Principal Security Specialist
About the role
Are you a cybersecurity expert with deep knowledge of Microsoft Defender XDR, Purview, and leading industry security solutions? Do you thrive on collaboration, tackling the most complex challenges, and earning the trust of customers? Are you endlessly curious—embracing uncertainty, taking smart risks, and learning quickly from every experience? If this sounds like you, we want you on our team!
At Small Medium Enterprises and Channel (SME&C), we are leading a high-growth, AI-powered global sales team—one that is deeply connected to our partners and driven by customer success. By uniting our Small Medium Business, Corporate, Strategy, and Partner teams, we are unlocking the largest customer opportunity, backed by the industry’s most significant investments. Leveraging the power of AI and our extensive partner ecosystem, we are redefining how businesses of all sizes adopt technology to drive growth and innovation.
SME&C is more than a sales organization, it’s a culture of innovation, opportunity, and inclusivity. Here, you’ll be part of a diverse, high-performing, and customer-obsessed team where collaboration, connection, and continuous learning fuel everything we do.
If you thrive in a fast-paced, digital-first environment and are eager to make a meaningful impact, explore how SME&C can be the next step in your career. Together, we are shaping the future of business.
As a Principal Security Specialist, you will lead from the field—shaping cybersecurity thought leadership with our most strategic SME&C customers and partners—while establishing a resilient security foundation for AI and digital transformation across our organizations of all types. We are looking for a senior, dynamic sales‑and‑technical individual with executive presence: equally comfortable going deep on cybersecurity architecture and controls, tying technology to business outcomes and risk, and leading CISO‑level conversations that win the toughest pursuits and earn credibility with even the most skeptical stakeholders.
As the best of the best in our Digital Solution Specialist team, you must thrive in dynamic, sometimes ambiguous environments—learning fast, collaborating across teams, rebuilding trust with customers when they are most vulnerable or when they’re considering alternatives, and leading decisive defensive positioning when competitors threaten established Microsoft relationships. As a field multiplier and coach, you must elevate others by sharing compete insights, executive talk tracks, and practical discovery guides that accelerate deals and strengthen customer confidence.
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
Sales & Technical Leadership
- Demonstrate executive presence and deep cybersecurity expertise, connecting technology to business outcomes and risk.
- Act as a thought leader with business and market knowledge to align Microsoft solutions with customer impact.
Field Multiplier & Coaching
- Create and share compete playbooks, executive talk tracks, and discovery guides.
- Co-sell with Digital Solution Specialists (DSS) and partners to strengthen overall team capability.
- Mentor and coach teams to identify and pursue new security opportunities using a business value selling approach.
Sales Execution
- Bring impactful industry insights into customer engagements.
- Lead virtual, cross-organizational teams on strategic projects and high-impact solution deployments that enable digital transformation.
- Orchestrate strategies for driving and closing opportunities; guide teams on customer engagement and needs assessment.
Compete Intelligence
- Document and share key competitive insights with the field to improve sales motions.
Growth Mindset
- Demonstrate a commitment to continuous learning in cybersecurity and foster a innovation within the team.
Qualifications
Required/minimum qualifications
- Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Business Administration, or related field AND 7+ years of technology-related sales or account management experience OR 9+ years of technology-related sales or account management experience.
- Cybersecurity industry experience.
- Understanding of security market including market competitors.
Additional or preferred qualifications
- Master's Degree in Business Administration (e.g., MBA), Information Technology, or related field AND 8+ years of technology-related sales or account management experience OR Bachelor's Degree in Information Technology, or related field AND 10+ years of technology-related sales or account management experience OR 11+ years of technology-related sales or account management experience.
- 6+ years of solution or services sales experience
- 3+ year(s) of people management experience.
- Cybersecurity industry experience. Microsoft security portfolio knowledge preferred.
- Experience driving new sales and customers using innovative approaches, leveraging partnership events, social selling (Linkedln) and networking.
- Technical breadth: Enterprise customer level experience with cloud, hybrid infrastructures, productivity and security technologies, and industry standards recommended.
- Experience driving adoption across multiple stakeholders with varying agendas
Digital Solution Area Specialists IC5 - The typical base pay range for this role across Canada is CAD $150,900 - CAD $215,900 per year.
Find additional pay information here:
https://careers.microsoft.com/v2/global/en/canada-pay-information.html
Microsoft will accept applications for the role until November 7, 2025.
Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. Consistent with applicable law, 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 and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about requesting accommodations.
About Microsoft
Every company has a mission. What's ours? To empower every person and every organization to achieve more. We believe technology can and should be a force for good and that meaningful innovation contributes to a brighter world in the future and today. Our culture doesn’t just encourage curiosity; it embraces it. Each day we make progress together by showing up as our authentic selves. We show up with a learn-it-all mentality. We show up cheering on others, knowing their success doesn't diminish our own. We show up every day open to learning our own biases, changing our behavior, and inviting in differences. Because impact matters.
Microsoft operates in 190 countries and is made up of approximately 228,000 passionate employees worldwide.
