Researcher - Turning Ideas into Reality
The primary responsibilities of a researcher include conducting basic and applied research on the most challenging computer science problems. Successful candidates will have a Ph.D. and a well-established research track record as demonstrated by journal publications and conference papers, as well as participation on program committees, editorial boards, and advisory panels.
Additional requirements include outstanding communication skills and the ability to develop original research agendas. Junior candidates must have demonstrated outstanding potential for leadership in their field as judged by letters of recommendation. Candidates must also be able to collaborate effectively with other researchers and product development teams.
Program Manager - Driven to Succeed
Program managers are customer focused, working to ensure that the products Microsoft produces will delight users and enable them to do their best. Program management is also an opportunity to flex technical muscles: your technical decisions and direction are what drive products and features through to completion.
Working across multiple groups with marketing and sales personnel on the customer end, program managers translate customer requirements into product features and create functional specifications. On the implementation end, they prioritize and deliver on those features, working closely with key technical resources, such as software development, testing, documentation, localization, tech support, and more.
Program managers typically have a software development background. This technical expertise is blended with evangelism, empathy, conflict negotiation skills, and a passion for driving projects through to completion.
Usability Engineer - Points of Contact
Product design is critical to a customer's ability to get the most out of any product or service. Product designers are responsible for the look, feel, and functionality of Microsoft software, hardware, and Internet services.
These designers and developers create the front-end user experience for hundreds of Microsoft products, taking into account market analysis, customer feedback, usability issues, and their own extensive experience in what makes a user interface effective and intuitive.
Product design encompasses everything from simple-to-use interfaces to highly realistic game imagery. It can be an opportunity to literally affect the face of computing. Your work here has a measurable and positive impact on how well people are able to utilize Microsoft products and services.
Software Development Engineer - Create a Legacy
Software design engineers at Microsoft apply their technical talents creatively in order to write code, while working closely with program managers to define and prioritize features. They work in a supportive network of smart, diverse colleagues who share a passion for pushing the limits of technology in order to delight and enable customers.
There's tremendous potential for impact. A software development career at Microsoft is much more than just an opportunity to create great products; it can be an opportunity to leave your mark and create a lasting technical legacy. What you do will have a positive influence on the lives of millions around the world, now and in the future.
Another benefit is opportunity. Think of Microsoft as an entity composed of smaller organizations. Software design engineers have the ability to explore new technical realms, thereby growing and realizing their potential in many areas. One year you may work on operating systems, the next on office productivity tools, and the next on graphics software. The result is an infusion of skills that never get stale and enable you to continually achieve new heights.
Software Test Engineer - A Passion for Quality
Testing plays a critical strategic role in moving product quality upstream in the software development process, and emphasizes the customer's needs throughout the product cycle. All Microsoft products must get test sign-off on product quality before intermediate and final releases.
"You break it to build it" is a seeming contradiction that makes perfect sense to experienced test professionals at Microsoft. They work closely with software design engineers and program managers to understand product requirements and functionality, design appropriate test plans and test cases to verify features and functionalities, and then identify bugs through systematic testing. In the course of their work, test professionals also identify key business improvement opportunities and potential future projects.
Microsoft test organizations have developed rich and effective test methodologies and tools. Procedures include functional testing, negative testing, customer scenario testing, stress testing, performance testing, scalability testing, international testing, and more. All are conducted with the goal of assuring that customers receive maximum product quality.
Product Manager - Your Strategy Can Make Big Things Happen
In an industry that moves at lightning speed, it takes individuals with equal amounts of skill and enthusiasm to create and sustain momentum for great software.
That's the charge of Product Management at Microsoft. Each year Microsoft invests billions of dollars in research and development to explore technologies that will positively impact businesses, education, and everyday life. Product Managers help chart the course of those new products and services as they emerge. They work with the development team to determine product functionality, strategize product positioning, and drive the product launch. After introduction, the Product Management team monitors customer and partner response to the products and refines product strategy to ensure the best possible user experience.
As a Product Manager, you have the freedom to run your own business and the resources to make a global impact. The ideal candidate possesses excellent marketing and business analysis skills, well-developed strategic thinking, and the ability to communicate and coordinate with a variety of product development, marketing, sales, and business development teams.
Marketing Manager - Show the World What It Can Do
A Marketing Communications career at Microsoft means many things. But underlying every aspect of it is one question: What can Microsoft products and solutions do for customers to help them achieve what they really want?
Every solution created at Microsoft begins with an understanding of our customers and their needs. This translates into meaningful benefits. And presenting those benefits clearly and effectively hinges on Marketing Communications.
As part of our Marketing Communications team, you could work with the Corporate Marketing Group to provide strategic communications guidance and execution in key areas, such as research, branding, packaging, advertising, events, and public relations. In our Solutions Marketing Group, you could apply your communications skills across the customer life cycle, working with sales agents and partners to orchestrate integrated campaigns that build and fulfill demand for Microsoft products.
Whatever direction you pursue, you'll have the opportunity—and the resources—to positively impact the lives of millions of people around the globe. The ideal candidate possesses strong written and verbal communication skills, the ability to think and plan strategically, and a thorough understanding of technology and the competitive landscape.