Principal Architect – Microsoft Cloud; Azure, Data & AI

Company Description

Publicis Sapient is a global digital transformation partner that, for more than 30 years, has guided some of the world's largest organisations toward a digitally enabled future, both in the way they work and the way they serve their customers. We help unlock value through a start‑up mindset and modern methods, fusing strategy, consulting and customer experience with agile engineering and data problem‑solving creativity.

United by our core values and purpose of helping people thrive in the brave pursuit of Next. Our teams combine deep industry expertise with our SPEED capabilities, Strategy, Product, Experience, Engineering, and Data & AI to tackle the biggest challenges clients are facing today. This is where transformation stops being a buzzword and becomes measurable outcomes for millions of members.

Our 20,000+ professionals in 70 offices worldwide combine experience across technology, data sciences, consulting, and customer obsession to accelerate our clients’ businesses by designing the products and services their customers truly value. Our people are problem‑solvers and collaborators, leveraging human ingenuity and AI‑driven tools to drive innovation.

As a strategic Microsoft partner, we co‑innovate to deliver enterprise‑scale transformation across the Microsoft Intelligent Cloud, spanning Azure, Data, AI, Security, and Copilot platforms.

Role Overview

We are hiring a Microsoft Center of Excellence Lead or a Solutions Technical Leader to define and drive the technical strategy for our Microsoft business globally.

This is a senior, externally facing leadership role at the intersection of:

• Executive technology leadership
• Azure, Data, and AI architecture
• Strategic deal shaping and co‑innovation with Microsoft

You will act as the technical face of Publicis Sapient to clients and Microsoft, shaping complex pursuits, influencing innovation, and scaling repeatable solutions across the Microsoft ecosystem.

What You’ll Own :

CoE Leadership & Technical Strategy

• Lead the Microsoft Center of Excellence, defining technical vision across Azure, Data, AI, and Copilot
• Establish a clear, differentiated POV aligned to Microsoft priorities and solution plays
• Represent Publicis Sapient in CxO‑level conversations and strategic Microsoft engagements

Strategic Deal Shaping & Commercial Impact

• Lead technical strategy for large, complex, multi‑million‑dollar transformation deals
• Shape solution architecture, win themes, and technical differentiation in priority pursuits
• Translate Microsoft platform capabilities into clear business outcomes and commercial value
• Drive alignment between architecture decisions and Azure consumption, platform adoption, and client ROI

Enterprise Architecture – Microsoft Intelligent Cloud

• Define and guide enterprise architectures across:
  • Azure (IaaS, PaaS, containers, integration, modernization)
  • Data Platforms (Microsoft Fabric, analytics ecosystems)
  • AI & Copilot (Azure OpenAI, AI Studio, ML, Copilot stack)
  • Agentic AI frameworks (Copilot Studio, Semantic Kernel)
• Ensure solutions are secure, scalable, resilient, and cost‑optimized
• Establish reference architectures, reusable patterns, and architecture decision frameworks
• Validate high‑risk designs through hands‑on prototyping and POCs

Global V‑Team Orchestration

• Orchestrate cross‑functional v‑teams across sales, engineering, delivery, partners, and Microsoft stakeholders
• Operate effectively in a matrixed, global environment, leading without formal authority
• Align regional and global teams around technical strategy, execution, and outcomes

Innovation & “First‑of” Solution Leadership

• Lead first‑of‑their‑kind and high‑ambiguity transformation programs
• Co‑innovate with Microsoft and clients to bring emerging technologies into production
• Build rapid prototypes and differentiated demos to accelerate decision‑making
• Convert innovative work into repeatable assets and scalable offerings

Co‑Sell, Solution Plays & Scalable IP

• Build co‑sell‑ready, repeatable solutions aligned to Microsoft solution areas and solution plays
• Develop scalable offerings that drive joint pipeline, revenue growth, and market differentiation
• Create reusable…