Sony Corporation of America, located in New York, NY, is the U.S. headquarters of Sony Group Corporation, based in Tokyo, Japan. Sony's principal U.S. businesses include Sony Electronics Inc., Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC, Sony Music Entertainment, Sony Music Publishing and Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. With some 900 million Sony devices in hands and homes worldwide today, a vast array of Sony movies, television shows and music, and the PlayStation Network, Sony creates and delivers more entertainment experiences to more people than anyone else on earth. To learn more: www.sony.com/en.
POSITION SUMMARY
The Manager, End User Support & Productivity is a critical role to support all business groups and multiple Sony Operating Companies as they design, plan, and execute Microsoft 365, Adobe, and Unified Communications products and projects as well as maintain the support for these cloud workforce applications. This role will report directly to the Director, End User Support & Productivity, in a hybrid model with 3 days on-site in our NYC office. The candidate will need to be proficient in IT program management have experience with a matrixed, managed IT environment. This role provides ongoing support to ensure services are delivered in-line with customer expectation and business needs in future.
Apart from customer engagement, the individual will work together with vendors and operational partners to ensure that service availability is maximized, ensuring they deliver on their commitments and any issues are resolved in a timely manner. They will be working closely with key groups across the organization such as Regional InfoSec, Privacy and Legal groups to ensure security and privacy compliance is always maintained.
Communication, Project Management, and Agility are critical competencies for this role, being able to work independently throughout multiple organizations to support the various Sony operating companies’ business objectives and strategies. They must work closely with regional market unit leaders and management in other regions to ensure that there is consistent product delivery to customers and colleagues. This individual will also be responsible for projects in the following Microsoft 365 areas: Collaboration, Unified Communications, Information Protection, Data Loss Prevention, Messaging and Mail, Azure Active Directory, License Management, L1/L2/L3 Tier Support, etc. They will be responsible for licenses and user access to Adobe products in the AM Region. The Manager will also have direct reports who s/he will be responsible for managing. This role will be expected to interact with senior executives in the operating companies to provide technology/project updates, resolve business issues and act as the point of escalation for EUP issues.
In summary, this role will be pivotal to the successful deployment, adoption, support, and transformation of Microsoft IT services within the region and key contributor to the transformation of service delivery within GISC IC. The ideal candidate will always have the end user in mind and will constantly look for and implement process improvements.
This position will be on a Hybrid schedule with 3-4 days per week in the NYC office.
JOB RESPONSIBILITIES
Strategy & Demand Management
You are responsible for helping drive the vision, strategy and roadmap for the Microsoft 365 products in coordination with Sony’s Global M365 goals. As well as local Cloud workforce applications.
Align EUSP products with the overall IT enterprise architecture vision and goals within the region
Identify users, create, and maintain user stories, and develop and prioritize functional requirements for new or revised features or enhancements. Managing this demand in the demand management tool.
Work as part of the global product owner team for Microsoft 365 on all phases of product life-cycle management - from evaluating the preview to rolling it out to the users worldwide.
Discover and support each of the regions’ needs while driving global consistency in tools, processes and measurements
Provide input on key decisions on priorities and design and work to ensure that all stakeholders are aligned
Develop a thorough understanding of the Microsoft 365 suite of applications and their capabilities and stay abreast of product evolution
Identify appropriate regional/Op-Co stakeholders to be engaged at appropriate time regarding product roll-outs, enhancements, changes, upgrades, projects, etc. When required, involve vendors in product roll outs and workshops
Understand both the engineering and business side of Microsoft 365 and take responsibility for representing the end-user’s needs, as well as managing the L2 & L3 tier support teams. While working closely with the GSD L1 team for first touch support.
Responsible for the roll-out, adoption and long-term success of the Microsoft products in regions.
Serve as product spokesperson at meetings and events involving internal company stakeholders
Communicate and track the business value of the EUP Tool set to the stakeholders, using metrics and dashboard reporting
Manage bi-weekly EUP demand planning meeting with key stakeholders and ensure proper understanding of demand and prioritization is completed.
Manage bi-weekly EUP project and product meeting updates with key stakeholders to ensure visibility
Help to define EUP needs and priorities, and perform business analysis to help drive cost and productivity efficiencies by leveraging technology solutions (i.e. Automation, Clean-up Initiatives)
Help to identify opportunities for process improvement using automation by leveraging analytics from large datasets and content to drive efficiencies and pinpoint operational issues. Familiar with Power Platform (PowerApps, Power Automate, PowerBI).
Monitor the impact of improvements in business processes to measure and report on operational efficiency and employee impact
Capability Delivery
Support adoption of enterprise tools throughout all SONY operating companies in region
Help drive product’s change management activities working with the SONY Microsoft 365 Governance Committee and regional/op co leads, along with local InfoSec, Privacy, Legal teams.
