Andrew Balzer

Empowering users to do more with technology. Microsoft Global Solution Architect - AI, Copilot & Agents; 🖇 Copilot 🧠 AI 🤖 Agentic Solutionist 🏫 Minecraft ⛏ Teacher 🙆‍♂️ Educator 👨‍🏫 Gamer 🎮 🤘

Greater Newcastle Area

About

Experience

  • Global Solution Architect - AI, Copilot & Agents at Microsoft
    May 2026 - Present · 2 mos

    🚀 Leading intelligent cloud architecture engagements with enterprise customers, shaping AI‑driven solution design, Copilot extensibility patterns, and agentic automation strategies that accelerate transformation and deliver measurable business impact. 🤖 Driving adoption of Microsoft AI, Copilot, and agentic platforms, guiding customers through discovery, design, and implementation of intelligent workflows that augment teams and unlock new operational models. 🔄 Orchestrating organisational readiness for AI, aligning stakeholders, processes, and governance to ensure responsible deployment, seamless adoption, and long‑term sustainability of AI and Copilot solutions. 🧠 Architecting secure, scalable AI ecosystems grounded in Azure best practices - integrating LLMs, vector search, orchestration frameworks, and enterprise guardrails to support safe, governed innovation. 🌐 Partnering with engineering, data, and business leaders to translate complex requirements into actionable architectures that integrate seamlessly across cloud services, data estates, and existing application landscapes. 📊 Enabling customers to operationalise AI at scale by embedding adoption frameworks, capability uplift programs, and continuous improvement loops that turn early wins into sustained transformation. 🧭 Providing deep expertise across AI, Copilot extensibility, and agentic patterns, helping customers evaluate solution trade‑offs, navigate emerging capabilities, and build future‑ready intelligent ecosystems. 🎓 Delivering hands‑on workshops, architectural accelerators, and capability‑uplift sessions that empower customer teams, demystify AI concepts, and build confidence in deploying and governing intelligent cloud solutions. 🤝 Collaborating with cross‑functional Microsoft teams to remove blockers, influence solution roadmaps, and guide customers through data‑driven decisions that maximise the value of AI and cloud investments.

  • Academy Learning Specialist at Compnow
    Aug 2025 - May 2026 · 10 mos

    Academy Learning Specialist. Empowering Leaders to do more with technology. Office 365 🖇 Minecraft ⛏ Teacher 🙆‍♂️ Educator 👨‍🏫 Gamer 🎮 🤘🙏🙌

  • Microsoft (9 yrs 3 mos)
    • Education Success Manager (ESM)
      Nov 2022 - Aug 2025 · 2 yrs 10 mos

      🚀 Led strategic cloud architecture engagements with enterprise customers, shaping solution design, modernization pathways, and adoption of Microsoft Cloud & AI platforms to drive measurable business outcomes. 🔄 Drove organisational change management initiatives to support customer adoption of Microsoft Cloud and AI solutions, aligning stakeholders, processes, and capability uplift to ensure sustained transformation. 🌱 Accelerated customer success by embedding adoption frameworks, readiness programs, and best‑practice governance models that enabled teams to confidently operationalise new cloud capabilities at scale 🧭 Translated complex technical and business requirements into secure, scalable architectures aligned with Azure best‑practice governance, landing zones, and operational excellence frameworks. 🤝 Partnered with customer engineering and leadership teams to provide deep expertise across Azure services, AI capabilities, and integration patterns, ensuring smooth deployment and long‑term platform sustainability. 📊 Collaborated with cross‑functional Microsoft teams to remove blockers, influence solution roadmaps, and guide customers through data‑driven cloud strategy decisions. 🎓 Delivered hands‑on workshops, architectural reviews, and capability‑uplift sessions to empower customer teams and accelerate cloud and AI adoption.

    • Learning Delivery Specialist
      Jan 2021 - Nov 2022 · 1 yr 11 mos

      📘 Built deep expertise in Microsoft’s digital transformation frameworks, fostering peer‑to‑peer learning, mentoring, and effective use of enterprise‑grade training resources. 🧭 Led the development of a clear, strategic vision for digital transformation across the state of NSW, aligning technology uplift with long‑term educational and organisational goals. 🌍 Managed global geographic collaboration and resource orchestration, ensuring the right expertise, at the right time, by leveraging a strong understanding of team strengths, perspectives, and objectives. 🎓 Designed and delivered teacher‑led professional development programs at a statewide scale, supporting the digital transformation of teaching and learning across NSW. 🏫 Provided consulting and strategic leadership to thousands of educators across primary, secondary, and tertiary sectors, driving capability uplift and sustainable digital practice.

