Principal UX Research Manager

We’re looking for someone who thrives in ambiguity and leads with clarity, who connects dots across domains and builds understanding out of complexity. Someone who works across organizational roles to uncover the unspoken questions and beliefs—and answers them with precision, detail, and durability. Someone who puts people first, centering the needs, problems, goals, and aspirations of both customers and their team.

This leader will cultivate a culture of trust, inclusion, and excellence, empowering their team to navigate ambiguity with confidence, adapt quickly to shifting priorities, and deliver insights that are both timely and durable. They will be committed to helping their team flourish—investing in their growth, championing their aspirations, and creating a culture where everyone can do their best work.

If you’re energized by how technology can improve the lives of one billion customers, inspired by the challenge of shaping the future of AI-powered computing, and passionate about leading with a growth mindset and making abstract ideas real—we would love to hear from you.

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

• Invest in people by modeling, coaching, and caring for your team, the studio, and the company.
• Champion deep understanding of customer behaviors, motivations, needs, and aspirations to shape experiences that deliver differentiated value and lasting impact.
• Drive product strategy through multi-stage research programs, balancing rigor with scrappiness to support confident decision-making in fast-moving environments.
• Foster cross-functional collaboration, guiding teams toward needle-moving creative directions, setting clear goals, and improving products, processes, and culture.
• Leverage research to influence products initiatives, navigating complexity and risk to deliver insights that influence decisions at the highest levels.
• Elevate the craft of research, mentoring others, evolving methodologies including AI, and advocating for research excellence across the organization.
• Embody our culture and values by bringing a growth mindset to your own development and showing up with inclusion, curiosity, and energy every day.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications: 

• Doctorate in Human-Computer Interaction, Human Factors Engineering, Computer Science, Technical Communications, Information Science, Information Architecture, User Experience Design, Behavioral Science, Social Sciences, or related field AND 3+ years user experience research experience and/or product development experience or related experience in research
  • OR Master's Degree in Human-Computer Interaction, Human Factors Engineering, Computer Science, Technical Communications, Information Science, Information Architecture, User Experience Design, Behavioral Science, Social Sciences, or related field AND 4+ years user experience research experience and/or product development experience or related experience in research
  • OR Bachelor's Degree in Human-Computer Interaction, Human Factors Engineering, Computer Science, Technical Communications, Information Science, Information Architecture, User Experience Design, Behavioral Science, Social Sciences, or related field AND 6+ years user experience research and/or product development experience or related experience in research
  • OR equivalent experience.
• 3+ years of people management expereince, specifically, leading a team through ambiguity and coaching to grow careers.
• 3+ years of experience with commonly used research tools (ex. Qualtrics, DScout, UserTesting).

Other Requirements: 

• Ability to meet Microsoft, customer and/or government security screening requirements that are required for this role. These