Employee engagement is undergoing a fundamental shift in response to economic, demographic, and societal changes. People want to be excited about their work, be connected to their company culture, understand how to succeed, and feel supported across their entire journey as an employee. The Microsoft Viva team is run as a start-up, encouraging team members to share a sense of “founderism.” Team members engage directly with customers, iterate rapidly, and focus on solving the needs of employees around the world and delivering innovative and connected employee engagement experiences. 

Microsoft Viva Studios is looking for a Senior Studio Manager to support our mission and ambitions. We are seeking an exceptional Studio Manager with a proven track record for planning, executing, and continuously improving the operations, communications, and culture of organizations.

As Senior Studio Manager, you enhance the operational efficiency and impact of the Studio in partnership with the Partner Director of Design. * * You collaborate closely with the business operations community to manage the organization rhythm of business and shared priorities. You partner with leaders in Design, User Experience Research, Engineering, Product Management, and Content Design to deliver on the organization’s operational objectives. You help make our studio the best place to work in the world.

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

As a Senior Studio Manager you will: 

• Collaborate with Design Directors, Product Designers, and UX Researchers to enhance our operational strategy and practice, including overseeing the UX roadmap and supporting organizational growth through hiring and career development.

• Ensure the Design and Research team's efficiency and effectiveness by managing requests from Product Managers and Engineering partners, safeguarding the team's time.

• Foster trust with external partners by transparently managing design backlogs and sprints, ensuring stakeholder needs are met and guiding Designers and Researchers on priorities.

• Handle the UX team's communications, tailoring messages and meetings for various audiences, from Business stakeholders to Engineering and Leadership, and coordinating design efforts across locations and time zones.

• Continuously refine our processes to improve project management, design workflows, and communication, thereby enhancing the team's output quality.

• Represent the UX team's perspective with partners and promote the significance of design and research throughout the product development cycle.

• Lead our team's culture initiatives to make Viva Studios an exceptional workplace. Embody our Culture (https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/about/corporate-values) and Values (https://careers.microsoft.com/us/en/culture)

Qualifications

Required/Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree in relevant field (e.g., Liberal Arts, Business Administration, Management, Computer Science) AND 6+ years experience in financial management, business planning, operations management, strategy, project management, human resources, or business-related roles

• OR equivalent experience.

Preferred Qualifications:

• 5-10 years of relevant experience in Design Operations, UX Program/Project Management, cross functional leadership  

• Experience managing projects and coordinating the efforts of multiple teams across the business 

• Self-starter with demonstrable understanding of user experience and design 

• Understands how to utilize design specialties and how/when to integrate with partnering teams 

• Customer-centric mindset with a solid understanding of the importance of qualitative and quantitative research 

• Familiarity and working knowledge of current design or management tools (Figma, Adobe Creative Cloud, Jira, Azure DevOps, and others) 

• Awareness of inclusive design and how it supports Microsoft's mission 

• Willingness to question established thinking in pursuit of better outcomes 

Business Management IC5 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $112,200 - $194,800 per year. There is a different range applicable to specific work locations, within the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area, and the base pay range for this role in those locations is USD $142,200 - $213,200 per year.

Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here: https://careers.microsoft.com/us/en/us-corporate-pay

Microsoft will accept applications for the role until May 23 2024.

Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. Consistent with applicable law, all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran or military status, race, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about requesting accommodations (https://careers.microsoft.com/v2/global/en/accessibility.html) .