Senior Design Lead - Social & Creative

Senior • On-site

$119,800 - $234,700/yr

Redmond, WA

Overview

As a Senior Design Lead - Social & Creative in Microsoft’s Design Studio for the Engines & Experiences (E&E) organization, you will help shape the creative vision and execution across a portfolio of initiatives that span customer, partner, media, and marketer experiences. You will play a pivotal role in translating strategic priorities into compelling creative systems that scale across channels, audiences, and formats. This role demands deep expertise in visual design, brand identity, and social storytelling, with a relentless focus on craft, quality, and detail. You will be responsible for elevating the visual language of Microsoft’s commercial brands, ensuring every touchpoint is intentional, refined, and emotionally resonant. You’ll lead the development of scalable design systems that unify brand expression across digital, experiential, and social platforms. You will also bring fluency in AI-enhanced creative workflows, using modern tools to accelerate ideation, prototyping, and production. You’ll collaborate deeply across marketing, product, and engineering teams to ensure creative excellence and consistency across every touchpoint.

Job Location: The primary location for this position is Redmond, WA. Additionally, there are three other locations where this role may be based. Candidates who do not reside in one of these four areas will be relocated to Redmond.    

This role is flexible in that you can work up to 50% from home.

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.    

In alignment with our Microsoft values, we are committed to cultivating an inclusive work environment for all employees to positively impact our culture every day.    

Qualifications

Required/minimum qualifications

Bachelor's Degree or Certificate in Design, Fine Arts, Human Computer Interaction, Visual Communications or related art field AND 4+ years experience in art design or a related art field working on computer games or entertainment. OR equivalent experience.
4+ years experience in brand design, art direction, or creative leadership.
4+ years experience leading creative teams across disciplines in a fast-paced, matrixed environment.
A portfolio showcasing excellence in visual design, brand identity, and social storytelling.

Additional or preferred qualifications

Bachelor's Degree or Certificate in Design, Human Computer Interaction, Visual Communications or related art field AND 12+ years experience in art design or a related art field working on computer games or entertainment OR equivalent experience.
6+ years experience using related software and packages (e.g., Maya, 3DS Max, Photoshop/Adobe suite, Mental Ray, Substance Designer/Painter/Zbrush, SideFX Houdini, After Effects, Unity, Softimage).
6+ years experience shipping 2+ multiple projects or products end to end.
6+ years experience integrating campaign data, audience insights, and performance signals into creative operations 
3+ years experience fluency in AI tools for design, content generation, and workflow optimization.
6+ years experience building scalable design systems across digital and experiential platforms.
6+ years experience stakeholder management and cross-functional collaboration skills.

Art IC5 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $119,800 - $234,700 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 $158,400 - $258,000 per year.

Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here: US corporate pay information | Microsoft Careers

Microsoft will accept applications for the role until November 14th 2025.

#EandEJobs

Responsibilities

Translate strategic goals into scalable creative systems that drive brand consistency and audience engagement.
Lead the visual design direction across campaigns, platforms, and social channels, ensuring a high bar for quality and attention to detail.
Define and evolve brand identity systems that reflect Microsoft’s values and resonate with global audiences.
Integrate AI tools into creative workflows to enhance ideation, prototyping, and production efficiency.
Partner with cross-functional teams to develop creative solutions that simplify complex technologies and elevate user experiences.
Develop and maintain brand guidelines and toolkits that empower internal teams and external partners.
Provide clear, actionable feedback in creative reviews and mentor team members to grow their craft and impact.
Represent the Design Studio in strategic forums, advocating for design excellence and user-centered thinking.

Microsoft

Microsoft is a global technology company that focuses on empowering every person and organization to achieve more. With a mission to deliver the core infrastructure and foundational technologies for Microsoft's online businesses, including Bing, MSN, Office 365, Xbox Live, Teams, OneDrive, and the Microsoft Azure platform, the company is dedicated to powering the 'Intelligent Cloud' mission. Microsoft values respect, integrity, and accountability, and fosters a culture of inclusion where employees can thrive. The company is committed to continuous improvement and collaboration to drive innovation and provide high-quality results to customers. With a diverse and inclusive workforce, Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer.