Director/Associate Director - Microsoft Presales Architect

Director/Associate Director - Microsoft Presales Architect About KPMG CASA This role is a regional role within KPMG CASA, based in Qatar, Bahrain or Kuwait, with regular travel across the CASA member firms. KPMG CASA brings together KPMG's member firms in Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, the Caspian region and Sri Lanka into one cluster, so that clients across the Gulf, Central Asia and South Asia are served by one team to one standard. KPMG has been established in the Gulf for decades, in Qatar since 1977, and each member firm is locally led and among the largest professional services firms in its market. Our firms provide Audit, Tax and Advisory services locally, drawing on the latest thinking and best practice from across the KPMG global network. We recruit the best and brightest from around the world and move people and expertise between member firms, so this role can be based in Qatar, Bahrain or Kuwait and will work with clients across the cluster. Business Unit Overview KPMG's Advisory practice is one of the largest Advisory businesses worldwide and the major growth area for our organization. We work with clients to identify and tackle their challenges in Growth, Governance and Performance, supporting them as they restructure, modernise and expand. Within Advisory, the Technology & Alliances practice for the CASA cluster (Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Caspian region and Sri Lanka) brings together KPMG's business advisory DNA and our strategic alliances with Microsoft and ServiceNow. The practice shapes and delivers large transformation programmes for government, energy and financial services clients, drawing on KPMG member firms across the region and the KPMG Delivery Network for delivery capacity. Role Overview We are looking for a Microsoft Presales Architect to own the technical shape of our Microsoft pursuits across the CASA cluster. The role is regional and can be based in Qatar, Bahrain or Kuwait. The Presales Architect is the senior technical face of KPMG in front of clients and Microsoft during the sales cycle: translating a client's business ambition into a credible, differentiated Microsoft cloud and AI solution, presenting it to C-level audiences, and standing behind the estimate and the proposal that follow. The role sits at the intersection of sales, architecture and the Microsoft alliance. It requires hands-on breadth across the Microsoft cloud (Azure PaaS, Microsoft Fabric, Microsoft Foundry and Copilot, Dynamics 365 and Power Platform), the commercial judgement to shape a deal that is winnable and deliverable, and the credibility to carry a design from pursuit into delivery as design authority. Primary Job Responsibilities & Accountabilities Presales and Deal Shaping Lead the solution strategy for Microsoft pursuits from qualification to contract: discovery workshops, solution options, target architecture, delivery approach and commercial model. Prepare and deliver C-level presentations, executive briefings and solution storylines that connect the client's business outcomes to the proposed Microsoft architecture. Own the technical sections of proposals and RFP/RFI/RFQ responses: solution description, architecture, assumptions, scope boundaries, delivery plan and risk register. Design and run demonstrations, proofs of concept and pilots, personally building or directing the build of demo environments on Azure, Fabric, Dynamics 365, Power Platform and Copilot Studio. Produce bottom-up effort estimates, resource plans and licence/consumption estimates, and defend them in internal pricing and risk reviews. Shape the competitive positioning against other hyperscalers, ISVs and system integrators, and articulate KPMG's differentiation. Microsoft Alliance Engagement Act as the day-to-day technical counterpart to Microsoft account teams, specialist sellers, Partner Development Managers and Microsoft architects on joint pursuits. Drive co-sell motions: align on account plans, secure Microsoft funding (ECIF, partner investments, pilots) and position KPMG offerings in Microsoft's field plays. Maintain KPMG's standing in the Microsoft partner programme: solution designations, specialisations, customer references and required certifications. Solution Architecture Define target architectures across Azure PaaS, data and AI (Microsoft Fabric, Azure AI), business applications (Dynamics 365, Power Platform) and integration, including security, identity, data residency and sovereign cloud requirements across the GCC. Produce high-level and detailed design documents, integration specifications and non-functional requirements that delivery teams can build from without re-work. Assess and recommend the right Microsoft services and licensing models for each business objective, including Azure Local and other sovereign or disconnected options where regulation requires. AI and Agent Solutions Lead AI envisioning and use-case prioritisation workshops with client executives, turning AI ambition into a ranked backlog scored on value, feasibility, data readiness and risk. Design generative and agentic AI architectures on Microsoft Foundry (Azure OpenAI and partner models, Foundry Agent Service, Azure AI Search and retrieval-augmented generation), Copilot Studio and Microsoft 365 Copilot, grounded on a Fabric data foundation and governed through Agent 365 and Entra Agent ID. Build AI demonstrations and proofs of value, including custom agents that act across the client's Dynamics 365, Power Platform and line-of-business systems. Advise on responsible AI, AI governance and data protection (Microsoft Purview, Entra), and on where models and agents can run given data residency and sovereign cloud constraints in the GCC. Size and price AI solutions: token and consumption estimates, Copilot licensing and credits, and the run-cost model for agents in production. Partner with Microsoft's AI specialist teams and funding programmes on joint AI pursuits, and bring KPMG's own AI assets and accelerators into the solution. Delivery Assurance Carry the solution from pursuit into delivery: lead the hand-over to delivery and KPMG Delivery Network teams, remain design authority through mobilisation and key design decisions. Validate architecture deliverables, conduct design reviews and risk analysis on in-flight programmes, and intervene when solutions drift from the sold design. Practice Development Build reusable assets: reference architectures, demo kits, estimation models, proposal boilerplate and accelerators for the CASA Microsoft practice. Coach consultants and junior architects, and help grow a certified Microsoft bench across the CASA member firms and the KPMG Delivery Network. Stay current on the Microsoft roadmap (Microsoft Foundry and agents, Copilot and Agent 365, Fabric, Dynamics 365 releases) and translate it into new KPMG offerings. Qualification and Experience Education Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Technology or a related field. A Master's degree or MBA is a plus. Experience 10+ years in technology consulting or software delivery, of which 5+ years architecting solutions on the Microsoft cloud. 3+ years in a presales or solution-lead role at a Microsoft partner, system integrator or consulting firm, with a track record of shaping and winning deals above USD 1 million. Demonstrable experience presenting to CIO, CTO, CFO and board-level audiences, and leading the technical response to complex RFPs for government or large-enterprise clients. Hands-on experience producing architecture documents, effort estimates, licensing and consumption estimates and bills of material for Microsoft solutions. Experience working with Microsoft field teams on co-sell pursuits and partner funding programmes. Experience in the GCC, with exposure to data residency, sovereign cloud and public-sector procurement, is strongly preferred. Technical Skills Azure PaaS: App Service, Azure Functions, AKS and contain