Senior Director, Frontier Continuous Improvement

Microsofts Continuous Improvement (CI) team is seeking a Senior Director Frontier Continuous Improvement to shape and deliver customer AI transformation engagements with Microsoft Frontier Company by applying CI methods . Microsoft Frontier Company is a new operating business focused on helping customers achieve business transformation through AI by combining deep industry expertise AI engineering capabilities services delivery continuous improvement and outcome-driven execution.

Our team brings CI to Microsofts customer engagements helping customers translate AI ambition into measurable business outcomes. We use structured problem solving and systems thinking to understand how work happens today and redesign end-to-end workflows across people processes and technology. We design better business systems and put them into practice.

As part of a Forward Deployed Engineering (FDE) team you will bring CI and process design expertise to help customers turn AI opportunities into better business outcomes. Within the Frontier Co. engagement model you will lead workflow discovery and redesign working alongside engineers Industry Advisors and customer teams to define how work should operate and the technical capabilities needed to support it. You will connect business objectives process design and technical delivery ensuring AI solutions are embedded in workflows that customers can sustain and improve over time.

You will observe work firsthand quantify current-state performance and facilitate teams through designing better end-to-end workflows. This includes determining where AI can change how work gets done and establishing clear roles and performance measures. You will translate the future-state design into an actionable implementation plan and stay engaged through delivery and adoption helping teams measure results and refine the system.

We look for people with demonstrated experience applying CI practices to complex business processes and delivering measurable improvements. Traditional Lean or CI credentials are not required; the ability to put these practices into action is essential. Successful team members think rigorously navigate ambiguity with resourcefulness and work across business and technical teams. They influence across organizational boundariesfrom frontline teams to senior executivesand communicate clearly to build alignment and drive execution at pace.

If you thrive at the intersection of process design AI and hands-on transformation this is an opportunity to shape how customers build and run AI-powered enterprises. Regular travel to customer locations is required up to 50%.

Microsofts 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.

• Bring process design expertise to an FDE pod: Work as an integrated member of a Forward Deployed Engineering pod partnering with engineers Industry Advisors and customer teams to translate business opportunities into redesigned workflows and measurable outcomes.

• Understand how work happens today: Lead discovery voice of customer gemba and current-state analysis. Quantify performance and identify waste constraints and unmet needs to focus on the highest-impact changes.

• Lead collaborative workflow design: Guide customers and the FDE pod through Kaizen and collaborative design sessions to reimagine how work should operate across people AI and technology. Challenge assumptions and align teams on a practical future state including roles decisions and handoffs.

• Design how humans and AI work together: Identify where AI and agents can automate work support judgment or enable new capabilities. Define human oversight decision rights exception handling and fallback paths so workflows perform in real operating conditions.

• Connect process design to engineering delivery: Translate future-state workflows into clear requirements and acceptance criteria. Partner with engineers through prototyping and deployment using customer feedback to refine the workflow and solution.

• Drive implementation and adoption: Break the future-state design into actionable changes. Establish owners milestones and execution routines; surface barriers and help customer teams adopt the redesigned workflows.

• Measure and sustain business impact: Establish performance baselines and targets that connect workflow improvements to customer outcomes. Validate results and build the customer ownership and CI capabilities needed to sustain performance.

• Build alignment and influence action: Communicate clearly with frontline teams technical partners and executive leaders. Make complex issues understandable facilitate tradeoffs and build commitment across organizational boundaries to keep delivery moving.

• Strengthen the practice through field learning: Turn customer experience into reusable playbooks and design patterns. Coach colleagues and customer teams in CI practices and provide feedback to engineering and product teams.

• Embody our culture and values: Create clarity in ambiguity challenge the status quo with evidence and foster collaboration and ownership. Deliver results with respect integrity and accountability.

Required/minimum qualifications

• Masters Degree in Engineering Business or related field AND 6 years process management process execution process optimization or related experience
  • OR Bachelors Degree in Engineering Business or related field AND 8 years process management process execution process optimization or related experience
  • OR equivalent experience.
• 4 years demonstrated experience leading enterprise transformation process redesign and operating-model change from discovery through adoption and sustained results
• 4 years experience advising executive leaders facilitating high-stakes decisions shaping complex engagements and influencing across organizations without direct authority
• 1 year experience redesigning workflows with generative AI agents or automation and partnering with technology or engineering teams on large-scale implementations

Additional or preferred qualifications

• Masters Degree in Engineering Business or related field AND 12 years process management process execution process optimization or related experience (e.g. data analytics)
  • OR Bachelors Degree in Engineering Business or related field AND 15 years process management process execution process optimization or related experience (e.g. data analytics)
  • OR equivalent experience.
• Consulting and growth experience:management consulting professional services or enterprise sales experience in customer transformation or technology-enabled operating-model change
• Applied AI fluency:hands-on experience with agentic workflow design responsible AI evaluation human oversight and failure-mode planning
• Continuous Improvement methodology: advanced experience with Lean Six Sigma operational excellence or equivalent methods.

Process Management IC6 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $130900 - $277200 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 $165600 - $303600 per year.

Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here:
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.

Required Experience:

IC