Overview

Search is the front door to knowledge in Viva Engage. It is how employees discover people, conversations, and critical information across their organization. As we evolve into an artificial intelligence (AI) first product, search is rapidly becoming an intelligent, personalized, and agent-driven experience powered by large-scale machine learning (ML) and Large Language Models (LLMs).

As a Principal Applied Science Manager – Search & Applied AI, you will lead a team at the intersection of applied science and engineering to build state-of-the-art search, ranking, and AI-powered discovery experiences. You will be responsible for driving relevance, personalization, and knowledge retrieval across Viva Engage by combining deep applied science rigor with strong engineering execution.

This role offers the opportunity to define and execute the next generation of search experiences—spanning semantic retrieval, embeddings, LLM-powered ranking, and agentic workflows—while directly impacting millions of users. You will partner closely with product, engineering, and platform teams across Microsoft to deliver measurable improvements in user engagement, success rates, and time-to-value.

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

• Build, lead, and grow a high-performing team of Applied Scientists and Machine Learning Engineers focused on search, ranking, and AI-driven discovery.
• Define and drive the vision, strategy, and execution for search relevance and AI-powered retrieval across Viva Engage.
• Lead the development of end-to-end applied science systems, including embeddings, ranking models, LLM integration, evaluation frameworks, and experimentation (A/B testing).
• Establish a culture of scientific rigor, including offline evaluation, online experimentation, and metrics-driven decision-making (e.g., relevance, engagement, success rate).
• Partner with product, design, and engineering teams to translate ambiguous problems into scalable, production-ready solutions that deliver measurable customer impact.
• Drive cross-team alignment with platform partners (e.g., Azure AI Search, data platforms, Copilot ecosystem) to influence roadmap and accelerate innovation.
• Ensure high-quality, reliable production systems by balancing model sophistication with engineering constraints such as latency, scalability, and cost.
• Mentor and develop talent, raising the bar for both applied science and engineering excellence across the organization.
• Embody our culture and values while fostering an inclusive, collaborative, and high-accountability team environment.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree in Statistics, Econometrics, Computer Science, Electrical or Computer Engineering, or related field AND 6+ years related experience (e.g., statistics, predictive analytics, research)
• OR Master's Degree in Statistics, Econometrics, Computer Science, Electrical or Computer Engineering, or related field AND 4+ years related experience (e.g., statistics, predictive analytics, research)
• OR Doctorate in Statistics, Econometrics, Computer Science, Electrical or Computer Engineering, or related field AND 3+ years related experience (e.g., statistics, predictive analytics, research).
• OR equivalent experience.
• 1+ year(s) of people management experience.

Other Requirements:

Ability to meet Microsoft, customer and/or government security screening requirements are required for this role. These requirements include but are not limited to the following specialized security screenings:

Microsoft Cloud Background Check: This position will be required to pass the Microsoft Cloud background check upon hire/transfer and every two years thereafter.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master's Degree in Statistics, Econometrics, Computer Science, Electrical or Computer Engineering, or related field AND 9+ years related experience (e.g., statistics, predictive analytics, research)
• OR Doctorate in Statistics, Econometrics, Computer Science, Electrical or Computer Engineering, or related field AND 6+ years related experience (e.g., statistics, predictive analytics, research)
• OR equivalent experience.
• 5+ years experience creating publications (e.g., patents, libraries, peer-reviewed academic papers).
• 2+ years experience presenting at conferences or other events in the outside research/industry community as an invited speaker.
• 5+ years experience conducting research as part of a research program (in academic or industry settings).
• Deep experience in search relevance, ranking systems, semantic retrieval, or recommendation systems at scale.
• 3+ years experience developing and deploying live production systems, as part of a product team.
• 3+ years experience developing and deploying products or systems at multiple points in the product cycle from ideation to shipping.
• 5+ years of people management experience leading applied science or ML-focused teams.
• Experience with Large Language Models (LLMs), prompt/agent orchestration, and AI-powered product experiences.
• Experience building evaluation frameworks and experimentation systems for ML/AI products.
• Engineering background with experience deploying distributed systems or ML pipelines in cloud environments (Azure preferred).
• Proven ability to influence across organizations and drive large, cross-functional initiatives.

vivaengage

Applied Sciences 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. Find additional benefits and pay information here:
https://careers.microsoft.com/us/en/us-corporate-pay

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.

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