Sr Principal Analyst, Microsoft Contract Negotiations and Licensing (Remote US)

Gartner Analysts are industry thought leaders who create must-have insights, market predictions and best practices for a broad range of world-leading organizations. A Sr Principal serves as an expert within Gartner’s Business and Technology Insights (BTI) group. Utilizing research and analytical skills, a Sr Principal plays a role in producing pragmatic and provocative insights which Gartner clients consume and apply to propel their business toward key objectives. They are a trusted source of advice for clients, reinforcing Gartner’s value every day by engaging them via in-person meetings, virtual meetings, sales support visits and Gartner conferences to discuss complex client challenges and offer appropriate recommendations.  

Candidates must have current knowledge of Microsoft’s commercial programs, contracting models, pricing, and discounting approaches as well as a vision for how Microsoft licensing, and overall contracting and negotiations with large vendors, will evolve globally and regionally. 

What you will do:  

• Create innovative, thought provoking, and highly leveraged “must-have insights” content 
• Develop new insights and ideas through thought leadership and offer compelling, actionable approaches to client's needs and requests that accelerate the client's ability to act 
• Develop in-depth analysis to identify the root cause of a client’s barriers or overall needs and reframe thinking to drive strategy forward  
• Demonstrate thought leadership in establishing Insights positions across a team of analysts 
• Bring provocative, independent insights to Gartner leaders that can evolve the course of a research agenda 
• Research, analyze and predict market trends and shifts to provide clients and vendors with actionable insights  
• Provide clients and prospects with actionable advice aligned to their designated content area via virtual or face-to-face interactions 
• Create and deliver high value presentation materials on and off stage for Gartner events, industry and professional association conferences, and client briefings 
• Support BTI and Sales: Provide sales support serving as voice of the market to help Insights teams create content and to drive engagement with clients to make progress against their critical priorities to grow their business 
• Provide high quality and timely content peer review 
• Build credibility as an industry expert to represent Gartner insights, methodology and strategy  
• Actively participate in innovation, ideation, and research discussions and collaborate effectively with peers in the Insights community 
• Identify research process improvements or develop new processes that help the team and BTI provide excellent service delivery 
• Be client-centric while actively seeking to help clients engage regularly and often with Gartner insights and interactions 

What you will need:  

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience; Graduate degree preferred 
• 8+ years of relevant field or industry experience 
• 5+ years work experience in SaaS/software contract negotiations, technology procurement, category management, vendor management or software asset management within a buying organization, outsourcer, consulting firm, or reseller.  
• Extensive, recent, hands-on experience negotiating with Microsoft (within last 12 months).  
• Subject matter expertise in Microsoft licensing with understanding of the negotiation process, software and cloud services market trends, the global landscape, and reseller ecosystem.  
• Experience with software license compliance risk assessment, management, and/or mitigation in a software audit context, particularly with Microsoft, is desired. 
• Experience with other major vendors (e.g., AWS, Google, Salesforce, SAP, Oracle, or ServiceNow) is desired. 
• Provide clients and prospects with compelling, actionable advice regarding their Microsoft pricing and contracting needs, including negotiation strategies and ongoing vendor management, via virtual or face-to-face interactions.  
• Develop and publish innovative, high-impact insights on software pricing and contracting, especially Microsoft, via research articles, webinars, events, and client briefings. 
• Research, analyze, and forecast trends in software, SaaS, and cloud licensing to deliver forward-looking guidance. 
• Demonstrate executive presence; can immediately establish credibility with executives and additional stakeholders 
• Strong organizational skills; ability to work under tight deadlines and produce high quality deliverables 
• Demonstrate excellence in research and writing ability 
• Strong written and verbal proficiency, analytical and presentation skills; ability to engage clients and respond effectively to questions 
• Proficient in analyzing and synthesizing data; can effectively apply patterns and frameworks while drawing and defending conclusions to client challenges 
• Strong communication skills - able to explain complex concepts concisely and simply 
• Subject matter expertise; comfortable presenting at large and small-scale speaking engagements Strong business and financial acumen 
• Deep knowledge of the global and competitive landscape within subject area as well as the interplay in that market 
• Ability to work independently, while also being intrinsically motivated to collaborate across teams and support the workflow of others, in a multicultural global team 
• Learning agile and adept with navigating highly matrixed environments 
• Ability to represent Gartner's research methodology and strategies effectively at all levels 
• Willingness and ability to travel up to 25% (where applicable) 

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