Senior Security Sales Specialist - Auckland

Microsoft is looking for a Senior Security Sales Specialist to join its Auckland team. The role sits in the Small Medium Enterprises and Channel (SME&C) group, a fast-growing, AI-powered global sales unit that partners with customers and partners to drive success. SME&C blends teams focused on small and medium businesses, corporate strategy, and partner programs to unlock meaningful opportunities and deliver impact for customers.

In this position, you’ll lead security-focused conversations and use AI-driven approaches to guide solution sales, including cloud services designed for managed customers. The role sits within Microsoft’s Security Solutions family, which positions itself as a major global security player that helps governments and businesses stay safer as cyber threats grow more complex. The team emphasizes innovation, collaboration, and continuous learning, and the role offers up to 50% remote work while remaining based in Auckland.

For someone who wants to shape security outcomes for customers and work with a broad network of partners, this is a chance to contribute to end-to-end security strategies, cross-functional collaboration, and impactful customer engagements while expanding cloud and security expertise.

Steering security conversations from Auckland

Day to day, you’ll work with account and partner teams to build a healthy pipeline by aligning with customer needs and industry specifics, while driving and qualifying opportunities. You’ll map stakeholders, anticipate what customers must do to close deals, and contribute to close plans that push prioritized opportunities forward, all while coaching teammates on how to execute a solid plan.

You’ll pursue new security opportunities by understanding a customer’s business priorities, governance, and budgeting processes, and by clearly communicating the value of security solutions. You’ll navigate the Microsoft organization to maximize impact, collaborating with Global Partner Solutions to identify new partners, develop joint proposals, and shape partner strategies. You’ll lead consultative conversations with decision-makers, share best practices, and help orchestrate events and knowledge sharing as a subject-matter expert. You’ll also work with internal teams focused on competition to analyze offerings and inform pursuit decisions. Across these efforts, the emphasis is on teamwork, delivering results, and continuously growing your own cybersecurity and cloud know-how.

All of this is done with a mindset of learning and growth, with an eye toward accelerating career development, strengthening solution sales capabilities, and deepening cloud security expertise. The company’s mission to empower every person and organization to achieve more informs how the team collaborates, respects diverse perspectives, and holds itself accountable to customers and partners.

What you’ll need to bring

Here’s what the role requires now, with a sense of what would help you stand out:

• Either six or more years in technology-related sales or account management, or a bachelor’s degree in information technology, business administration, or a related field plus five years in tech sales or account management
• Experience in the cybersecurity field, with knowledge of Microsoft security solutions preferred
• Proven ability to sell complex, cloud-based solutions to small and medium enterprises, with solid negotiation skills
• A track record as a self-starter who can drive opportunities forward using established best practices
• Comfort leading technical security conversations and delivering product or solution demonstrations
• A solid understanding of the security market and how complete security solutions fit together
• Experience handling channel sales and partner networks

Preferred qualifications include more depth and breadth: eight-plus years in technology sales or a related advanced degree mix, or a master’s degree plus five years in tech sales; three or more years in solution sales or consulting; strategic thinking with the ability to plan and execute, strong communication and negotiation skills, and financial acumen. The right candidate will be a high performer who collaborates well with cross-functional teams, embraces a growth mindset, and demonstrates disciplined planning and execution of budgets and targets. A broad technical background across cloud, hybrid infrastructures, productivity, and security technologies, plus familiarity with competitor platforms and relevant certifications such as AZ-900 or SC-900 (or willingness to attain SC-900 within three months), would be valuable. Experience with formal sales methodologies and a proven ability to compete for new market share are also helpful.

This position will be open for a minimum of five days, with applications accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.

Pay, perks and practical details

The role is full-time and based in Auckland, with the work arranged onsite. There is a possibility to work up to 50% from home, offering some flexibility alongside the base location requirement.

Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship, gender identity or expression, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, medical condition, national origin, disability, political affiliation, protected veteran or military status, race, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), or any other characteristic protected by local laws. If you need accommodations during the application process, see the page on requesting accommodations.

Advice for applicants

Lead your resume with a concise summary that places your security sales track record front and center, highlighting at least six years of technology-related sales or five years with a relevant degree, plus any cybersecurity context and SME cloud deployments you’ve led.

Back up your claims with a concrete end-to-end security opportunity you steered, from discovery with business leaders to closing the deal, emphasizing cross-functional collaboration and any channel or partner work you managed, along with a clear negotiation outcome.

Prepare to discuss real-world security conversations you’ve had with business decision-makers, and describe how you would map stakeholders, present a security strategy, and move a cloud-based deal forward. If possible, include a short demo or walkthrough of a security scenario to illustrate your approach.

When you’re in the interview, ask how the Auckland Security Specialists team collaborates with Global Partner Solutions and what success looks like for this role in the local market. It’s a good sign if you hear concrete examples of joint initiatives and measurable outcomes.