and data center TCO analysis

Preferred Qualifications 

Deep technical understand of CPU architecture, design and development, with emphasis on power and performance analysis

Deep technical understanding of GPU architecture, design and development, with emphasis on power and performance analysis, including software considerations

Proven customer obsession in prior roles where customer requirements were gathered and implemented into a product.

Proven capabilities to drive positive business results by working across multiple organizations.

Experience working in HW Infrastructure Engineering Groups

Ability to build relationships and influence in a matrix organization.

Highly effective written and oral communication skills with proven ability to present to a wide range of cross-functional partners across different teams and levels of the organization.

Self-motivated, driven individual who can work in a rapidly changing environment.

Ability to work in an ambiguous business environment with competing business tasks.

Familiarity and previous experience developing programs through phase gate process

Experience working with Microsoft Project or similar project management software.

Microsoft is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE) and strongly supports diversity in the work place.

Ability to meet Microsoft, customer and/or government security screening requirements are required for this role.

Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer.  All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, religion, national origin, marital status, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, or any other protected status.

Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations and ordinances.  We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application or the recruiting process, please send a request via the Accommodation request form.