AMBG Lead Security Architect

Avanade's is comprised of two channels to market, direct through Avanade relationships and indirect through our parent companies of Microsoft and Accenture, known as the Accenture Microsoft Business Group (AMBG). These channels are responsible for developing market relevant capabilities and solutions to help clients resolve critical business and technology issues. Through practices they provide sales, solutioning, and delivery support to client groups and accounts to help us win and sustain long‑lasting relationships with our clients. In addition to direct relationships with clients, each channel works closely with Avanade's most significant partners – Microsoft and Accenture, as well as other alliances – to drive growth of the business and the practices therein.

Key Responsibilities

The UK Accenture Microsoft Business Group (AMBG) Lead Security Architect is a pivotal role that blends market, sales and solutioning, people, and delivery excellence. Reporting to the UKI AMBG Security Lead, this role owns solutioning and delivery of all Microsoft Security work in the AMBG channel, working with some of the largest enterprise customers in the UK and globally. It is responsible for defining and driving existing and new offerings and capabilities that seize market advantage and business growth, supporting sales development and conversion through solutioning and delivery, including supporting and guiding the AMBG security architects and delivery teams with new solutions and delivery challenges. This role is responsible for ensuring the needs of the AMBG channel for Microsoft Security solutions and delivery are met, to support client accounts and integrated go‑to‑market lines of business and plays. This role is responsible for ensuring that the AMBG channel has the right capabilities, skillsets and certifications required to deliver client work both today and tomorrow, including demand and opportunity management processes.

What you’ll do

• Thought leadership
• Sales, solutioning, and delivery
• Create and evolve GTM assets and solutions
• Establish internal and client‑facing relationships, building a strong network and trust
• Be a brand ambassador, representing AMBG Security in the market and with our clients and partners

Qualifications Skills and experiences:

• Strong leadership, communication skills, client presence and focus, and the ability to influence executive stakeholders and clients
• Demonstrates and is recognized as an eminent Microsoft security thought leader internally (ideally externally as well)
• Broad Microsoft security technical, delivery, and sales experience across Microsoft Defender, Sentinel, Entra, Purview, and Cloud Security, able to articulate the end‑to‑end value proposition
• Ability to lead large‑scale Microsoft security transformations and managed security services opportunities
• Ability to identify, define and build new offerings from ideation through to market
• Advanced Microsoft security certifications such as SC‑100, SC‑200, SC‑401 etc.
• Nice to have – industry‑recognized certifications such as CISSP, CCSP, CISM, GIAC etc.
• Familiarity with compliance frameworks (e.g., GDPR, NIST AI RMF, ISO27001, SOC 2 etc.)
• Ability to build organizational culture, drive employee engagement, strengthen inclusion and diversity, reduce attrition, and attract top talent
• Market‑focused with a growth mindset
• Ability to collaborate effectively in a highly matrixed company to deliver results within a region

About you

Characteristics that can spell success for this role:

• Deep competency and skills in Microsoft security consulting and managed services
• Extensive experience growing and leading Microsoft Security offerings, capable of leading large‑scale and impactful Microsoft opportunities
• Deep experience in understanding client needs and selling and delivering assets and solutions
• Experience shaping and developing people skills/capabilities of a large team
• Collaborative by nature, driven to share with and develop others

Enjoy your career

Some of the best things about working at Avanade and AMBG:

• Opportunity to work for Microsoft’s Global Alliance Partner of the Year (20 years in a row), with exceptional development and training (minimum 80 hours per year for training and certifications)
• Real‑time access to technical and skilled resources globally
• Dedicated career advisor to encourage your growth
• Engaged and helpful coworkers genuinely interested in you

Additional Information

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement: All employment decisions shall be made without regard to age, race, creed, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, disability status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, citizenship status or any other basis as protected by federal, state, or local law. Job candidates will not be obligated to disclose sealed or expunged records of conviction or arrest as part of the hiring process. Avanade is committed to providing veteran employment opportunities to our service men and women. Please read Avanade’s Hiring and Privacy Statement for more information on how we process your data during the recruiting and hiring process.