Establish a monthly regional governance committee to review proposed products/projects, in-flight initiatives, and any blockers/approvals which are necessary for a determined group of stakeholders across the region (i.e. InfoSec, Privacy, Legal, BRMs).
As needed for initiatives within this scope, lead Daily Scrums, Sprint Planning Meetings, Sprint Reviews and Retrospectives, and oversee project activities throughout all phases of SDLC
Ensure adequate job aids and training courses and producing end user training materials and marketing communications regarding product
Gather, analyze and, when appropriate, contribute or start to design the reengineering of business processes
Help to manage project vendors to ensure timely deliverables within budget and scope
Creating and/or assisting stakeholders with development of actionable project plans. Closely tracking project status, issues and risks and support stakeholders in addressing obstacles via coordination activities within GISC, 3rd party vendors (where appropriate), and other stakeholder groups. Assist with documentation of project objectives and requirements, as well as the documentation of processes, system diagrams, and data flows.
Develop and sustain Executive summaries, including product and project status, milestones, issues, and risks.
Responsible for upward level reporting and analytics.
Develop a deep understanding of the current EUP and GISC landscape and maintain detailed inventories of existing EUP assets (meeting room devices, teams voice, telecom, mobility etc.)
Demonstrate a desire to learn and continue to develop processional talents and skills that will enhance the relationships with our operating companies.
Maintain an awareness of corporate IT standards, technology trends, and evolving regulatory requirements, and how they apply to business processes and the overall portfolio. Influence stakeholders in addressing them in an efficient way.
Understand and follow proper escalation management, SLA Compliance, 24/7 hand off, and overall EUP incident management & response, working with key groups across GISC for Major Incident Management and issues which arise.
Support & Operations
Subject Matter Expert (SME) regarding the solutions and products offered through the Microsoft 365 platform.
Participate as a key member of the backlog refinement process for multiple products or an entire product category program
Communicate and maintain the product vision with the other regional stakeholders involved in the process
Managing the grooming process for a product release
Obtain eDiscovery, Legal and Information Security requirements
Ensure the product and its configuration settings meet SONY GISS/GISP requirements
Provide guidance on user adoption, change management recommendations for rollout
Lead teams in gathering final approvals on product release, especially when regional sign-off is required.
Help to manage end users Adobe licenses, including partnering with our counterparts in Japan
Engage the appropriate Adobe support teams at the appropriate times for end users
Manage, maintain, and evangelize monthly EUSP Training Services Program
Responsible for end user communication and product management support/troubleshooting/liaising with internal and external teams should there be outages or issues
Help manage the Unified Communications/Voice services as it pertains to Teams meeting rooms backend support, Voice/Telecomm user support, and Mobility services.
Ability to work in and across multiple time zones as needed to support Sony’s global customer base
Support the definition, delivery and analysis of key metrics/KPIs for monthly reporting and presentations as well as monitor to spotlight trends for management awareness
Organizational Core Competencies
Trusted Partner – consistently demonstrates ethics & integrity, shows respect to all colleagues regardless of position, fulfills commitments, values diversity in though and background, builds trust and productive relationships across GISC and Operating Companies.
Effective Communicator – Articulates views in a concise and clear manner, comfortable adjusting style in accordance to audience, excellent written and presentation skills, leverages data and insights to influence others.
Strategic Thinker – recognizes the factors critical to the organization’s long-term success, understands how his/her work impacts the bottom line, sees the big picture & is able to connect the dots, applies analytics to business data to describe, predict and improve business performance.
Problem Solver – Asks the right questions to analyze situations, able to carefully define the problem, does not rush to conclusions. Simplifies and makes sense of complex, high quantity, and sometimes contradictory information. Uncovers root causes to difficult problems.
Change Agent – Flexible and open to change, learns quickly when facing new situations, is curious and takes on the challenge of unfamiliar tasks, optimizes work processes, respectfully challenges ways of working with a view to improve processes.
People Manager – Genuinely open to giving and receiving feedback, models desired behavior amongst team, motivates team through encouragement, builds a strong team culture, have open communication between direct reports, manage task load and priorities to ensure individual’s success, provide training and learning opportunities for growth, align company and organization’s vision with individuals. Recruit, mentor and inspire an extraordinary team and build and lead a capacity plan.
