Government Affairs Director

Do you have the passion and the competence to drive change and make an impact in influential European country, Italy, while benefitting from your extensive experience in politics and/or governmental affairs? We are looking for a creative and driven Government Affairs Director with excellent networking skills to join our Western Europe Government Affairs team that is a part of the Microsoft Corporate, External and Legal Affairs (CELA) team in Western Europe with employees from numerous nationalities and backgrounds located in our 12 subsidiaries.

Microsoft is on a mission to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. Our culture is centered on embracing a growth mindset, a theme of inspiring excellence, and encouraging teams and leaders to bring their best each day. In doing so, we create life-changing innovations that impact billions of lives around the world. You can help us achieve our mission.

The Government Affairs team is contributing to this by helping our customers succeed through digital transformation, strengthening Microsoft as a globally trusted provider of technology to everyone and contributing to local opportunities and economic growth.

**Responsibilities**:
**Strategy/Program Management**
- Advocates for, and manages, policy issues (e.g., social, political, technical), and leads the company’s engagement and campaign with senior internal stakeholders related to government affairs on priority issues, strategies, and/or programs.
- Contributes to, and develops, Microsoft’s policy agenda and/or advocacy strategies for top priorities.
- Responds to key strategic issues and recommends well thought-out actions by prioritizing, ensuring alignment with stakeholder positions, leveraging specialists, or escalating matters.
- Manages affairs in rapidly changing and ambiguous political, policy, and industry environments.

**Subject Matter Expertise and Influence**
- Develops and implements strategies for leveraging partnerships with external partners and key influencers to advance Microsoft's public policy agenda in several key areas.
- Develops and establishes an intelligence network, gathers and analyzes external/internal data and relationship interactions, and shares internal and external intelligence findings in support of Microsoft’s and customers' business objectives.
- Provides counseling on public policy and/or geo-political or cultural topics to business units related to specific product development or business plans.
- Develops and/or recommends highly creative solutions for advancing Microsoft policy and/or political agenda, while managing risks and consequences.

**Representing Microsoft**
- Participates in internal/external events, and is active with driving social media engagement on key issues; supports executive engagement and participation in international events.
- Directs political strategies, provides strategic vision, and develops communication framework and/or messaging in partnership with Communications team for Microsoft by implementing strategies across diverse stakeholders.

**External Relationships**
- Builds and maintains a strong, ongoing network and coalition with complex governmental and non-governmental stakeholders (e.g., peer and industry organizations, think tanks, academics, businesses, community leaders) to align interests to significantly advance Microsoft's objectives in key priority areas; builds strategic relationships that position Microsoft as a key trusted advisor to targeted political leadership and/or trade/think tank organizations in the region.
- Serves as a strategic partner to the Public Sector and other key business leads by supporting sales and market opportunities, building Microsoft's reputation as a globally trusted provider of technology, and assisting in navigating, minimizing, or removing roadblocks in order to drive business results.

**Internal Collaboration**
- Resolves complex, cross-group priority conflicts and gains alignment across teams to enable the achievement of shared business objectives; facilitates and coordinates internal business operations within region to raise awareness and facilitate communication and coordination of effort.

**Qualifications**:

- Master's Degree in Public Policy, Public Administration, or related field AND many years’ experience in government affairs, corporate affairs, public policy, or government OR some years’ experience in developing and managing strategic relationships to advocate and influence public/technology policy priorities in Italy or internationally.
- (CERF) C1 language skills in English, minimum C2 language skills in the French or Spanish languages.

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