Operational Excellence Program Manager

About the Role

As part of Microsoft's commitment to fostering an inclusive work culture, we seek a dedicated Operational Excellence Program Manager based in Dubai to focus on minimizing stranded capacity. This role requires collaboration with Electrical Engineers and Critical Environment Field Service Engineers to plan and optimize IT capacity deployment locally.

Working within Microsoft’s Cloud Operations & Innovation (CO+I), you will be instrumental in supporting the infrastructure that powers services like Bing, Office 365, Xbox, OneDrive, and Azure. Your primary mission will be to enhance data center capacity by improving Infrastructure Utilization Effectiveness and Power Harvesting, leading retrofits of legacy data centers and maximizing existing fleet capacity. The CO+I group offers numerous employee development opportunities including career rotations, diversity and inclusion training, and professional certifications.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with the Regional Director and leadership to convert strategic priorities into actionable plans with clear milestones, ownership, and measurable results, while coordinating annual and long-term planning efforts.
• Implement governance frameworks to monitor commitments, risks, and dependencies, ensuring consistent operational practices and surfacing key risks in availability, safety, security, capacity, and compliance.
• Prepare and deliver succinct executive communications that translate complex operational insights into clear presentations and updates.
• Act as a liaison between the Regional Director, country leaders, and partner teams to foster strong cross-functional partnerships, promote shared ownership, and secure alignment of operational priorities across organizational layers.
• Track and analyze regional KPIs and strategic initiatives to generate data-driven insights that inform leadership decision-making and reveal key trends, dependencies, and gaps.

Qualifications

• A bachelor’s degree in a relevant discipline combined with industry experience.
• Proven track record in senior program or portfolio governance roles managing complex operational environments.
• Strong governance skills with an aptitude for translating executive strategy into rigorous execution, and demonstrated experience working closely with senior leadership.
• Experience as an individual contributor handling executive-level responsibilities.

Additional Information

• This role requires successful completion of Microsoft’s Cloud Background Check upon hire and every two years thereafter.
• Preferred experience includes working within data centers, critical infrastructure, technology operations, or related infrastructure fields.
• The candidate should possess an understanding of technical dependencies and operational risks, without necessarily serving as the technical decision-maker.

Equal Opportunity & Inclusion

Microsoft is committed to equal opportunity employment. All qualified candidates will be considered regardless of age, ancestry, citizenship, color, gender identity or expression, disability, military status, race, religion, sexual orientation, or other protected characteristics. Accommodations for religious practices or disabilities can be requested during the application process.