Website link here: https://careers.microsoft.com/us/en/job/852927/Chief-of-Staff-Sustainability

As the environmental challenges facing the world grow, so too has Microsoft’s commitment to ensuring that the company’s activities are in-line with the best available science and the expectations of leading stakeholder communities. The CELA Environmental Sustainability (ES) team coordinates overall science-based, measurable, and scalable sustainability investments and outcomes across the company – engaging with business groups to set goals related to reductions in the environmental impacts of business operations and positive environmental outcomes resulting from technology and policy development.

Reporting to Microsoft’s Chief Environmental Officer, the Environmental Sustainability Chief of Staff will lead the ES team’s cross-company Rhythm of the Business (RoB), partner closely with the ES leadership team to execute against the strategy of the group, manage a team of sustainability professionals in business management, reporting, compliance, and water, waste, carbon and energy subject matter experts, and create people development plans across the team to strengthen capabilities and team growth.

This position will lead organizational operations and matrixed collaborations with other divisions on topics including finance, hiring and training, internal and external executive communications and partner engagements, organizational health initiatives, and ensure an efficient and effective RoB is in place. You must have the ability to think strategically at a global level and effectively develop key processes, procedures and communications that facilitate business planning and execution. This position requires extensive cross-group coordination at all levels, strong financial acumen, excellent communication skills, and the ability to build compelling internal/external presentations and comprehensive business review materials.

Responsibilities

Key Responsibilities of this position include:

• Business Planning and Leadership: Lead and coordinate the ES RoB and improve processes to run the business efficiently. The Chief of Staff will establish the Rhythm of the Business for the team, and work with partner organizations to coordinate business processes and management control processes etc. Partner with the ES LT to manage the planning process ensuring coordination with corporate planning processes as well as planning integration across the broader org.  Work with cross-division and cross-company/team counterparts to manage team participation as needed for key business events, next fiscal year planning, running business reviews, and other strategic business planning activities.
• Stakeholder Engagement:Plan and execute Chief Environmental Officer’s stakeholder engagement strategy and vehicles that support organizational strategic missions.  Drive internal communications for team meetings and other internal communications at major milestones.  Plan and manage team meetings including All Hands, staff meetings and manager meetings.  Manage the Chief Environmental Officers external communications for customer/partner engagements, speaking engagements to ensure successful and impactful use of everyone’s time.
• People Management: Provide effective leadership to and management of a team of direct reports covering operational aspects of the sustainability team’s mission, and create people development plans across the team to strengthen capabilities and team growth.
• Financial Management:Lead budget planning and forecasting, hiring strategy, and resource management in alignment with the RoB. Manage the team’s budget, headcount and spend in partnership with Business Manager and finance to ensure effective budget management. Ensure teams have a deep understanding of people/discretionary and non-people spend and drive to quarterly and FY financial targets/accountabilities. Lead fiscal planning process for the team in partnership with Finance
• Business Integration:Identify issues that impede business group success and provide solutions/recommendations. Identify opportunities to create cross group collaboration and synergies. Orchestrate team design conversation and facilitate successful implementation of organizational plans. Demonstrate discretion and professionalism when working with leadership team on sensitive business and organizational issues, manage ambiguity and propose workable solutions to challenging problems.
• Culture & People Programs:Work closely with ES leadership to identify, analyze and develop strategies to improve organizational health. Orchestrate team trainings and brownbag series to contribute to ongoing development. Define, plan and drive cross-team process improvements (e.g., team recognition, development of business plans and RoB). Elevate our partnership with Recruiting to ensure our organization attracts the best and brightest candidates and any openings are filled quickly and meet organizational hiring objectives. Drives and ensures a positive Onboarding, and ongoing training program for the organization.
• Special Projects:Drive high-impact cross-team projects as needed to meet the changing business environment and ensure the team is achieving commitments. Successful project management, including work with strategy consultants and other external agencies, on strategic efforts that require hands-on experience across multiple functional disciplines and business organizations.

Qualifications

The successful candidate will have the following qualifications:

• 10+ years of program management experience in a technology or engineering organization, non-profit, or governmental agency, with experience across multiple disciplines
• 5+ years of experience driving teams to design, build, evaluate, support, and continuously improve global programs
• Experience as a chief of staff, GPM or other business leadership within in a technology or engineering organization, non-profit, or governmental agency
• Bachelor’s degree or higher, MBA preferred

The ideal candidate will also have:

• Background in sustainability, environmental science, or other natural sciences
• Attention to detail, strong strategic execution
• Success collaborating across multiple teams and levels
• Proven track record in project and business management
• Experience leading and executing projects in a complex organizational environment and work on several diverse projects simultaneously
• Strong analytical, financial acumen and communication skills with the ability to influence across non-direct reporting teams
• Ability to translate ideas into clear, high impact communications
• Ability to excel in an ambiguous environment

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.

Benefits/perks listed below may vary depending on the nature of your employment with Microsoft and the country where you work.