Manager, Professional Services

First-line manager

Career Explorer · Customer Success, Support & Services · Professional Services Management

M1 · ManagerIndividual contributorManager

Standard where organizational scale supports the level

What the role involves

Autonomy: One team
Scope: One team
Time horizon: Quarterly
Expertise and judgement: Owns people performance, staffing, delivery and team operating system
Expected impact: Team outcomes, engagement and capability

Expected skills (22)

Grouped as human, professional and technical. Target proficiency uses the P1–P5 scale, and each row says what that level means for that particular skill.

Human (11)

Skill	Importance	Target	What that level looks like
Coaching Collaboration & Leadership	Core	P3	Handles complex situations, adapts methods and coaches less-experienced colleagues.
Decision making Thinking & Judgment	Core	P3	Handles complex situations, adapts methods and coaches less-experienced colleagues.
Delegation Collaboration & Leadership	Core	P3	Handles complex situations, adapts methods and coaches less-experienced colleagues.
Executive communication Communication & Influence	Core	P3	Handles complex situations, adapts methods and coaches less-experienced colleagues.
Feedback delivery Collaboration & Leadership	Core	P3	Handles complex situations, adapts methods and coaches less-experienced colleagues.
Risk judgment Thinking & Judgment	Core	P3	Handles complex situations, adapts methods and coaches less-experienced colleagues.
Stakeholder management Communication & Influence	Core	P3	Handles complex situations, adapts methods and coaches less-experienced colleagues.
Strategic thinking Thinking & Judgment	Core	P3	Handles complex situations, adapts methods and coaches less-experienced colleagues.
Talent development Collaboration & Leadership	Core	P3	Handles complex situations, adapts methods and coaches less-experienced colleagues.
Conflict resolution Communication & Influence	Supporting	P3	Handles complex situations, adapts methods and coaches less-experienced colleagues.
Inclusive leadership Collaboration & Leadership	Supporting	P3	Handles complex situations, adapts methods and coaches less-experienced colleagues.

Professional (11)

Skill	Importance	Target	What that level looks like
Business acumen Business & Strategy	Core	P3	Handles complex situations, adapts methods and coaches less-experienced colleagues.
Financial acumen Business & Strategy	Core	P3	Handles complex situations, adapts methods and coaches less-experienced colleagues.
Performance management Business & Strategy	Core	P3	Handles complex situations, adapts methods and coaches less-experienced colleagues.
Adoption management Customer & Services	Supporting	P3	Handles complex situations, adapts methods and coaches less-experienced colleagues.
Consulting Customer & Services	Supporting	P3	Handles complex situations, adapts methods and coaches less-experienced colleagues.
Customer health management Customer & Services	Supporting	P3	Handles complex situations, adapts methods and coaches less-experienced colleagues.
Customer success planning Customer & Services	Supporting	P3	Handles complex situations, adapts methods and coaches less-experienced colleagues.
Escalation management Customer & Services	Supporting	P3	Handles complex situations, adapts methods and coaches less-experienced colleagues.
Executive business reviews Customer & Services	Supporting	P3	Handles complex situations, adapts methods and coaches less-experienced colleagues.
Resource management Program, Risk & Sustainability	Supporting	P3	Handles complex situations, adapts methods and coaches less-experienced colleagues.
Service delivery management Customer & Services	Supporting	P3	Handles complex situations, adapts methods and coaches less-experienced colleagues.

Career ladder

Reached from

Supervisor / Team Lead, Professional ServicesM0

Next steps

Senior Manager, Professional ServicesM2Management promotion
Move from one-team management to multi-team or manager-of-managers scope; allocate resources across priorities and build leadership bench strength.

People management requires sustained evidence of coaching, performance management, staffing judgment and organizational leadership - not simply greater individual expertise.

What changes to advance

Move from one-team management to multi-team or manager-of-managers scope; allocate resources across priorities and build leadership bench strength.

Source: SFIA; PMI; Microsoft Careers · MF126-M1