Industry Architect - R&D

Microsoft is helping define a new era of scientific and industrial innovation: one where agentic AI, cloud-scale computing, data, simulation, and human expertise come together to accelerate breakthroughs that once took months or years. As customers look to transform how they discover new materials, medicines, products, processes, and research insights, they need more than a platform — they need deeply technical partners who can turn ambition into working solutions. This role has three distinct dimensions: shaping customer outcomes, leading technical delivery, and scaling R&D motions. We are seeking an Industry Architect, executive presence, and leadership ability to shape complex R&D opportunities. You will work directly with R&D leaders, scientific researchers, account teams, industry leaders, and Microsoft product engineering to identify high-value R&D scenarios. The Industry Architect serves as the strategic bridge between scientific innovation, business outcomes, and Microsoft’s AI technologies, shaping high-value opportunities from pre-sales through delivery and leading first-of-its-kind MVPs and cutting-edge production deployments. This is a role for builders who thrive in ambiguity, move comfortably from high level customer needs to whiteboard to code, and are energized by solving complex customer problems in the real world. You will help customers reimagine R&D workflows through Microsoft AI while also shaping the repeatable patterns, product feedback, and delivery motions that scale this frontier AI business across industries. If you are excited by the opportunity to co-engineer with customers, unlock new scientific and industrial possibilities, and help establish one of Microsoft’s most strategic AI growth motions, this role is for you.

Understanding Customer/Partner Technical Environment  Gathers and propagates customer/partner insights from a broad range of stakeholders as well as the main business sponsor that will help shape and form both the definition and ongoing execution of the project. Learns to adapt business models, plans, and solutions to insights.  Works with customer/partner stakeholders (e.g., Enterprise Architects, Security Team, Development Team, Operations Team) and business sponsor to socialize both the business solution and the project approach to determine if changes are needed to the business solution. Where the cost of change is accepted by the customer, shares this feedback with the project team and the broader account team to make the necessary adjustments using mechanisms such as updating the solution approach and projected costs in presales and change requests in delivery.  Uses evidence-based approach to function as a customer advocate and drives awareness of insights with a view for improving Microsoft technologies, products, services, and offerings such that they can better meet customer/partner needs.  Architecture Design and Deployment  Leverages a structured approach to Architecture Projects using existing methodologies (e.g., Waterfall, Agile, Iterative) that make use of existing reference architecture and established architectural styles and design patterns. Maintains an architecture description document, an architecture decisions log, and a requirements/constraints traceability matrix to ensure the rationale for the business solution's architecture is known and understood. Contributes to definition and documentation of the Architecture through an architecture description document, an architecture decisions log, and a requirements/constraints traceability matrix to communicate the value proposition of the business solution along with the project approach. Participates in cost-based and technology-based discussions to explain the Architecture in terms of its build, deployment, and ongoing operational use to determine customer appetite for the business solution. Uses a business-value approach that values return on investment (ROI) and customer