{"id":1486777,"url":"https://alion.io/job/microsoft-head-of-design","title":"Head of Design","company":{"id":18,"name":"Microsoft","domain":"microsoft.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/microsoft","size_band":"5000+","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Eightfold","truth_index":{"grade":"B","score":75,"open_postings":157,"ghost_share":0,"stale_share":0.987,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":28,"computed_at":"2026-10-17T05:46:00Z"}},"role":"Design","role_family":"Design","seniority":"head","employment_type":null,"work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Mountain View, United States","Washington, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":{"min":142800,"max":296400,"currency":"USD","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":296400},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":12,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"Windows","optional":false}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-09-22T18:34:27Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-09-29","last_verified_at":"2026-10-18T18:26:23Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":26,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":26},"description":"OverviewMicrosoft's Creative, Advertising & Integrated Marketing team is looking for a Head of Design to lead the design vision and visual identity systems for Windows, Surface and Services.\nThis role is responsible for defining, evolving and governing the visual expression of Microsoft's largest consumer-facing brands. From foundational identity systems and brand design principles to campaign design systems, photography frameworks, retail experiences, digital touchpoints and product storytelling, you will ensure a cohesive, distinctive and scalable design language across every customer-facing surface.\nThe role partners closely with Creative Directors, Integrated Marketing leads, Product Marketing, Product Design, Retail, Digital and external agency partners to ensure creative work is expressed ambitiously and consistently across channels while maintaining the integrity of the brand.\nWe're looking for a design leader with exceptional taste, an ambition to reinvigorate some of the most recognized brands on the planet, while possessing strong systems thinking.\nResponsibilities\nKey Responsibilities\nLead the design vision for Windows, Surface and Services\nDefine and evolve the visual identity systems for Windows, Surface and Services.\n\nEstablish design principles, standards and frameworks that guide creative expression across all customer-facing touchpoints.\n\nEnsure brand systems remain modern, relevant, distinctive and scalable across markets, audiences and platforms.\n\nCreate cohesion across Microsoft's consumer ecosystem while preserving the unique identity and role of each brand.\n\nOwn end-to-end brand expression\nLead the development and implementation of visual identity systems across advertising, digital, social, photography, film, retail, experiential and product marketing experiences.\n\nOversee the application of brand systems across global campaigns and launches.\n\nEnsure creative work aligns with established design principles and visual standards regardless of channel or execution partner.\n\nPartner with teams across the organization to maintain consistency while enabling flexibility and innovation.\n\nBuild world-class design systems\nDevelop scalable systems including typography, color, layout, motion, imagery, iconography and visual frameworks.\n\nEstablish standards that enable efficient execution while maintaining exceptional quality.\n\nCreate tools and frameworks that simplify execution across internal teams, agency partners and regional markets.\n\nEnsure brand systems can flex across a wide variety of business, marketing and customer needs.\n\nLead and develop the design organization\nRecruit, mentor and lead a team of designers, brand designers, art directors and design specialists.\n\nFoster an environment centered on craft, rigor, curiosity and continuous improvement.\n\nEstablish design review processes that elevate both the quality and consistency of the work.\n\nBuild strong partnerships with agency, production and design partners around the world.\n\nPartner across the creative ecosystem\nCollaborate closely with cross-functional creative leadership team to ensure campaign work and brand systems reinforce one another.\n\nPartner with Integrated Marketing, Product Marketing, Retail and Communications teams to ensure cohesive execution across every customer touchpoint.\n\nInfluence key business and marketing decisions through the lens of design excellence and customer experience.\n\nServe as the primary steward of visual brand integrity across Windows, Surface and Services.\n\nQualifications\nRequired/minimum qualifications:\nBachelor's Degree or Certificate in Design, Fine Arts, Human Computer Interaction, Visual Communications or related art field AND 8+ years experience in art design or a related art field working on computer games or entertainment OR equivalent experience.\n5+ years people management experience (e.g., serving as a Lead Artist, Art Manager, Creative Director, etc.).\nPreferred Qualificiations:\n12+ years of experience in brand design, visual design, design leadership or related fields.\n\nExperience building, evolving and managing brand identity systems for globally recognized brands.\n\nProven success leading multidisciplinary design teams and large-scale design initiatives.\n\nDeep expertise across visual identity, typography, photography, motion, digital experiences and design systems.\n\nExperience scaling design systems across multiple channels, markets and customer touchpoints.\n\nStrong portfolio demonstrating excellence in identity design, brand systems and visual storytelling.\n\nExperience leading brand design organizations within technology, consumer products, retail or media.\n\nExperience partnering with advertising and creative leadership teams on large-scale campaign ecosystems.\n\nDemonstrated ability to balance long-term brand stewardship with evolving business and customer needs.\n\nExceptional attention to craft, detail and systems thinking.\n\nExperience building and mentoring high-performing design teams.\n\nArt M6 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $142,800 - $296,400 per year. There is a different range applicable to specific work locations, within the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area, and the base pay range for this role in those locations is USD $188,000 - $331,200 per year.\nCertain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here:\nhttps://careers.microsoft.com/us/en/us-corporate-pay\nThis position will be open for a minimum of 5 days, with applications accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.\nMicrosoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran or military status, race, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance with religious accommodations and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about requesting accommodations.","description_format":"text","description_chars":6392,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":12,"management_years_min":5,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"bachelor","optional":false},"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":[],"hiring_locations":[],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Console Games","Cloud Platforms (IaaS & PaaS)","Gaming Consoles","Developer Tools"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-09-29T23:30:25Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":44,"band":"fade","label":"Fading","p_open":1,"p_active":0.592,"p_room":0.75,"age_days":24,"expected_fill_days":28,"reasons":["conf:3","stale_co","velocity","win:late","comp:brand"],"computed_at":"2026-10-17T05:46:00Z"},"pay":{"stated_usd_annual":296400,"is_top_pay":true},"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/microsoft-head-of-design","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/microsoft-head-of-design.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-10-18T19:04:53Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":23500,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-10-19T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":18},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=18"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fmicrosoft-head-of-design"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":1,"usd":0.1},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Fmicrosoft-head-of-design"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Fmicrosoft-head-of-design"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/microsoft-head-of-design\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fmicrosoft-head-of-design"}]}