Creative Director, AIX Creative Studio

Job ID: 200046460Posted: 2026-08-05Location: United States, California, Mountain ViewSalary: USD $165,600 - $296,400 per yearEmployment type: Full-TimeWork site: 4 days / week in-officeRole type: People ManagerTravel: Less than 25%Profession: Design & CreativeDiscipline: Product DesignCompany: MicrosoftOverviewAbout AIXHundreds of millions of people start their day with something AI Experiences (AIX) built: asking Copilot a question, searching on Bing, opening a new tab in Edge. Parents planning a trip. Students cramming for an exam. Engineers debugging at 2am. Small business owners writing their first pitch deck. AIX is the part of Microsoft that makes AI feel intuitive, useful, and people-first in all of those moments.About the RoleWe're looking for a Creative Director to lead creative for AIX at Microsoft: someone who can set a visual and narrative point of view for how people experience AI, and drive a team capable of bringing that vision to life across every surface: product, marketing, campaigns, and physical/live moments.This is a rare hybrid role. You'll need the taste and craft of a world-class art director, the instincts of a storyteller, the leadership of someone who's run creative teams before, and a real, lived connection to culture — music, entertainment, fashion, internet culture — so the work feels of-the-moment rather than corporate. You should be equally comfortable critiquing a typeface choice, sharpening a product screen, and briefing a launch campaign that spans a keynote stage, a product surface, and a social feed.We're specifically looking for someone who is still a maker, not just a manager. The best creative directors we've worked with never stopped making things themselves. They can jump into the work, sketch a direction, or push pixels when it matters, and then step back into setting vision, building teams, and partnering with executives. That range is a defining trait we're hiring for, not a nice-to-have.ResponsibilitiesSet the creative vision for AI Experiences — the visual language, tone, and narrative point of view that shows up consistently across product, brand, and marketingArt direct at the highest level — reviewing, shaping, and elevating design work across visual identity, motion, typography, and UI, with an eye that can tell the difference between "good" and genuinely distinctiveStay hands-on with the craft — personally jumping in to sketch a direction, design a key visual, or push a concept forward when the moment calls for it, rather than directing exclusively from a distanceLead and grow a visually-focused creative team — hiring, mentoring, and directing creative designers and art directors, and fostering an environment where world-class visual work thrivesShape story and language alongside the visuals — partnering closely with the Creative Strategy and Brand Writing leads so that strategy, words, and images are developed together as equal parts of one ideaBuild and leverage relationships with top-tier creative agencies, production partners, and creative talentBridge product and marketing — ensuring the creative thread is unbroken from the first-run product experience to the campaign that introduces it to the worldDesign across digital and physical — from in-product moments and digital campaigns to launch events, physical installations, and experiential brand momentsPartner cross-functionally with product, engineering, research, and marketing leadership to make sure creative ambition and product reality stay in syncRepresent the creative studio internally and externally — presenting work, building conviction, and advocating for craft at every level of the organizationQualificationsRequired Qualificiations:Master's Degree in Industrial Design, Product Design, Human Computer Interaction, User Experience, Interaction Design, or related field AND 7+ years experience working in product or service designOR Bachelor's Degree in Industrial Design, Product Design, Human Computer Interaction, User Experience, Interaction Design, or related field AND 9+ years experience working in product or service designOR equivalent experience (e.g., demonstrated experience working in product or service design or using design thinking to solve problems).5+ years people management experience.Preferred Qualifications:15+ years in design and art direction, including significant time as a creative leader (Creative Director, Executive Creative Director, or equivalent) at an agency, in-house studio, or brandA distinctive visual point of view — a portfolio that shows range across brand identity, digital product, campaign, and (ideally) physical/experiential workThe ability to operate at both ends of the spectrum — equally credible sketching in a notebook or a design tool as you are setting strategy in a room with senior executives, and able to move fluidly between the two in the same dayHave exceptional presentation skills and the gravitas to champion bold creative ideas with senior leadershipA strong sensibility for story and language, even if writing isn't your primary craft, you know a good line when you see one and can push a narrative to be sharperExperience leading and growing creative teams, including hiring, mentoring, and managing multidisciplinary talent (designers, writers, art directors, producers)Comfort spanning product and marketing — you don't see "brand" and "product design" as separate disciplines, and you have experience (or a strong point of view) on bothReal cultural fluency — active engagement with music, entertainment, fashion, or adjacent creative communities, ideally evidenced by projects, collaborations, or ventures outside of a traditional day jobA track record of shipping ambitious creative work at scale, ideally including work that's been publicly recognized (awards, press, cultural impact)Comfort operating in a large, matrixed organization while still protecting the integrity of the creative visionExperience directing creative for AI or emerging-technology products specificallyA personal creative practice, project, or venture (label, publication, gallery, studio) that signals genuine cultural engagement beyond the day jobExperience directing physical/experiential work, installations, events, retail, or spatial designProduct Design M6 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $165,600 - $296,400 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 $220,800 - $331,200 per year. Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here:Product Design M7 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $212,800 - $338,400 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 $236,000 - $370,800 per year. Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here: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.