Principal Strategy and Planning Leader

We are at a defining moment in technology. AI is reshaping how organizations operate—embedding autonomous agents into core workflows and collapsing the time between decision and action. Security models built for a human-paced world cannot govern AI at machine speed, making trust across identity, data, and governance the decisive factor in enterprise AI adoption. Microsoft Security is uniquely positioned to lead this shift, extending our mission to make the world safer by helping customers confidently harness AI while defending against increasingly sophisticated, AI-powered threats. This is not an incremental evolution of security—it is a reinvention for the AI age. 

As a Principal Strategy and Planning Leader within the Engineering organization, you will drive cross-portfolio initiatives that translate MSEC strategy into execution at scale. You will partner across engineering, product, research, and field teams to shape priorities, align dependencies, and accelerate delivery on the initiatives that matter most—helping build the control plane for AI-driven organizations and enabling leadership decision-making with clarity and speed. 

This role operates at the intersection of strategy, execution, and insight—turning leadership priorities into executable plans, sharp metrics, and AI-powered intelligence that keep the organization on its commitments. Success demands a rare blend of strategic and systems thinking, operational rigor, and the executive presence to influence senior leaders in a highly matrixed environment. If you are energized by complex problems at the intersection of AI and security, and driven to shape outcomes that define an industry, this is your opportunity to help build the next generation of enterprise security. 

Strategy Development & Planning 

• Partner with MSEC Engineering leadership to translate company and MSEC strategy into executable engineering priorities 

• Lead annual and multi-year strategic planning processes, including investment framing, roadmap alignment, and scenario modeling 

• Develop clear strategic narratives, business cases, and tradeoff analyses to inform LT-level decisions 

• Identify emerging opportunities and influence strategic direction 

Driving Cross-Org Strategic Initiatives 

• Own and drive end-to-end execution of high-impact, cross-division initiatives  

• Align dependencies across product teams, engineering, research, and GTM 

• Establish clear ownership models (DRIs), milestones, and success metrics 

• Proactively identify risks, unblock execution, and escalate decision points to leadership 

• Ensure initiatives stay focused on customer outcomes vs. organizational boundaries 

Engineering Planning & Execution Rhythm 

• Define and operationalize planning cadences (quarterly reviews, engineering reviews, strategy checkpoints) 

• Partner with engineering leaders to ensure alignment across PM, Dev, UX, and CxE in delivering AI-first security solutions 

• Drive clarity on prioritization, tradeoffs, and resource allocation 

• Track progress via KPIs, OKRs, and operational dashboards 

Leadership Engagement & Executive Communication 

• Serve as a trusted advisor to Engineering LT and MSEC leadership 

• Create executive-ready materials (strategy decks, LT updates, narratives) 

• Facilitate decision-making forums, including Engineering Reviews and cross-org alignment sessions 

• Represent Engineering strategy in cross-company forums (e.g., product, field, and strategy teams) 

  Insights, Analytics & Continuous Improvement 

• Leverage data, customer insights, and competitive intelligence to drive strategic insights 

• Benchmark performance and identify gaps in execution, quality, or customer impact 

• Improve operating model, governance, and execution discipline across engineering org 

Required/minimum qualifications