Creative Director, AIX Creative Studio

Microsoft•Mountain View, CA

15h•Hybrid

About The Position

We're looking for a Creative Director to lead creative for AIX at Microsoft: someone who can set a visual and narrative point of view for how people experience AI, and drive a team capable of bringing that vision to life across every surface: product, marketing, campaigns, and physical/live moments. This is a rare hybrid role. You'll need the taste and craft of a world-class art director, the instincts of a storyteller, the leadership of someone who's run creative teams before, and a real, lived connection to culture — music, entertainment, fashion, internet culture — so the work feels of-the-moment rather than corporate. You should be equally comfortable critiquing a typeface choice, sharpening a product screen, and briefing a launch campaign that spans a keynote stage, a product surface, and a social feed. We're specifically looking for someone who is still a maker, not just a manager. The best creative directors we've worked with never stopped making things themselves. They can jump into the work, sketch a direction, or push pixels when it matters, and then step back into setting vision, building teams, and partnering with executives. That range is a defining trait we're hiring for, not a nice-to-have. AI Experiences employees who live within a 50- mile commute of a designated Microsoft Hub in the U.S. are expected to work from the office at least four days per week. This expectation is subject to local law and may vary by jurisdiction.

Requirements

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 (e.g., demonstrated experience working in product or service design or using design thinking to solve problems).
5+ years people management experience.

Nice To Haves

15+ years in design and art direction, including significant time as a creative leader (Creative Director, Executive Creative Director, or equivalent) at an agency, in-house studio, or brand
A distinctive visual point of view — a portfolio that shows range across brand identity, digital product, campaign, and (ideally) physical/experiential work
The ability to operate at both ends of the spectrum — equally credible sketching in a notebook or a design tool as you are setting strategy in a room with senior executives, and able to move fluidly between the two in the same day
Have exceptional presentation skills and the gravitas to champion bold creative ideas with senior leadership
A strong sensibility for story and language, even if writing isn't your primary craft, you know a good line when you see one and can push a narrative to be sharper
Experience leading and growing creative teams, including hiring, mentoring, and managing multidisciplinary talent (designers, writers, art directors, producers)
Comfort spanning product and marketing — you don't see "brand" and "product design" as separate disciplines, and you have experience (or a strong point of view) on both
Real cultural fluency — active engagement with music, entertainment, fashion, or adjacent creative communities, ideally evidenced by projects, collaborations, or ventures outside of a traditional day job
A track record of shipping ambitious creative work at scale, ideally including work that's been publicly recognized (awards, press, cultural impact)
Comfort operating in a large, matrixed organization while still protecting the integrity of the creative vision
Experience directing creative for AI or emerging-technology products specifically
A personal creative practice, project, or venture (label, publication, gallery, studio) that signals genuine cultural engagement beyond the day job
Experience directing physical/experiential work, installations, events, retail, or spatial design

Responsibilities

Set the creative vision for AI Experiences — the visual language, tone, and narrative point of view that shows up consistently across product, brand, and marketing
Art direct at the highest level — reviewing, shaping, and elevating design work across visual identity, motion, typography, and UI, with an eye that can tell the difference between "good" and genuinely distinctive
Stay hands-on with the craft — personally jumping in to sketch a direction, design a key visual, or push a concept forward when the moment calls for it, rather than directing exclusively from a distance
Lead and grow a visually-focused creative team — hiring, mentoring, and directing creative designers and art directors, and fostering an environment where world-class visual work thrives
Shape story and language alongside the visuals — partnering closely with the Creative Strategy and Brand Writing leads so that strategy, words, and images are developed together as equal parts of one idea
Build and leverage relationships with top-tier creative agencies, production partners, and creative talent
Bridge product and marketing — ensuring the creative thread is unbroken from the first-run product experience to the campaign that introduces it to the world
Design across digital and physical — from in-product moments and digital campaigns to launch events, physical installations, and experiential brand moments
Partner cross-functionally with product, engineering, research, and marketing leadership to make sure creative ambition and product reality stay in sync
Represent the creative studio internally and externally — presenting work, building conviction, and advocating for craft at every level of the organization