Principal Group Design Manager

About M365 Core Design Studio

The M365 Core Design Studio is a global, multidisciplinary team at Microsoft dedicated to bringing humanity to AI experiences. We design intelligent, human-centered solutions that seamlessly integrate into people’s lives and transform how they find, ask, and do across Microsoft 365.

Our studio combines technical depth with creative excellence, blending expertise in UX, motion, voice, storytelling, and systems architecture. We work on some of Microsoft’s most impactful experiences, including Copilot, Business Chat, Windows companions, People experiences, and Search—all with a focus on responsible AI and inclusive design.

Why join the M365 Core Design Studio?

- Shape the Future of AI: Work on cutting-edge AI experiences that redefine productivity for millions.

- Global Impact: Collaborate with diverse teams worldwide.

- Human-Centered Innovation: Make AI more intuitive, inclusive, and trustworthy.

- Growth & Learning: Access world-class resources and mentorship.

- Culture of Creativity: Join a team that values experimentation, storytelling, and bold ideas.

The Role

As a Principal Group Design Manager, you will lead a talented team of designers, driving the highest standards of design quality, usability, and user-centered practices. You’ll set the creative and strategic vision for AI-powered product experiences, ensuring alignment with business goals and fostering a culture of innovation, growth, and inclusion.

As a critical Design Leader in this space you’ll shape the creative and strategic vision for AI-powered product experiences, elevating design quality, usability, and user-centered thinking across the organization. You’ll guide and inspire teams toward excellence while collaborating closely with cross-functional partners to deliver impactful, innovative solutions that align with business goals and foster a culture of growth and inclusion.

You will shape the direction and impact of a talented design team, ensuring the highest standards of design quality, usability, and user-centered practices.

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

• Drive excellence in conversational experiences and integrations. Lead efforts that define how Copilot delivers clarity, trust, and speed—spanning chain of thought, latency, response quality and structure, citation integrity, and reference UI. Champion the design of seamless integrations across first-party apps (Office, Outlook, Teams), third-party ecosystems, and web content. Partner closely with data science and engineering to guide qualitative evaluation of platform changes, ensuring every decision elevates user experience and business impact.
• Work directly with the data science teams responsible for developing and tuning how M365 Copilot responds.
• Partner with conversation designers to deliver a best in class voice experience for M365 Copilot.
• Influence and direct cross-organizational initiatives that will include partnering with and leading other teams including globally distributed product, science and engineering collaborators.
• Maintain high standards of design quality, craft, usability, and user-centered practices. Represent design and the importance of qualitative assessment, robust research and testable hypotheses when communicating with partners up to an executive level.
• Foster a healthy and inclusive team culture, provide opportunities for professional growth, mentor and develop designers, guiding career growth and skill development.
• Lead prioritization discussions, and oversee execution and delivery.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree Graphic/interaction Design, Human Centered Design, Visual Communication or related fields or equivalent experience. Computer Science degree a plus.
• Experience in a design leadership role, preferably in a corporate environment. Experience building trust at senior/executive levels across discipline and organizational boundaries.
• Strong storytelling, presentation, and async communication skills
• Exceptional problem-solving and decision-making abilities.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
• Deep experience designing for AI/LLM-powered experiences. Technical background and experience with conversational and voice systems is preferred.
• Portfolio showcasing end-to-end product thinking and execution is required.
• Strong appetite for new technology and innovation, adept at staying abreast of the latest developments in AI as they happen across the industry.
• Proficiency in Figma and prototyping tools. Knowledge of the latest trends with ‘vibe coding’-based prototyping is beneficial.
• Familiarity with design systems, accessibility, and inclusive design practices.
• Strong storytelling, presentation, and async communication skills
• Exceptional problem-solving and decision-making abilities.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
• Portfolio showcasing end-to-end product thinking and execution is required.
• Strong appetite for new technology and innovation, adept at staying abreast of the latest developments in AI as they happen across the industry.
• Proficiency in Figma and prototyping tools. Knowledge of the latest trends with ‘vibe coding’-based prototyping is beneficial.
• Familiarity with design systems, accessibility, and inclusive design practices.

Preferred Qualification:

• AI Fluency: Deep knowledge and experience with AI and LLM capabilities. Technical acumen preferred.
• Adaptability: Thrives in fast-paced, evolving environments.
• Design Craft: Delivers polished, user-centered solutions.
• Time Management: Manages multiple priorities and workstreams.
• Async Communication: Communicates clearly across time zones and tools.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Builds strong relationships with product and engineering partners.
• Create clarity, generate energy, deliver success.
• Customer obsessed, diverse & inclusive, One Microsoft.
• Respect, integrity, accountability.

Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application or the recruiting process, please send a request via the Accommodation request form.

Benefits/perks listed below may vary depending on the nature of your employment with Microsoft and the country where you work.