Principal Design Manager

We’re seeking an exceptional Design leader to create and lead a team focused on AI innovation in SharePoint and M365. Our products drive employee engagement, culture, and communication in a hybrid world for hundreds of thousands of organizations and millions of people worldwide.  

Integrate and advance knowledge management in SharePoint and build innovative new system capabilities on top of this foundation. Work on high visibility UX that integrates across M365 products and utilizes the Microsoft semantic index to power relevant content that reaches employees where they work and enables them to be more productive, collaborative, and connected. Drive innovation using the latest in AI capabilities and explore new product value in knowledge and content. 

This is a rare opportunity to have both meaningful impact on the design and development of a innovative content products and to grow and shape a team of incredible designers.  

You’re passionate about content and knowledge, a committed advocate for the end user, and a seasoned communicator. You come alive when people talk about craft, you love engaging with others in the design community, and you are dedicated to growing and coaching talented teams. Finally, you love working across disciplines and collaborating with other teams to bring about the best outcome. 

Our Culture 

Our Studio is a diverse team of designers, researchers and UX Engineers who partner closely with PM, Engineering, Marketing, and other disciplines. We are a high-performing team that challenges ourselves to live the Microsoft philosophies around inclusive culture and growth mindset. We embrace the Microsoft Model, Coach, Care management framework and support the growth of each individual on the team. 

We have a proven track record of delivering strong business results, driven by close partnerships and a shared commitment to excellence. While much of the team is based in Redmond, Washington, this role will play a key part in driving impact from Ireland. We work together across locations, contributing to each other’s work to make it better, reusing rather than reinventing. We celebrate our wins, learn from challenges, and foster an environment where growth, collaboration, and fun are part of how we achieve success. 

We focus on creating an inclusive workplace where all people and ideas are welcome. To this end, we have created local mentoring rings and communities where we can learn from each other and grow. We focus on having inclusive interactions that foster open dialog. We are dedicated to the work of creating a strong, inclusive, and transparent culture – a safe place to do our best work!  

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.

Required Qualifications: 

• Bachelor's Degree in Industrial Design, Product Design, Human Computer Interaction, User Experience, Interaction Design, or related field AND Extensive years experience working in product or service design
  • OR Master's Degree in Industrial Design, Product Design, Human Computer Interaction, User Experience, Interaction Design, or related field AND Extensive years experience working in product or service design
  • OR equivalent experience (e.g., demonstrated experience working in product or service design or using design thinking to solve problems).
• 3+ years people management experience.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree in Industrial Design, Product Design, Human Computer Interaction, or related field AND 12+ years experience working in product or service design 
  • OR Master's Degree in Industrial Design, Product Design, Human Computer Interaction, or related field AND Extensive years experience working in product or service design 
  • OR equivalent experience (e.g., experience using design thinking to solve problems). 
• Extensive years experience shipping games or products and/or delivering to customers as a result of an end-to-end design process.
• Extensive years people management experience.

Please include URLs for an online portfolio demonstrating your design process, UX flows, interaction patterns and visual design skills in addition to resume.  Submissions without a portfolio included will not be considered. 

#SharePoint, #SharePointDesign, #MicrosoftDesign

• Have a portfolio demonstrating your design leadership philosophies, approaches, and team building highlights, in addition to end-to-end delivery of content-related products.  
• Can inspire, grow, and lead teams of designers at all levels of experience and skill sets. Have a demonstrated ability to hire and mature teams and build culture. 
• Can define crisp product design direction for your areas, and collaborate with partner design, research, product management, marketing and engineering teams around the company and globe, leveraging partnerships for diverse perspective on our products. (10-25% travel) 
• Work proactively through the ambiguity of new product definition, the application of new and emerging technologies and ensure the resulting experiences are human, beautifully crafted, and delightful to customers. 
• Lead by example with clean, focused, and inspiring work, designing through all phases of the product cycle. Conceptualize and design original ideas that bring simplicity and ease of use to complex design issues. 
• Provide Principal-level thought leadership and storytelling skills with the ability to compose highly polished design prototypes, vision vignettes, framing memos, creative briefs, and other communication artifacts to express inspiring product vision. Have foundational understanding of AI platform and models. 
• Scope and estimate efforts accurately and prioritize tasks and goals with your team and partner teams. Have proficiency in a variety of design & productivity tools: chiefly Figma, as well as Adobe Creative Suite, Microsoft Office Suite, etc. Have experience in inclusive design and accessibility. 
• Contribute to broaden design team creative processes, team building, and our strong cultural values around diversity, inclusion, transparency, and growth mindset. 
• Drive for excellence while never losing sight of the human side of the equation and what it means to be a great leader and partner.