Principal Security Specialist
About the role
Are you a cybersecurity expert with deep knowledge of Microsoft Defender XDR, Purview, and leading industry security solutions? Do you thrive on collaboration, tackling the most complex challenges, and earning the trust of customers? Are you endlessly curious—embracing uncertainty, taking smart risks, and learning quickly from every experience? If this sounds like you, we want you on our team!
At Small Medium Enterprises and Channel (SME&C), we are leading a high-growth, AI-powered global sales team—one that is deeply connected to our partners and driven by customer success. By uniting our Small Medium Business, Corporate, Strategy, and Partner teams, we are unlocking the largest customer opportunity, backed by the industry’s most significant investments. Leveraging the power of AI and our extensive partner ecosystem, we are redefining how businesses of all sizes adopt technology to drive growth and innovation.
SME&C is more than a sales organization, it’s a culture of innovation, opportunity, and inclusivity. Here, you’ll be part of a diverse, high-performing, and customer-obsessed team where collaboration, connection, and continuous learning fuel everything we do.
If you thrive in a fast-paced, digital-first environment and are eager to make a meaningful impact, explore how SME&C can be the next step in your career. Together, we are shaping the future of business.
As a Principal Security Specialist, you will lead from the field—shaping cybersecurity thought leadership with our most strategic SME&C customers and partners—while establishing a resilient security foundation for AI and digital transformation across our organizations of all types. We are looking for a senior, dynamic sales‑and‑technical individual with executive presence: equally comfortable going deep on cybersecurity architecture and controls, tying technology to business outcomes and risk, and leading CISO‑level conversations that win the toughest pursuits and earn credibility with even the most skeptical stakeholders.
As the best of the best in our Digital Solution Specialist team, you must thrive in dynamic, sometimes ambiguous environments—learning fast, collaborating across teams, rebuilding trust with customers when they are most vulnerable or when they’re considering alternatives, and leading decisive defensive positioning when competitors threaten established Microsoft relationships. As a field multiplier and coach, you must elevate others by sharing compete insights, executive talk tracks, and practical discovery guides that accelerate deals and strengthen customer confidence.
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
Sales & Technical Leadership
- Demonstrate executive presence and deep cybersecurity expertise, connecting technology to business outcomes and risk.
- Act as a thought leader with business and market knowledge to align Microsoft solutions with customer impact.
Field Multiplier & Coaching
- Create and share compete playbooks, executive talk tracks, and discovery guides.
- Co-sell with Digital Solution Specialists (DSS) and partners to strengthen overall team capability.
- Mentor and coach teams to identify and pursue new security opportunities using a business value selling approach.
Sales Execution
- Bring impactful industry insights into customer engagements.
- Lead virtual, cross-organizational teams on strategic projects and high-impact solution deployments that enable digital transformation.
- Orchestrate strategies for driving and closing opportunities; guide teams on customer engagement and needs assessment.
Compete Intelligence
- Document and share key competitive insights with the field to improve sales motions.
Growth Mindset
- Demonstrate a commitment to continuous learning in cybersecurity and foster a innovation within the team.
Qualifications
Required/minimum qualifications
- Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Business Administration, or related field AND 7+ years of technology-related sales or account management experience OR 9+ years of technology-related sales or account management experience.
- Cybersecurity industry experience.
- Understanding of security market including market competitors.
Additional or preferred qualifications
- Master's Degree in Business Administration (e.g., MBA), Information Technology, or related field AND 8+ years of technology-related sales or account management experience OR Bachelor's Degree in Information Technology, or related field AND 10+ years of technology-related sales or account management experience OR 11+ years of technology-related sales or account management experience.
- 6+ years of solution or services sales experience
- 3+ year(s) of people management experience.
- Cybersecurity industry experience. Microsoft security portfolio knowledge preferred.
- Experience driving new sales and customers using innovative approaches, leveraging partnership events, social selling (Linkedln) and networking.
- Technical breadth: Enterprise customer level experience with cloud, hybrid infrastructures, productivity and security technologies, and industry standards recommended.
- Experience driving adoption across multiple stakeholders with varying agendas
Digital Solution Area Specialists IC5 - The typical base pay range for this role across Canada is CAD $150,900 - CAD $215,900 per year.
Find additional pay information here:
https://careers.microsoft.com/v2/global/en/canada-pay-information.html
Microsoft will accept applications for the role until November 7, 2025.
Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. Consistent with applicable law, 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 and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about requesting accommodations.
About Microsoft
Every company has a mission. What's ours? To empower every person and every organization to achieve more. We believe technology can and should be a force for good and that meaningful innovation contributes to a brighter world in the future and today. Our culture doesn’t just encourage curiosity; it embraces it. Each day we make progress together by showing up as our authentic selves. We show up with a learn-it-all mentality. We show up cheering on others, knowing their success doesn't diminish our own. We show up every day open to learning our own biases, changing our behavior, and inviting in differences. Because impact matters.
Microsoft operates in 190 countries and is made up of approximately 228,000 passionate employees worldwide.