Launch Manager

Microsoft • Redmond, WA

5d • $97,600 - $206,400

About The Position

The Planning & Launch Team is seeking a strategic Launch Manager to lead complex, cross-functional initiatives from concept through market execution. The role drives end-to-end launch readiness, aligns stakeholders, manages operational risks, and delivers outcomes that support Microsoft’s business objectives and long-term strategy. The successful candidate brings operational discipline, a growth mindset, and a passion for innovation; navigates ambiguity; leads large-scale initiatives; and uses AI and data-driven insights to improve how work gets done. The role also focuses on process improvement, efficiency, operational excellence, automation, and technological advancement.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Operations, Business Supply Chain, Finance, Business Management, Accounting, Human Resources, Organizational Development, or a related field, and 4+ years of experience in operations, process design, or program/project management; or equivalent experience.
• Proven experience leading complex cross-functional programs, product launches, or business initiatives in a fast-paced environment.
• Project, program, and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence at all organizational levels.
• Ability to manage competing priorities, ambiguity, risks, and dependencies across multiple workstreams.
• Exceptional communication, presentation, facilitation, and executive engagement skills.
• Ability to synthesize complex information into clear recommendations, action plans, and decision-ready materials.
• Ability to drive results through collaboration, accountability, and operational rigor.
• Ability to work under and meet continual deadline constraints.
• Negotiation skills and the ability to impact and influence at a leadership level.
• Ability to manage short-, medium-, and long-term planning horizons concurrently.
• Understanding of financial principles.
• Initiative and drive for continuous improvement and delivery against objectives.

Nice To Haves

• Five years of project management experience focused on operations program management.
• Experience in a multinational environment.
• Operations experience.
• Experience engaging with Finance stakeholders.
• MBA.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end launch planning, execution, and governance across products, services, programs, and business initiatives.
• Develop and maintain launch plans, readiness frameworks, timelines, milestones, and success criteria.
• Partner with cross-functional teams to assess business impacts, define launch requirements, and coordinate execution.
• Drive alignment across engineering, product management, marketing, sales, operations, finance, compliance, supply chain, and support organizations.
• Identify and mitigate launch risks, dependencies, blockers, and operational challenges, and drive resolution plans.
• Facilitate executive reviews, stakeholder discussions, and decision-making forums to ensure alignment and accountability.
• Monitor critical paths, launch readiness indicators, and key performance metrics against commitments.
• Translate strategic business objectives into execution plans that support organizational priorities and customer outcomes.
• Establish communication channels and provide status updates, executive summaries, and launch health reporting.
• Promote operational excellence through process improvement, launch playbooks, and best practices.
• Support portfolio planning, intake assessments, prioritization, and resource alignment.
• Conduct post-launch reviews, capture lessons learned, and implement improvements for future launches.
• Identify process gaps, reduce operational complexity, and implement scalable solutions that improve execution and outcomes.
• Leverage AI, automation, and emerging technologies to improve efficiency, decision-making, insights, and launch management processes.
• Partner with stakeholders on digital transformation and operational innovation in launch planning, readiness, reporting, and governance.
• Maintain launch frameworks, knowledge bases, playbooks, and best practices that promote consistency and organizational learning.
• Use data analytics, AI-powered tools, and business intelligence solutions to generate insights, measure launch effectiveness, and inform decisions.
• Champion experimentation and adoption of tools, processes, and methodologies that accelerate business value and improve customer and partner experiences.
• Use lessons learned and performance data from launch retrospectives to optimize processes and future readiness.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level