Honesty, trustworthiness and ethical conduct are material requirements for the responsibilities outlined above
QUALIFICATIONS FOR POSITION
Your qualifications and experience should include:
Excellent communication (written & verbal), organization, and critical thinking skills
Knowledge and demonstrated expertise with the management and support of Microsoft Office, Office 365, Active Directory Domains, and common productivity applications
Knowledge on Adobe license management (Sign, Acrobat, Stock, and Creative Cloud)
Experience in the design, planning and deployment of Microsoft 65 tools such as AI tools (Copilot), AAD, Exchange, OneDrive, AzureIP, InTune, MS Teams, SharePoint Online, Power Platform tools (PowerBI, Power Automate, Power Apps), Forms, Teams Voice and Unified Communications.
Experience managing large scale projects and project budgets
Bachelor’s degree required, preferably in computer science, information technology, or product management
Interpersonal skills and the ability to simplify technical language
A working knowledge of supporting systems such as Active Directory, ADFS, MFA and PKI systems beneficial.
Excellent financial and analytical skills. Confidence to communicate and present clearly to Senior Management, customers, and stakeholders.
ITIL Service Management Prince / PMP / PMI certification in Project Management beneficial
At least 5-6 years of management of resources, project & budget experience
At least 4-5 years of M365 experience
At least 1-2 year of Adobe experience
Significant experience in a Service Delivery Management role within a global organization
Proven track record over many years within an IT environment covering a variety of disciplines
Experience leading and delivering complex IT projects or programs of change.
Proven ability in Service & Client Management, Vendor Management, Relationship Management, People Management, Process Improvements, Project Management and Stakeholder Management
In addition to competitive pay and benefits, we offer an environment and culture that promotes Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. We are committed to creating an inclusive employee experience for you to thrive as part of Sony’s purpose to “fill the world with emotion through the power of creativity and technology”.
Benefits:
SCA offers benefits-eligible employees (generally regular employees scheduled to work 20 or more hours a week) a comprehensive benefits program that offers coverage and support for employees and their family’s physical, emotional, and financial well-being.
What we offer you:
Comprehensive medical, prescription drug, dental, and vision coverage with coverage for spouses/domestic partners and child dependents, including access to a Health Savings Account (HSA) and Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
Employee assistance plan and comprehensive behavioral health benefits
Fertility benefits, including surrogacy, and adoption assistance programs
Basic and supplemental life insurance for employees as well as supplemental life insurance coverage for their spouses/domestic partners and children
Voluntary benefits such as group legal, identity theft protection, accident, and hospital indemnity insurance
Short-term & long-term disability plans
Paid parental and caregiver leave
401(k) Plan with pre-tax, Roth, and after-tax options and company match with immediate vesting
Education assistance and student loan programs
Other Programs:
Flexible Work Arrangements, including remote and hybrid work schedules
Time off to include vacation, paid holidays, sick leave, Summer Fridays (early release), and a winter break between Christmas and New Year’s Day (based on business needs)
Referral bonuses (subject to eligibility)
Matching gift program
A wide variety of employee business resource groups (EBRGs)
Special discounts on Sony products, offered exclusively to Sony employees
Employee stock purchase plan (Sony covers commissions and fees for your Sony stock purchases made through after-tax payroll deductions)
Annual incentive bonus
The anticipated annual base salary for this position is $140,000 to $155,000. This range does not include any other compensation components or other benefits that an individual may be eligible for. The actual base salary offered depends on a variety of factors, which may include as applicable, the qualifications of the individual applicant for the position, years of relevant experience, specific and unique skills, level of education attained, certifications or other professional licenses held, and the location in which the applicant lives and/or from which they will be performing the job.
#LI-BC1
Sony is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religious creed, sex (including pregnancy), gender, national origin, citizenship, ancestry, age, physical or mental disability, military status, status as a veteran or disabled veteran, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital or family status, genetic information, medical condition, or any other basis protected by applicable federal, state, or local law, ordinance, or regulation.
Disability Accommodation for Applicants to Sony Corporation of America
Sony Corporation of America provides reasonable accommodation for qualified individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans in job application procedures. For reasonable accommodation requests, please contact us by email at careers@sonyusa.com or by mail to: Sony Corporation of America, Human Resources Department, 25 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10010. Please indicate the position you are applying for.
Right to Work (English/Spanish)
E-Verify Participation (English/Spanish)
While SCA does not require employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19, there are certain Sony offices that require employees to be vaccinated in order to enter. If you will be located at or travel to those offices, you will be required to be fully vaccinated to enter. The Company will consider requests for reasonable accommodations for documented medical reasons and for sincerely held religious beliefs in accordance with applicable law. Please do not include proof of vaccination status or any indication of a possible request for a vaccination accommodation when submitting your application materials. If applicable, the Company will follow up with you directly to request proof of vaccination and to discuss any potential accommodations.