Senior Strategic Programme Manager

Job Description

Overview

At Microsoft Research in Cambridge our goal is to transform the world through deep research. We work across disciplines and in close collaboration with the broader Microsoft ecosystem to design technologies that are robust, trusted, and empower millions worldwide. We are seeking a Senior Strategic Programme Manager to play a critical role in shaping and enabling the strategy of complex, multi‑faceted research programmes composed of interconnected projects. The role is focused on three core responsibilities: Discover, Design, and Deliver:

• Discover / Setting the Direction: Actively engages with researchers, engineers, designers and partner teams to surface or discuss high‑value opportunities, areas of unmet need, and synergies across projects. Brings together landscape insight, internal feedback, and understanding of emerging scientific and technological directions to help inform programme priorities. Contributes evidence, analysis, and perspective that support leadership’s strategic decision‑making and ensure new ideas are grounded, connected, and ready for consideration.
• Design / Shaping the Plan: Translates leadership’s strategic intent into clear, actionable programme structures/workflows and success criteria. Works closely with project leads, researchers, engineers, designers and partners to define objectives, clarify interfaces between projects, and establish the repeatable frameworks needed to take ideas from concept to reality.
• Deliver / Driving Impact: Orchestrates programme execution across project teams, ensuring work progresses in alignment with long‑term vision and organisational priorities. Goes beyond timelines to shape the operational conditions that enable successful delivery at scale, establishing governance models, anticipating risks, aligning resources, and facilitating decision-making across disciplines. Cultivates clarity in complex, ambiguous environments and builds the cross‑team alignment needed to translate research concepts into impactful, real‑world outcomes.

Responsibilities

• Build and maintain a landscape view: surface gaps, synergies, and emerging research directions by synthesising insights from research teams, consumer needs, industry trends, internal feedback, and data‑driven evidence.
• Foster cross‑organisational awareness and alignment by connecting initiatives, sharing insights, and enabling coherent joint vision.
• Ensure programme strategies reflect systems‑level thinking, mapping dependencies, aligning resources, and planning for scalable, long‑term impact.
• Proactively identify risks, trade-offs, and blockers; lead mitigations and escalation.
• Shape and communicate research findings in ways that drive meaningful organizational uptake and broaden internal influence.
• Define success metrics and track outcomes, using insights to course-correct priorities and plans.
• Develop reusable templates and playbooks that enable teams to run repeatable programmes at scale.
• Act as an advisor to internal/external audiences, distilling complexity, shaping narratives and representing programme vision.

Qualifications

Qualifications and Skills:

• Related bachelor's degree AND experience in AI technology, related field or equivalent experience
• A track record of delivering on complex cross-functional programmes in ambiguous, rapidly changing environments and demands.
• Strategic and analytical mindset: able to synthesize signals from research, markets, customers, and technology trends to shape long‑term direction and high‑impact programme priorities.
• Systems‑level thinking: understands complex research ecosystems and translates interdependencies into coherent, scalable strategies, leveraging strong mapping and workshopping expertise to surface insights, build shared understanding, and drive aligned decision‑making.
• Creates clarity aligned to vision: unifies diverse teams and leaders around a shared direction, navigating deep technical and organizational complexity to build alignment, structure, and forward momentum.
• Strategic messaging: distils complexity, adapts messages to different audiences, and drives action through compelling, strategic storytelling.
• Technical and research fluency: connects abstract research concepts to real‑world scenarios and informs technical direction with strategic insight.
• Responsible AI (RAI) expertise: deep understanding of Microsoft’s Responsible AI Standard and ability to successfully lead teams through the RAI process.
• Network building: develops strong partnerships across research, engineering, product, and internal partners to deliver impactful outcomes.
• Outcome‑driven decision‑making: uses qualitative and quantitative evidence to prioritize, evaluate, and evolve programmes for maximum strategic impact.

This position will be open for a minimum of 5 days, with applications accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.

Microsoft 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.