Overview

Microsoft Customer and Partner Solutions Core (MCAPS-Core) accelerates customer outcomes and business growth. By uniting product, engineering, marketing, sales, customer success, and partners around a common customer mission, we help customers realize value faster and turn innovation into measurable business impact. Through deep technical expertise and differentiated go-to-market execution, we win competitively, capture market share, and scale repeatable growth motions. We differentiate through value creation - delivering world-class, AI-powered customer experiences that accelerate adoption, strengthen loyalty, and create sustainable competitive advantage, driving growth that outpaces the market.

Worldwide Enterprise Partner Sales (WW EPS), part of MCAPS-Core, is accountable for co-building and co-selling Microsoft solutions and services, with our global Enterprise partners. Our Enterprise Partner portfolio comprises Microsoft for Startups, Digital Natives, Model & Hardware, Advisory & Consulting, Global SIs and ISVs working together to empower people and organizations to achieve more.

Microsoft for Startups adopts a comprehensive approach to fostering success, partnering with venture capitalists and accelerators to identify and support the most promising startups. By working closely with startup leaders, we empower them to leverage Microsoft’s extensive resources and global B2B market reach. The MfS Technical Enablement team exists to accelerate startup success on Microsoft platforms by helping founders build faster, scale smarter, and sell more.

We do this by combining direct technical advisory, platform influence, startup experience improvements, and scalable enablement systems that remove friction across the startup lifecycle. Our role is not only to help individual startups succeed, but also to identify and address systemic barriers that prevent startups from adopting Azure, commercializing their business on Microsoft platforms, and growing into long-term Microsoft customers and partners.

The Architect-in-Residence - Startups role will accelerate product development, AI adoption, and go-to-market readiness for early-stage startups backed by our strategic partners. By providing hands-on architecture expertise and trusted technical guidance, this role will help founders overcome technical barriers and build on Microsoft’s Cloud and AI stack. This headcount will connect startups with Microsoft product, engineering, and sales teams, strengthening strategic partner relationships and translating startup engagement into sustained Azure adoption and consumption growth.

This role is remote but must be located in the New York Metro area due to frequent client visits in the region.

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

Customer Centricity

• Translate startup needs and feedback into solutions that accelerate adoption and improve satisfaction.
• Serve as a trusted technical advisor and advocate for startups within Microsoft.
• Coordinate product, support, and sales teams to resolve challenges and guide startup decisions.

Technical Leadership

• Deliver architecture reviews, demonstrations, and workshops to accelerate startup product development.
• Build and share technical expertise to strengthen solution quality and team capability.

Business Leadership

• Drive Azure consumption by removing adoption blockers and identifying growth opportunities through data-driven insights.
• Optimize startup architecture and performance using Microsoft best practices.
• Reduce delivery risks through governance, quality assurance, and milestone management.
• Demonstrate Microsoft’s differentiated value to support startup technology decisions.

Qualifications

Required/minimum qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Supply Chain, or related field AND 4+ years experience in technical program/product management, coding, software development/delivery work OR equivalent experience.
• 3+ years of customer-facing experience.

Additional or preferred qualifications

• Experience working with startups or high-growth/fast-moving customers, where needs and priorities can evolve quickly.
• Experience working directly with customers in a technical advisory or cloud solution architecture capacity (Azure or similar cloud technologies).
• Experience influencing technical decision-makers and building trusted-advisor relationships.

Salary Information

Customer Solutions Architecture IC4 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $119,800 - $234,700 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 $160,200 - $261,000 per year.

Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here: https://careers.microsoft.com/us/en/us-corporate-pay

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.