    • Microsoft Fellow
      Jun 2019 - Nov 2022 · 3 yrs 6 mos

      🌟 Lead the Microsoft Innovative Educator (MIE) Community across Australia, driving national‑scale engagement, capability uplift, and alignment with Microsoft’s education transformation strategy. 🤝 Support Microsoft Customer Delivery Specialists by providing educational expertise, strategic insights, and on‑the‑ground context to strengthen delivery outcomes for schools and government partners. 🏛️ Build and maintain high‑value relationships between Microsoft and key government organisations, enabling collaborative digital transformation initiatives and long‑term strategic partnerships. 🎓 Deliver presentations, training, and ongoing professional development to the MIE Community, empowering educators to adopt innovative teaching practices and maximise the impact of Microsoft technologies.

  • NSW Department of Education (9 yrs 2 mos)
    • Senior Education Officer Class 1
      Aug 2018 - Nov 2022 · 4 yrs 4 mos

      🧩 Designed, implemented, and evaluated large‑scale strategies and initiatives that enhanced the quality of learning and teaching in digitally enabled classrooms across NSW. 🎓 Developed and delivered targeted professional learning programs for school leaders and teachers, building system‑wide capability to integrate ICT, digital technologies, and STEM into contemporary classroom practice. 🔍 Maintained deep, current knowledge of emerging trends, pedagogical innovations, and best‑practice approaches in the use of ICT, digital technologies, and STEM to support high‑impact teaching and learning. 🤝 Collaborated with cross‑functional teams to advise on and contribute to departmental priorities, ensuring alignment between digital learning initiatives and broader strategic objectives. 🏛️ Engaged with key internal and external stakeholders to support the effective integration of ICT, digital technologies, and STEM across NSW public schools, strengthening partnerships and driving sustainable adoption.

    • Leader of the NSW Online Learning Response Team
      Mar 2020 - Aug 2020 · 6 mos

      🧠 Applied advanced understanding of digital pedagogy and organisational change to guide schools through complex transitions toward modern, technology‑enabled learning environments. 📈 Monitored statewide adoption trends and performance data to inform continuous improvement of digital learning programs and professional development offerings. 🛠️ Advised on the design and optimisation of digital ecosystems, ensuring alignment between infrastructure, platforms, and classroom practice across diverse school contexts. 🗺️ Supported long‑term strategic planning by contributing expert insights into future‑focused technologies, emerging education trends, and system‑wide capability needs. 🧑‍🏫 Co‑designed scalable professional learning models that balanced statewide consistency with local flexibility, ensuring equitable access to high‑quality digital learning support. 🔄 Championed iterative improvement cycles, incorporating feedback from educators, leaders, and stakeholders to refine digital initiatives and maximise impact. 🏢 Collaborated with cross‑agency partners to ensure digital learning strategies aligned with broader government priorities and sector‑wide transformation efforts.

    • Premiers Priority Project - HSC PL Online Team - Consultant
      Jun 2020 - Jul 2020 · 2 mos

      🎓 Collaborated with Educational Directors to design and deliver high‑quality HSC professional learning programs, ensuring statewide consistency and supporting improved outcomes for educators across NSW. 🧭 Led a multidisciplinary team in the development, training, and implementation of large‑scale online learning initiatives aligned with a NSW Premier’s Priority, ensuring timely delivery and measurable system impact. 🏛️ Engaged with key government stakeholders to provide data‑driven insights, preparing detailed reports and strategic briefings for senior and executive leadership. 📊 Analysed statewide performance trends and professional learning engagement data to inform continuous improvement and guide future planning. 🤝 Strengthened cross‑agency collaboration by aligning professional learning initiatives with broader departmental priorities and government objectives.

  • Case Manager at Ageing, Disability and Home Care, Department of Human Services NSW
    Jan 2009 - Sep 2013 · 4 yrs 9 mos

    🧭 Led a team responsible for coordinating client development initiatives, ensuring high‑quality service delivery, strategic alignment, and consistent progression toward organisational goals. ⚖️ Managed grievance procedures and personnel matters with professionalism and sensitivity, applying strong knowledge of policy, conflict resolution, and organisational wellbeing practices. 🏛️ Built and maintained productive relationships with government organisations, strengthening cross‑agency collaboration and supporting long‑term strategic partnerships. 📈 Oversaw performance management processes, providing guidance, feedback, and structured development pathways to enhance team capability and operational effectiveness.