Director Analyst, Microsoft Contract Negotiations & Licensing (Remote-US)

About the role: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 Director serves as a leader within Gartner’s Business and Technology Insights (BTI) group. Utilizing research and analytical skills, a Director plays a significant 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. What you will do: Create innovative, thought provoking, and highly leveraged “must-have insights” contentDevelop 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 actDevelop 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 analystsBring provocative, independent insights to Gartner leaders that can evolve the course of a research agendaResearch, 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 businessProvide high quality and timely content peer reviewBuild 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 communityIdentify research process improvements or develop new processes that help the team and BTI provide excellent service deliveryBe a mentor and a coach by supporting more junior team membersBe client-centric while actively seeking to help clients engage regularly and often with Gartner insights and interactionsWhat you will need: Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience; Graduate degree preferred12+ years of relevant field or industry experience 8+ 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. 5+ years hands-on experience negotiating Microsoft renewals (including deals within last 12 months) with exposure to MCA, EA and CSP.Subject matter expertise in Microsoft volume licensing with particular focus on commercial aspects, software and cloud services market trends, 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 negotiating with and managing other major vendors (e.g., AWS, Google, Salesforce, SAP, Oracle, or ServiceNow) is desired.Executive presence; able to immediately establish credibility with executives and additional stakeholdersStrong organizational skills; ability to work under tight deadlines and produce high quality deliverablesDemonstrable excellence in research and writing abilityStrong 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 challengesStrong 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 marketAbility to work independently, while also being intrinsically motivated to collaborate across teams and support the workflow of others, in a multicultural global teamLearning agile and adept with navigating highly matrixed environmentsAbility to represent Gartner's research methodology and strategies effectively at all levelsWillingness and ability to travel up to 25% (where applicable)Who are we? At Gartner, Inc. (NYSE:IT), we guide the leaders who shape the world.Our mission relies on expert analysis and bold ideas to deliver actionable, objective b