Voice and Audio Design Manager

Job Description

Overview

Microsoft Copilot is redefining how people work—and voice is central to making Copilot feel human, trustworthy, and delightful. We’re hiring an Audio Creative Lead to define and lead the sonic direction for Copilot across M365. This role spans generative voice creation and real-time voice UX establishing and executing on Copilot’s voice identity and setting standards for quality, accessibility, and responsible use.

About M365 Core Design Studio

The M365 Core Design Studio is a global, multidisciplinary team at Microsoft dedicated to bringing humanity to AI experiences. We design intelligent, human-centered solutions that seamlessly integrate into people’s lives and transform how they find, ask, and do across Microsoft 365.

Our studio combines technical depth with creative excellence, blending expertise in UX, motion, voice, storytelling, and systems architecture. We work on some of Microsoft’s most impactful experiences, including Copilot, Business Chat, Windows companions, People experiences, and Search—all with a focus on responsible AI and inclusive design.

Why join the M365 Core Design Studio?

• Shape the Future of AI: Work on cutting-edge AI experiences that redefine productivity for millions.
• Global Impact: Collaborate with diverse teams worldwide.
• Human-Centered Innovation: Make AI more intuitive, inclusive, and trustworthy.
• Growth & Learning: Access world-class resources and mentorship.
• Culture of Creativity: Join a team that values experimentation, storytelling, and bold ideas.

You will partner across design, engineering, research, and brand to deliver audio experiences at scale and will help to shape the future of voice in AI.

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.

Responsibilities

• Manage a team of audio specialists creating an audio style system for generative voices—tone, pacing, prosody, and energy across voice fonts and modalities.
• Create and manage voice design and development for Microsoft Copilot and help to develop the audio soundscape such as earcons.
• Real-Time Voice UX
  Partner with product and engineering to design turn-taking, latency cues, and multimodal audio patterns for conversational experiences.
• Establish Scalable Voice Pipelines
  Develop evaluation rubrics, listening tests, and instrumentation for voice quality, naturalness, and safety.
• Champion Accessibility & Inclusion
  Ensure compliance with MAS and WCAG standards for captions, transcripts, adjustable speed, and inclusive prosody.
• Embed Responsible AI Practices
  Collaborate with CELA and RAI teams on voice likeness licensing, consent, and SSML guardrails for sensitive content.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree
  • OR Trade School Diploma in Sound Design, Interactive Design and Development, Communications Design, Human Computer Interaction, Multimedia Design, or related field AND Advanced experience in audio or sound design
  • OR equivalent experience.
• Proven leadership in voice direction, casting, prosody coaching, and audio style guide development.
• Experience collaborating deeply with engineering on speech technologies (TTS/STT), real-time rendering, and multimodal UX.
• Experience with AI voice models. Familiarity with legal/privacy considerations for synthetic voices.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree
  • OR Trade School Diploma in Sound Design, Interactive Design and Development, Communications Design, Human Computer Interaction, Multimedia Design, or related field, or related field AND experience in audio or sound design
  • OR equivalent experience.
• People management experience.
• Experience using related software and packages (e.g., Wwise audio middleware, Pro Tools, Nuendo, Reaper, FMOD Studio, Unreal/Unity).
• Experience shipping audio related products as a result of an end-to-end design process. Track record of successfully defining and launching sonic identity for global brands or platforms.
• Portfolio demonstrating and showcasing inclusive audio practices and accessibility compliance is required.
• Knowledge of voice analytics, MOS testing, SSML, and DAW-based production workflows.
• Experience working with voice and conversation design in enterprise products.
• Experience building and scaling audio teams and vendor networks.

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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.