Microsoft Industry Solution - Global Delivery Center (GDC) delivers end-to-end solutions by enabling accelerated adoption and productive use of Microsoft technologies. An organization of well over 1000+ exceptional people, GDC presents a great opportunity for highly skilled services professionals to make a foray into consulting, solution development and delivery roles. The Principal Consultant is a senior leader responsible for the successful technical execution and delivery of complex client projects across diverse domains. This role acts as a strategic anchor between clients, architects, delivery managers, project managers, and delivery teams. In the AI-first GDC org, Principal Consultants are expected to embed AI-native thinking into delivery models, ensuring solutions are intelligent, scalable, and aligned with business outcomes. The ideal candidate is passionate about technology, demonstrates breadth of expertise, and advocates for solutions that deliver true client value. **Responsibilities** **AI-First Delivery Leadership** + Embed AI-first principles into delivery workflows, leveraging automation and intelligent orchestration where applicable. + Lead end-to-end delivery of complex projects, ensuring solutions are scalable, robust, and aligned with client business outcomes. + Drive engineering excellence through reusable components, accelerators, and scalable architecture. + Oversee technical execution across multiple projects, ensuring adherence to best practices, quality standards, and compliance requirements. + Collaborate with clients and internal stakeholders to define strategies, delivery plans, milestones, and risk mitigation approaches. + Act as a technical point of contact for clients, translating business requirements into scalable technical solutions. + Ensure delivery models are optimized for modern, AI-native execution, including integration of automation and intelligent processes. **Engineering Excellence** + Champion high-quality engineering practices across all delivery engagements. + Ensure adherence to coding standards, architectural integrity, and performance benchmarks. + Promote secure coding, test-driven development, and observability as default practices. + Encourage continuous learning and technical certifications to maintain cutting-edge expertise. + Drive adoption of modern delivery methodologies (Agile, DevOps, CI/CD) to ensure robust and scalable solutions. + Foster a culture of technical rigor, innovation, and accountability within the team. **Innovation & Thought Leadership** + Monitor and evaluate emerging technologies to inform strategic direction. + Lead innovation in delivery models, reusable assets, and accelerators to enhance efficiency and impact. + Champion modern thinking and best practices across teams and engagements to foster a culture of continuous improvement. **Client Engagement & Solutioning** + Engage with clients to understand business needs and provide expert guidance throughout the project lifecycle. + Support pre-sales and solutioning efforts with estimations, proof-of-concepts, and technical proposals. + Build and maintain strong client relationships, ensuring high levels of satisfaction and value delivery. **Team Management & Mentorship** + Lead and mentor cross-functional teams, fostering a culture of learning, collaboration, and technical excellence. + Conduct reviews, provide feedback, and support professional development of team members. **Quality & Compliance** + Ensure all deliverables meet quality standards, security, and regulatory requirements. + Promote secure coding, test-driven development, and observability as default practices. **Strategic Partnering** + Serve as a strategic partner for internal and external stakeholders on key initiatives. + Provide strategic guidance and execution oversight to ensure alignment with organizational goals. **Qualifications** + **Overall minimum 20+ Year of industry experience** + Technical or **Professional Certification in Cloud Infrastructure domain** Open to travel domestically and internationally and work with different cultures and customers + Technical certifications based on domain/service line (e.g., Azure, Security, Dynamics). + Delivery Management certification (e.g., Scrum, Agile). + Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Engineering, or related field AND 3+ years leadership experience in relevant area of business. Higher Education Preferred OR master’s degree in computer science, Information Technology, Engineering, or related field AND 6+ years’ experience in technology solutions, practice development, architecture, consulting, and/or Cloud Infrastructure domain + Highly proficient & solid Customer facing Project experience involving solution design, project envisioning, planning, development, and deployment of complex solutions with minimum of 10 plus years.  + Must have a proven record of delivering technical solutions. + 2+ years experience in managing multiple projects or portfolios and leading blended, multidisciplinary teams Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. Consistent with applicable law, all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran or military status, race, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about requesting accommodations (https://careers.microsoft.com/v2/global/en/accessibility.html) .