Job Description

In Mixed Reality, people—not devices—are at the center of everything we do.Our tech moves beyond screens and pixels, creating a new reality aimed at bringing us closer together.To get there, we’re incorporating diverse groundbreaking technologies, from computer vision to machine learning, human-computer interaction, and more. We’re a growing team of talented researchers, designers, and engineers putting technology on a human path across all Windows devices, including Microsoft HoloLens, Windows Mixed Reality headsets, and motion controllers.We believe in success through a compelling end-to-end customer experience for Mixed Reality.If you do too, we need you!

We are looking for Senior User Researcher who’s capable of driving and influencing Human-centered Design across teams, products, and programs. In this role, you’ll be part of a team that will continually evolve and improve our implementation of Human-centered Design.

Responsibilities

• Create and maintain our research portfolio that spans all Microsoft Mixed Reality initiatives.
• Manage and support our rhythm of business to ensure success on core research priorities.
• Implement customer-centric success measures that track the effectiveness of user research.
• Plan and execute mixed methods user research with various stakeholders including (but not limited to) the US Military, commercial enterprises, and consumers by discovering and uncovering user needs, activating those needs into actionable, measurable outcomes that improve the user experience across the mixed reality and AI product space.
• Synthesize internal and external research for efficient and effective research and insight delivery and communication into our experience designs, software, hardware, and human factors capabilities.
• Collaborate and develop continuous improvement practices, for efficient and effective research and insight delivery and communication into our experience designs, software, hardware, and human factors capabilities.
• Collaborate closely with partner teams to identify potential technologies for future products, build prototypes, and then run studies to evaluate their effectiveness in a human-centric context.
• A successful candidate must be able to collaborate well across Microsoft and diverse stakeholders, possess strong technical research skills, have a strong aptitude and interest in creating data-driven strategy, be interested in creating an inclusive environment, and understand how good design can create great products.
• If you’re a great communicator who is always curious, searching to solve hard human problems, read on.
  
  

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• Master’s Degree or equivalent practical experience in HCD, product management, psychology, human factors, or a closely related field.
• 4+ years of research and design work experience.
• Familiarity and experience working with AR/VR technologies or similar emergent technologies.
• Experience working through complete, complex product cycles with an understanding and application of human-centered design and prototyping approaches.
• Strong understanding and experience in quantitative and qualitative research methods.
• Excellent problem-solving skills with a high tolerance for ambiguity and change.
• Proven track record of implementing research portfolio across organizations and products.
• This position requires access to information controlled under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) or the Export Administration Regulations (EAR), the successful candidate must be a "U.S. person" : a natural person (a) who is a lawful permanent resident as defined in 8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(20); or (b) who is a protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3); or (c) is subject to an approved license by the applicable government agency.
  
  

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in or working closely with the technology industry
• Experience conducting various field research methods
• Familiarity with product or program management
  

If your experience looks a little different from what we’ve identified and you think you can rock the role, we’d love to learn more about you and please consider applying!

Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations and ordinances. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application or the recruiting process, please send a request via the Accommodation request form.

Benefits/perks listed below may vary depending on the nature of your employment with Microsoft and the country where you work.