Principle Applied Science Manager

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As a Principal Applied Science Manager, you will lead a high-impact team of Applied Scientists focused on transforming how Copilot features are evaluated and improved at scale. Your team will drive end-to-end experimentation, offline evaluation, and actionable insights that empower Copilot engineers, product managers, and fellow scientists to deliver world-class AI experiences. You will partner closely with engineering and PM leaders to build a robust data generation platform that simulates realistic user behaviors, curates representative datasets, and develops comprehensive query sets and evaluation tooling. Your team will define and implement metrics that go beyond traditional accuracy—capturing nuance, user intent, and satisfaction. This is a unique opportunity to shape how AI quality is measured across Microsoft Copilot and to accelerate your leadership journey in one of the most dynamic areas of applied 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.

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.
• Minimum of 6 years of industry experience in applied machine learning, data science, or AI Systems.
• At least 1 year of experience managing or mentoring technical contributors (e.g., scientists, engineers, analysts).
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to explain complex ideas clearly to technical and non-technical audiences.
• Ability to quickly learn and apply new technologies, tools, and scientific domains to lead teams effectively.

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 of people management experience.
  
• 3+ years' experience designing and implementing offline evaluation systems, metrics, or experimentation pipelines for AI/ML models.
  
• Demonstrated ability to lead with empathy and support team growth and well-being.

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

Microsoft will accept applications for the role until September 1, 2025.

#M365Core

• Driving scientific vision and strategy for Copilot offline evaluation, ensuring alignment with product goals such as parity with ChatGPT/Glean, safe deployment, and regression prevention.
• Leading a team of scientists in the development of metrics, experiments, and simulation pipelines that reflect user preferences and behavioral fidelity at scale.
• Mentoring and growing talent, fostering a culture of scientific rigor, innovation, and impact. Help scientists balance research, engineering, and business value.
• Partnering with engineering and PM leaders to translate business needs into scalable, data-driven evaluation frameworks and tools.
• Championing metric quality by establishing evaluation standards that are trusted across Copilot product teams and correlate with real user experience.
• Overseeing simulation and synthetic data efforts, ensuring that LLM-generated or agent-driven user activity covers key product scenarios and stress conditions.
• Communicating scientific insights and strategy clearly to technical and non-technical stakeholders, including leadership, product teams, and partner orgs.