Senior Operations Manager - Compliance & Trade

Senior Operations Manager - Compliance & Trade

The Senior Operations Manager - Compliance & Trade drives the execution and continuous optimization of Microsoft's global Trade Sanctions and Restricted-Party Screening Program, ensuring unwavering compliance with international trade regulations and internal policy standards.

This role provides strategic and operational leadership across governance, process, and system capabilities for the Trade Screening function-championing efficiency gains, advanced tool enhancements, and superior data integrity. The position is pivotal in navigating the most complex trade sanctions regulations, ensuring our systems and processes remain agile, resilient, and ready to respond to a rapidly evolving global trade landscape.

As a key partner to Operations, Legal, Engineering, and business teams, this role strengthens the effectiveness of trade screening operations through robust list management, adjudication excellence, system optimization, and control performance improvements.

Additionally, the Senior Operations Manager leads the development of dashboards, KPI frameworks, and operational analytics, safeguarding system integrity, audit readiness, and driving continuous improvement across Microsoft's global trade screening infrastructure.

Microsoft's mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. As employees we come together with a growth mindset, innovate to empower others, and collaborate to realize our shared goals. Each day we build on our values of respect, integrity, and accountability to create a culture of inclusion where everyone can thrive at work and beyond.

Responsibilities

The responsibilities of the Senior Operations Manager - Compliance & Trade :

• Support oversight and management of Trade processes, tools and systems.
• Partner with Engineering, Operations, and Analytics teams to implement process improvements, system improvements, and AI / ML-enabled Trade screening enhancements.
• Lead initiatives that reduce operational overhead while improving compliance precision and partner experience.
• Define and implement key performance indicators (KPIs) and service-level agreements (SLAs) for trade screening operations.
• Help define and maintain system requirements for Trade list integrations, entity enrichment, and matching logic improvements to ensure global scalability.
• Lead periodic health checks and risk assessments to ensure effective control design, data accuracy, and procedural compliance.
• Partner closely with and support the Microsoft trade business engagement and trade screening teams on any risks, gaps or opportunities identified through their processes.
• Manage, analyze, and coordinate the trade sanctions and screening risks through the trade risk repository, consult with key stakeholders (e.g., Legal, business / cohort partners, engineering) and monitor the associated remediation action plans to closure. Identify and escalate issues which may not be addressed by current policies or standards, and support the development and implementation of possible solutions, especially emerging regimes, and programs.

Stakeholder Engagement

Provides consultation, communications, direction, roadmap objectives, and awareness to senior stakeholders in various business functions to ensure Trade compliance covering Sanctions & Embargoes, Export controls and Customs.

Partners with global business stakeholders to ensure compliance with export and import control laws and regulations in Microsoft's numerous jurisdictions. Facilitates an environment of inclusion that leverages diverse perspectives and talent, to better represent and understand global customers.

Reporting

Helps the team provide appropriate data-collection efforts for regulatory obligations.

Manages trade related risk analysis, setting metrics and KPIs, and defining the requirements for trade solutions.

Establishes standardized reporting frameworks and dashboards to enhance visibility across trade screening operations.

Partners with analytics and engineering teams to ensure data integrity, accuracy, and availability for internal and external (e.g., government) reporting requirements.

Deliver concise, actionable reporting to Trade leadership, highlighting trends, compliance risks, and system efficiency insights.

Process Improvement

Drive efficiencies for trade processes by monitoring feedback (e.g., from internal controllership), determine needed updates, institute policy changes by overseeing updates for Procedures, and provide executive communication updates. Challenge the norms; test and verify. Drive innovation across the organization to support process improvement.

Leadership Capabilities

Demonstrates a strategic mindset - balancing operational efficiency with regulatory rigor.

Drives continuous improvement and innovation in compliance operations.

Communicates with clarity and influence across technical, legal, and business audiences.

Embodies Microsoft's values of integrity, accountability, and global impact.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

Bachelor's Degree in Operations, Business Supply Chain, Finance, Business Management, Accounting, Human Resources (HR), Organizational Development or related field AND 6+ years experience in operations or process design or program / project management OR equivalent experience

Preferred Qualifications

Excellent written, verbal and analytical skills

Strong communication and presentation skills with the ability to articulate complex problems and solutions through concise and clear messaging

Experience with system and process design

Working understanding of risk management and internal control frameworks and a solid understanding of the concepts of control design and operational efficiency

Ability to work effectively across functional teams and stakeholders to drive for results and solve problems

Ability to effectively manage multiple projects, have excellent attention to detail, and work effectively under deadlines

Ability to adapt and change with the needs of the organization and business

Import Export Trade IC5 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $116,900 - $203,600 per year. There is a different range applicable to specific work locations, within the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area, and the base pay range for this role in those locations is USD $148,400 - $222,600 per year.

Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here :

Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. 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 with religious accommodations and / or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about requesting accommodations.