Washington Staffing
Principal Design Manager For Visual Studio Code Team
The Visual Studio (VS) Code team in the Developer Division is seeking a Principal Design Manager who will join our tight-knit, cross-disciplinary group, and also take on a key leadership role. As Principal Design Manager, you will lead and manage a dedicated team of designers focused on VS Code, guiding and mentoring them to deliver world-class experiences for a passionate community of developers. You will also be joining the Developer Division Design Studio, a group of highly talented and enthusiastic designers and UX engineers working on software development tools and technologies across Microsoft's developer-focused portfolio. The design challenges the studio works on span AI integration, client applications, code editors, multiple programming languages, data science tools, source control and more. We operate in one of the most technical divisions at Microsoft, so our ideal candidate will have fluency and understanding of the developer journey, the tools they use, and the nuances of the developer community. Additionally, an understanding of and experience with basic web fundamentals will go a long way in this role this includes things such as semantic and accessible HTML, CSS variables, progressive enhancement, modern vanilla JavaScript, and web components. A curious, make-to-think mindset around AI and the evolution of digital product development is another area that this role will need to be comfortable in. Responsibilities Lead and mentor a team of designers focused on improving the user experience of VS Code. Help guide the vision of AI-native experiences that closes the gap from idea to testable concepts. Collaborate closely with product managers, engineers, and other stakeholders to define and execute product and design strategy. Drive the creation of interactive prototypes to validate design concepts and user flows. Ensure design consistency and accessibility across all features and extensions of VS Code. Advocate for the developer experience and bring user-centered design thinking to every stage of product development. Contribute to sprint planning and agile development cycles with a focus on delivering high-quality design outcomes. Leverage insights from user research and telemetry to inform design decisions and prioritize improvements. Qualifications Required Qualifications:
Master's Degree in Industrial Design, Product Design, Human Computer Interaction, User Experience, Interaction Design, or related field AND 6+ years experience working in product or service design OR Bachelor's Degree in Industrial Design, Product Design, Human Computer Interaction, User Experience, Interaction Design, or related field AND 8+ years experience working in product or service design OR equivalent experience. 3+ years people management experience. 3+ years of experience in VS Code, GitHub, and other development tools. 5+ years experience designing products in a technical product space. 6+ years or relevant experience in product design, a design consultancy, agency, or other environment where you've worked on multidisciplinary design teams. Other Requirements:
Ability to meet Microsoft, customer and/or government security screening requirements are required for this role. Preferred Qualifications:
Experience creating interactive prototypes. Experience working in an engineering sprint-based environment. Fluency in basic web fundamentals (semantic and accessible HTML, CSS variables, progressive enhancement, modern vanilla JavaScript, and web components). Fluency in artificial intelligence, including agents and multi-component platforms (MCP) and a growth mindset to stay up to date on the latest advancements and best practices in the AI domain. Product Design M5 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $139,900 - $274,800 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 - $304,200 per year. Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Microsoft will accept applications for the role until September 7, 2025. Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. Consistent with applicable law, 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 and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about requesting accommodations.
The Visual Studio (VS) Code team in the Developer Division is seeking a Principal Design Manager who will join our tight-knit, cross-disciplinary group, and also take on a key leadership role. As Principal Design Manager, you will lead and manage a dedicated team of designers focused on VS Code, guiding and mentoring them to deliver world-class experiences for a passionate community of developers. You will also be joining the Developer Division Design Studio, a group of highly talented and enthusiastic designers and UX engineers working on software development tools and technologies across Microsoft's developer-focused portfolio. The design challenges the studio works on span AI integration, client applications, code editors, multiple programming languages, data science tools, source control and more. We operate in one of the most technical divisions at Microsoft, so our ideal candidate will have fluency and understanding of the developer journey, the tools they use, and the nuances of the developer community. Additionally, an understanding of and experience with basic web fundamentals will go a long way in this role this includes things such as semantic and accessible HTML, CSS variables, progressive enhancement, modern vanilla JavaScript, and web components. A curious, make-to-think mindset around AI and the evolution of digital product development is another area that this role will need to be comfortable in. Responsibilities Lead and mentor a team of designers focused on improving the user experience of VS Code. Help guide the vision of AI-native experiences that closes the gap from idea to testable concepts. Collaborate closely with product managers, engineers, and other stakeholders to define and execute product and design strategy. Drive the creation of interactive prototypes to validate design concepts and user flows. Ensure design consistency and accessibility across all features and extensions of VS Code. Advocate for the developer experience and bring user-centered design thinking to every stage of product development. Contribute to sprint planning and agile development cycles with a focus on delivering high-quality design outcomes. Leverage insights from user research and telemetry to inform design decisions and prioritize improvements. Qualifications Required Qualifications:
Master's Degree in Industrial Design, Product Design, Human Computer Interaction, User Experience, Interaction Design, or related field AND 6+ years experience working in product or service design OR Bachelor's Degree in Industrial Design, Product Design, Human Computer Interaction, User Experience, Interaction Design, or related field AND 8+ years experience working in product or service design OR equivalent experience. 3+ years people management experience. 3+ years of experience in VS Code, GitHub, and other development tools. 5+ years experience designing products in a technical product space. 6+ years or relevant experience in product design, a design consultancy, agency, or other environment where you've worked on multidisciplinary design teams. Other Requirements:
Ability to meet Microsoft, customer and/or government security screening requirements are required for this role. Preferred Qualifications:
Experience creating interactive prototypes. Experience working in an engineering sprint-based environment. Fluency in basic web fundamentals (semantic and accessible HTML, CSS variables, progressive enhancement, modern vanilla JavaScript, and web components). Fluency in artificial intelligence, including agents and multi-component platforms (MCP) and a growth mindset to stay up to date on the latest advancements and best practices in the AI domain. Product Design M5 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $139,900 - $274,800 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 - $304,200 per year. Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Microsoft will accept applications for the role until September 7, 2025. Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. Consistent with applicable law, 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 and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about requesting accommodations.