Senior Manager, Design Operations

Microsoft•Redmond, WA

8d•$119,800 - $234,700

About The Position

Microsoft’s Business & Industry Copilot (BIC) Experience Studio is a creative community on a mission to design and deliver holistic, AI‑powered user experiences for enterprise customers. Design Operations is the connective tissue of our Studio—building the systems, practices, and operational rigor that give teams clarity, alignment, and confidence as they deliver impactful design at speed and scale. The Senior Manager of Design Operations is a strategic leader who ensures our Studio has the structures, rhythms, and enablement needed to achieve our mission in an environment where people thrive and grow. This role strengthens how we work, shaping the Design Ops strategy and operating model, leading AI‑forward training and tooling enablement, and helping teams integrate AI as one of many ways we improve efficiency, quality, and creative momentum. 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.

Requirements

Master's Degree in Industrial Design, Product Design, Human Computer Interaction, User Experience, Interaction Design, or related field AND 4+ 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 5+ years experience working in product or service design OR equivalent experience
Ability to meet Microsoft, customer and/or government security screening requirements are required for this role.
Microsoft Cloud Background Check: This position will be required to pass the Microsoft Cloud background check upon hire/transfer and every two years thereafter.

Nice To Haves

Master's Degree in Industrial Design, Product Design, Human Computer Interaction, User Experience, Interaction Design, or related field AND 6+ 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 8+ 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).
2+ years people management experience in the Design Operations domain.
4+ years experience spearheading internal design processes from concept to scaled operations.
4+ years experience shipping products, services, or games and/or delivering to customers as a result of an end-to-end design process.
Familiarity with project management best practices, tools, and methodologies AND Agile, Lean, and/or other modern product development methodologies.
Familiarity with tools like Figma, Sketch, Jira, Azure DevOps, or similar project management and design tools.

Responsibilities

Partner closely with BIC Experience Studio leaders to drive tight alignment of activities across teams through cross-functional planning, strong communication, and rigorous program management.
Drive consistency and harmony in design team operating rhythm, including communication structures, project templates, leadership cadence, and resource utilization.
Grow the Design Operations practice, including initiating and running horizontal initiatives that help improve the Design org’s operations and cross-functional ways of working.
Define and track operational KPIs and metrics (cycle time, throughput, predictability, satisfaction/health signals) and drive continuous improvement based on evidence.
Establish Design-specific OKRs and reporting that align operational work to business outcomes and create transparency on progress and tradeoffs.
Compose, implement, and document comprehensive and user-friendly processes.
Orchestrate and build team rituals that focus on tracking progress, execution, celebration, and communication across the program of work, and celebration of product milestones ensuring teams are on track, work is high quality, and designers feel recognized for their contributions.
As a people manager, deliver team and discipline success through empowerment and accountability by modeling, coaching, and caring.

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