Overview
A career in IBM Consulting is built on long‐term client relationships and close collaboration worldwide. You'll work with leading companies across industries, helping them shape their hybrid cloud and AI journeys. With support from our strategic partners, robust IBM technology, and Red Hat, you'll have the tools to drive meaningful change and accelerate client impact. At IBM Consulting, curiosity fuels success. You'll be encouraged to challenge the norm, explore new ideas, and create innovative solutions that deliver real results. Our culture of growth and empathy focuses on your long‐term career development while valuing your unique skills and experiences.
Responsibilities
We are seeking a high‐impact Business Development Leader to drive strategic growth across Microsoft Consulting Services, with a focus on Azure, Modern Work, Security, Power Platform, and Industry Cloud solutions. This role leads end‐to‐end sales pursuits, shapes RFP/RFI responses, orchestrates complex multi‐disciplinary teams, and ensures a disciplined, customer‐centric approach to pipeline management and deal execution.
The ideal candidate blends consultative selling, deal orchestration, solution shaping, and Microsoft ecosystem expertise to drive outcomes that align to customer strategy and Microsoft's cloud roadmap.
Required Expertise Sales & Business Growth
* Own and drive the consulting sales motion across industry specific assigned territories and accounts.
* Develop and execute sales pursuit plans, aligning customer outcomes with Microsoft solution areas (Azure, Data & AI, Security, Modern Work, and Business Applications).
* Shape strategic opportunities including modernization, hybrid cloud, app innovation, data platforms, and AI adoption.
* Drive pipeline creation, revenue growth, and Azure consumption through proactive engagement with customers and Microsoft field teams.
* Lead the development of compelling, differentiated RFP/RFI responses that articulate value, technical credibility, and delivery confidence.
* Shape win themes, solution narratives, pricing strategies, and executive summaries.
* Coordinate inputs from architects, delivery leaders, product teams, and industry SMEs to build a cohesive solution and proposal.
* Establish a repeatable proposal framework and ensure submissions are compliant, clear, and customer‐centred.
* Present solution and proposal components to customer evaluation panels, steering committees, or procurement teams.
Deal Orchestration & Solution Shaping
* Azure hybrid and multicloud (Azure Arc, Azure Stack HCI, AVS)
* Azure security and identity (Microsoft Entra, Defender, Sentinel)
* Data & AI, analytics, and cloud‐native architectures
* Power Platform and low‐code modernization
* Lead multi‐disciplinary deal teams including solution architects, designers, engineers, and project leads.
* Develop high‐level delivery models, staffing estimates, assumptions, risks, and solution costing.
* Ensure technical and delivery components are consistent with best practices (CAF, WAF, Zero Trust, governance frameworks).
* Facilitate clear, confident customer conversations about architecture, delivery, risk, and value.
* Drive structured opportunity qualification and progression using frameworks such as MEDDPICC or Challenger.
* Lead weekly pipeline reviews, forecast accuracy sessions, and deal health assessments.
* Ensure opportunities have clear next steps, timelines, decision criteria, and stakeholder mapping.
Customer‐Centric Engagement
* Serve as a trusted advisor, understanding customer priorities, industry context, and transformation goals.
* Map business problems to technology solutions anchored in measurable value and Microsoft best practices.
* Deliver customer briefings, workshops, roadmaps, and executive‐level presentations.
* Ensure every pursuit is framed through a lens of customer impact, risk mitigation, and business value.
* Work closely with Microsoft sales, CSAs, ATUs, and industry specialists to shape joint strategies.
* Align opportunities to Microsoft programs such as Azure Migrations, FastTrack, Solution Assessments, and funding programs.
* Partner with ISVs and system integrators where appropriate to create blended offerings.
Education & Experience
Required education: None
Preferred education: None
Required Technical and Professional Expertise
* 7+ years in business development, consulting sales, or solutions sales, preferably within the Microsoft ecosystem.
* Demonstrated expertise in RFP/RFI leadership and proposal writing.
* Sales pursuit strategy and execution.
* Hybrid cloud and Azure‐based solution shaping.
* Pipeline management and CRM hygiene.
* Consultative and value‐based selling.
* Strong understanding of Microsoft cloud technologies, including Identity/security (Entra, Defender, Sentinel) and Modern Work and Power Platform.
* Ability to engage confidently with executives and technical leaders.
* Exceptional communication skills, both written and verbal.
* Experience coordinating architects, developers, designers, delivery managers, and finance/commercial teams during pursuits.
Success Indicators (12–18 Months)
* Consistent pipeline hygiene and forecast accuracy within ±10%.
* Growth in consulting revenue, Azure consumption, and customer lifetime value.
* High win rate on RFP/RFI‐driven competitive pursuits.
* Strong collaboration feedback from architects, delivery teams, and Microsoft sellers.
* Customer satisfaction and repeat business from well‐shaped engagements.
Preferred Professional and Technical Expertise
* Experience working directly with Microsoft field teams in co‐sell or partner motions.
* Prior background in consulting delivery, pre‐sales architecture, or proposal management.
* Familiarity with industry‐specific cloud requirements in FSI, healthcare, government, or regulated environments.
About Business Unit
IBM Consulting is IBM's consulting and global professional services business, with market leading capabilities in business and technology transformation. With deep expertise in many industries, we offer strategy, experience, technology, and operations services to many of the most innovative and valuable companies in the world. Our people are focused on accelerating our clients' businesses through the power of collaboration. We believe in the power of technology responsibly used to help people, partners and the planet.
Your Life @ IBM
In a world where technology never stands still, we understand that, dedication to our clients success, innovation that matters, and trust and personal responsibility in all our relationships, lives in what we do as IBMers as we strive to be the catalyst that makes the world work better.
Being an IBMer means you'll be able to learn and develop yourself and your career, you'll be encouraged to be courageous and experiment everyday, all whilst having continuous trust and support in an environment where everyone can thrive whatever their personal or professional background.
Our IBMers are growth minded, always staying curious, open to feedback and learning new information and skills to constantly transform themselves and our company. They are trusted to provide on‐going feedback to help other IBMers grow, as well as collaborate with colleagues keeping in mind a team focused approach to include different perspectives to drive exceptional outcomes for our customers. The courage our IBMers have to make critical decisions everyday is essential to IBM becoming the catalyst for progress, always embracing challenges with resources they have to hand, a can‐do attitude and always striving for an outcome focused approach within everything that they do.
Are you ready to be an IBMer?
About IBM
IBMs greatest invention is the IBMer. We believe that through the application of intelligence, reason and science, we can improve business, society and the human condition, bringing the power of an open hybrid cloud and AI strategy to life for our clients and partners around the world.
Restlessly reinventing since 1911, we are not only one of the largest corporate organizations in the world, we're also one of the biggest technology and consulting employers, with many of the Fortune 500 companies relying on the IBM Cloud to run their business.
At IBM, we pride ourselves on being an early adopter of artificial intelligence, quantum computing and blockchain. Now it's time for you to join us on our journey to being a responsible technology innovator and a force for good in the world.
IBM is proud to be an equal‐opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, pregnancy, disability, neurodivergence, age, or other characteristics protected by the applicable law. IBM is also committed to compliance with all fair employment practices regarding citizenship and immigration status.
Other Relevant Job Details
* Location: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
* Work arrangement: Hybrid
* Employment type: Regular
* Position type: Professional
* Some travel may be required based on business demand
* Company: (0008) IBM Australia Limited
* Shift: General (daytime)
* Commissionable/sales incentive based position: No information provided
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