Principal Design Director

Overview

Microsoft's Business & Industry Copilot (BIC) Design & Research team is a creative community on a mission to deliver holistic, AI-powered user experiences for enterprise customers. As Principal Design Director (Visual Design) for BIC, you will lead the visual design strategy for our next-generation AI-driven enterprise products. In this leadership role, you'll manage and mentor a world-class design team while actively contributing to design work-combining strategic direction with hands-on visual craft. You will ensure Microsoft's intelligent business applications (Copilot Studio, Dynamics 365, Power Platform, industry solutions, and more) have a cohesive, accessible, and engaging visual identity that resonates with users and enhances the emotional and functional aspects of their experience. The ideal candidate thrives at the intersection of technology, craft, and user experience, combining a bold, opinionated product vision with an unwavering commitment to design quality to build products customers truly love. Partnering closely with product, engineering, and research, you'll translate user insights and business goals into a human-centered design strategy. You'll define the aesthetic and character of our AI-powered experiences, ensuring clarity, trust, and beauty in every detail. Through design systems, storytelling, and external thought leadership, you'll advance both the quality and influence of BIC's design practice in shaping the future of intelligent enterprise experiences. 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

Lead and inspire a multidisciplinary visual design team : Manage senior designers and leads, creating clarity, generating energy, and delivering results in a fast-paced environment. Foster a culture of inclusive collaboration and creative excellence through mentorship and support.

Define a bold design strategy and vision : Articulate a forward-looking design vision aligned with BIC's mission to transform business processes with AI. Leverage user insights and business goals to set the experience direction and visual language for Microsoft's enterprise Copilot offerings.

Hands-on creative direction and excellence : Drive the craft-not only by guiding others but also with direct contributions to key design projects. Conceptualize and prototype new user experiences for Copilot agents and multi-agent systems that push the boundaries of enterprise UX.

Design system ownership : Evolve BIC's design system to ensure consistency, accessibility, and visual unity-driving a cohesive visual language and interaction patterns for Copilot experiences across Dynamics 365, Power Platform, and related experiences.

Cross-functional collaboration : Serve as the bridge between design and other disciplines, partnering closely with PM, Engineering, Data Science, User Research, and business stakeholders throughout the product lifecycle.

Strategic planning and innovation : Influence product roadmaps and strategic planning by identifying design strategy opportunities, for example, proposing innovative UI solutions or new interaction models for emerging Copilot capabilities.

Champion user-centered, inclusive design : Ensure our AI features and visual designs address real user needs, build trust, and follow best practices in accessibility and inclusive design so that every user feels empowered and engaged.

Thought leadership and evangelism : Be a visionary voice for design excellence within Microsoft and in the broader design community. Track emerging design trends and tools to continuously evolve the team's practice and maintain Microsoft's leadership in cutting-edge design.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications :

Master's Degree in Industrial Design, Product Design, Human Computer Interaction, User Experience, Interaction Design, or related field AND 7+ years experience working in product or service design

OR Bachelor's Degree in Industrial Design, Product Design, Human Computer Interaction, User Experience, Interaction Design, or related field AND 9+ years experience working in product or service design

OR equivalent experience.

5+ years people management experience.

Other Requirements :

• Ability to meet Microsoft, customer and / or government security screening requirements are required for this role. These requirements include but are not limited to the following specialized security screenings : Microsoft Cloud Background Check : This position will be required to pass the Microsoft Cloud background check upon hire / transfer and every two years thereafter. - A portfolio showcasing visual and interaction design skills and high-quality digital product experiences.

Preferred Qualifications :

Experience designing for AI-powered or agentic user experiences (e.g. conversational interfaces, digital assistants).

Demonstrated experience building, scaling, or maintaining design systems across complex product ecosystems.

Proven ability to lead creative teams and collaborate cross-functionally with product, engineering, and research partners.

Solid communication and storytelling skills; able to articulate design vision and influence stakeholders.

Familiarity with modern design tools (Figma, Adobe Creative Suite) and emerging AI-powered design workflows.

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.

#BICJobs

Product Design M6 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $163,000 - $296,400 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 $220,800 - $331,200 per year.

Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here :

This position will be open for a minimum of 5 days, with applications accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.

Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. 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 with religious accommodations and / or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about requesting accommodations. ()