Microsoft Development & Portfolio Manager

Technology companies and their products are now integral to every aspect of our clients’ businesses, increasing their influence significantly. We need our brand to be synonymous with digital transformation and our solutions underpinned by alliance partner technology to solve our clients’ biggest challenges. 

Partnering with the right ecosystem of technology vendors is therefore essential to support our clients. This includes both strategic partners, like Microsoft, and specialist or pure-play alliance partners in high-demand areas such as cloud, data, AI and cybersecurity. These partnerships are carefully selected to align with and enable our broader Advisory strategy. 

This role offers a unique opportunity to work across both types of alliances to shape and execute joint go-to-market strategies. You will utilise your relationship-building skills to propel collaboration and alliance coordination to the next-level. This role is suited to an individual with the ambition to operate in all aspects of the sales cycle, ideally with a background in digital transformation and technology. You will be required to build a strong partner network and help drive significant pipeline growth. 

• This role will have a split focus between an Alliance Development Lead for Microsoft (50% focus) and a Portfolio Manager (50% focus), collectively managing emerging partners in a high-demand area (e.g. Cyber, Risk, Procurement or EPM etc).  You will: 
• Develop, nurture and maintain key and significant relationships with the partner ecosystem and act as a key contact / "face of" KPMG 
• Act as the key interface between the Alliance Team (or equivalent) at our Alliance Partners, chairing weekly update meetings and taking decisive action accordingly 
• Enhance our brand with our Alliance Partners - i.e. ensuring that KPMG is always front and centre of their partner ecosystem.  If our Alliance Partner is implementing their technology, they should wish to do so with KPMG as their implementation / consulting partner 
• Draft, agree, and most importantly, execute a go-to-market plan with our Alliance Partner. This plan should: 
• Determine, foster and encourage key relationships - i.e. who from KPMG aligns with the key stakeholders at our Alliance Partner 
• Agree how we generate demand in the market together and then, activate as appropriate 
• Identify which opportunities / targets we will work on together and then, drive dogmatic activation plans in conjunction with appropriate Advisory colleagues and Alliance Partner Account Executives 
• Prioritise our approach together - what are we focusing on; when; who is involved; what are the stage gate measurements of success 
• Importantly, the plan needs to underpin how we work together and how we win together 
• Ongoing and regular governance of both the plan, and also our successful relationship with the Alliance Partner  
• Ongoing and regular updates to senior stakeholders from both KPMG and our Alliance Partner to meet KPIs, as well as monitor progress 
• Make introductions as necessary - i.e. respective Sector Leads from both sides; or Industry Leads; or key Client / Account Leads AND monitor and track progress 
• Proactively engage with client and targets, where appropriate, along with the Alliance Sales Team to help promote excellent KPMG relationships and our commitment to working with our Alliance Partners 
• Support and lead all contractual arrangements between KPMG and our Alliance Partners to ensure that we maintain excellent Quality and Risk Management (QRM).  This will include agreeing Alliance contracts with our QRM team; continuance contracts on a periodic basis, and any reselling / influencing contracts, as appropriate. 
• Create and execute successful sales campaign(s) working closely with Marketing 
• Follow up sales leads in a timely manner and progress through to a highly qualified opportunity 
• Manage the sales process associated with the lifecycle of an opportunity, developing strategic winning strategies 
• Manage pipeline, support bids, pitch, and help with close activities, as required 

Stakeholder Interaction & challenges: 

• Essential to success will be your ability to interact and build trusted working relationships both internally and externally. You will be expected to own multiple relationships with partner key stakeholders. 
• You will be challenged to respond to demand and work flexibly across alliance-enabled high growth areas. 
• You will be challenged to ensure your partner interactions are intentional and you are focussed on working on insightful opportunities. 

Impact, Risk, Accountability & Governance: 

• The impact you will have on growing our alliance-enabled pipeline will be significant. The role presents an opportunity for you to make your mark and utilise your relationship-building skills to propel collaboration and origination/insight through the channel to the next-level.  

You will help build our market presence within our technology ecosystem – helping KPMG to become the partner of choice for our alliances and our clients. 

We want passionate, articulate, driven people to join our team and help us to enhance our brand, reputation, and market share. 

This is a busy role within the team, requiring a balance of business development, sales origination, account management, self-motivation and a flexible mindset to respond to demand in key growth areas.

Essential experience 

• Be able to form trusted relationships with key alliance partner stakeholders, and drive value-adding business conversations with clients. 
• Be confident interacting with stakeholders at multiple levels, internally and externally 
• Inquisitive, with strong questioning and listening skills with ability to see the bigger picture 
• Effective networker 
• A growing external profile through social media and events 
• Mature in outlook, with strong influencing skills (internal and with client) and diplomacy 
• Positive and enthusiastic manner in dealing with a cross section of people 
• Be well organised, detail-conscious, pro-active, hard-working, and resilient. Finish what you start. 
• Be flexible in their approach and able to work under pressure