In Surface, our business goal is clear: Profitably Grow Surface Volume & Share. We accomplish this goal in two ways:
- Selling TO our retail partners: Use consumer insights, market data, store level analysis, and device sales information to evaluate our business performance and develop seasonal, launch & sustain plans to improve our partners business, win share, sell units, and drive revenue/ GM.
- Selling THRU our retail partners: Plan and execute thoughtful and impactful promotions and full-funnel-marketing plans, focused on driving purchase intent, conversion & post purchase advocacy & consumer lifetime value for Surface devices & accessories.
Responsibilities
Key areas of responsibility:
1. Sell-In & Demand Planning (CPFR/ADP)
- Own the Americas CPFR/ADP process end to end — cadence, assumptions, consolidation, and publishing the demand signal.
- Hold accountability that Sell-In revenue and gross margin (GM) are met or exceeded.
- Run monthly demand-plan reviews with each market-maker account, holding the consolidated plan within tolerance of their financial targets.
- Reconcile Sell-In and channel inventory to Sell-Through / WOS targets, ensuring aligned signals across Sales, Channel Ops, Category, and Supply Chain.
- Own launch and EOL supply readiness, and build contingency / agility models that turn demand shifts into supply action.
2. Weekly Operating Rhythm (ROB)
- Stand up and run the weekly cadence that keeps supply and demand synced early: Monday supply update; Tuesday account outlook (Sell-In and Sell-Through); Wednesday consolidated Americas Sell-In view vs. plan; Thursday readout to WW Category.
- Continuously improve Sell-Through demand forecasting and channel-inventory monitoring.
3. Sell-In Outlook & Insight
- Own the Sell-In outlook by account within the consolidated Americas plan (sell-thru and promo by account are set by the account and category owners).
- Provide the context and insight behind the Sell-In plan — the assumptions, drivers, and risks that explain the numbers, not the numbers alone.
4. Cross-Team Orchestration (Partner & Direct)
- Orchestrate across NA account, operations, finance, supply chain, and marketing teams to converge on one plan — leading through influence without authority across partner and direct.
- Partner with the US and Distribution/Canada account leads (including D&H, Ingram, and Synnex) to align sell-in and inventory positions; the role owns the cross-account process and consolidation, while the account relationships remain with the account leads.
- Optimize MSFT, distributor, and end-retailer inventory positions across the portfolio.
Qualifications
Required/minimum qualifications
- Bachelor's Degree in Business, Marketing, Communications, Economics, Public Relations, Engineering, or related field AND 4+ years category management, product management, marketing strategy, business planning, product planning, or related work experience
- OR equivalent experience.
- Master's Degree in Business Administration, Business, Marketing, Communications, Economics, Public Relations, or related field AND 6+ years category management, product management, marketing strategy, business planning, product planning, or related work experience OR Bachelor's Degree in Business, Marketing, Communications, Economics, Public Relations, Engineering, or related field AND 8+ years category management, product management, marketing strategy, business planning, product planning, or related work experience OR equivalent experience.
- 4+ years experience managing and expanding a category and attaining sales and profitability targets within a complex (e.g., multinational or matrixed) organization OR equivalent experience.
Category Management IC4 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $106,400 - $203,600 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 $137,600 - $222,600 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.
Skills Required
- Bachelor's Degree in Business, Marketing, Communications, Economics, Public Relations, Engineering, or related field
- 4+ years category management, product management, marketing strategy, business planning, product planning, or related work experience OR equivalent experience
- Master's Degree in Business, Marketing, Communications, Economics, Public Relations, or related field AND 6+ years relevant experience OR Bachelor's Degree AND 8+ years relevant experience (preferred alternative)
- 4+ years experience managing and expanding a category and attaining sales and profitability targets within a complex or matrixed organization (preferred)
Microsoft Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Microsoft and has not been reviewed or approved by Microsoft.
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Fair & Transparent Compensation — Pay is presented as broadly competitive overall, with clear role/level/location variation and an emphasis on using posted ranges and band information for apples-to-apples comparisons.
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Retirement Support — Retirement benefits are described as a standout, highlighted by a strong 401(k) match structure and immediate vesting, plus additional plan features for tax-advantaged saving.
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Parental & Family Support — Family-oriented benefits are portrayed as a meaningful strength, with substantial paid parental leave and added supports like back-up care and adoption/surrogacy assistance.
Microsoft Insights
What We Do
At Microsoft, our mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. Our mission is grounded in both the world in which we live and the future we strive to create. Today, we live in a mobile-first, cloud-first world, and the transformation we are driving across our businesses is designed to enable Microsoft and our customers to thrive in this world.
