Microsoft Careers: Professions

Software Engineering

Software engineering is a big part of what Microsoft’s all about. Our software engineering profession is a collection of disciplines responsible for designing, developing, and delivering our products. Microsoft's software engineers thrive on simplifying people’s jobs and lives and helping them reach new heights through ever-advancing technologies. Work here and you’re on top of the world of technology, collaborating with brilliant people on projects with the potential for a lasting legacy.
- Developers (Software Development Engineers – SDEs) write the code—C, C++, C#, and other programming languages—that turns concepts into new technologies and services. We are experts in feature design and feasibility, and we collaborate with program managers and test engineers to define features and ensure quality.
- Program Managers (PMs) transform visions into elegant designs that ultimately turn into products and solutions. Or, put more simply, we anticipate what customers want and translate that into what they get. Working closely with development, test, user experience, and marketing professionals, we identify requirements, set priorities, manage feature sets across product lifecycles, and author technical specifications and customer scenarios.
- Testers (Software Development Engineers in Test –SDETs) “build it to break it.” We push products to their limit, making sure they perform to customer expectations and conform to the highest quality standards. In partnership with developers and program managers, and using C, C++, C#, and VB.NET, we write test cases and plan, design, develop, and maintain automation tools that isolate and debug problems.
- User Experience (UX) is where product development visions meet real customer demand. Our researchers and designers develop the interactions that improve user experiences. Through innovative research and inspirational design, we shape new product directions and refine already-popular products to make them even more useful to customers and successful for Microsoft.
- Artists observe light, form, color, and texture and apply graphic design knowledge to create compelling game and product art.
- Audio Designers produce the sound, music, and voice components of gaming software. We use all types of sound to capture and reflect emotion.
- Build Engineers make sure our products are built effectively and efficiently by deploying build applications, monitoring build status, and analyzing bottlenecks or issues.
- Content Publishing professionals envision, design, develop, produce, edit, deploy, and publish our company’s Web, learning product, gaming, customer support, and other content for both internal and external audiences.
- Game Designers enhance game play, usability, and aesthetics. We focus on capturing the emotion in a scene using audio, visual, and game-play elements.
- International Project & Localization Engineers (IPE) deliver our products and services across international markets. We represent international customer requirements, provide technical consulting, and support and manage international delivery from beginning to end.
- Product Planners identify the critical customer needs and market and technology trends that will influence our product and service development directions.

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Business Services & Administration

Business Services & Administration professionals provide support for key decision makers, corporate programs, and business processes. We plan and organize events, work with external customers, update Web sites, help managers effectively communicate their ideas and plans, and more.
- Business Support professionals organize calendars, coordinate meetings, prepare reports, plan events, arrange travel, and manage budgets.
- Operations Execution professionals support internal programs and processes, by using metrics, managing initiatives, and organizing data.

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Customer Service & Support

Service and support professionals are the faces of Microsoft, improving the customer experience across our products and services. Each day, we connect people with technology—from families at home to systems administrators in the world’s largest corporations. We solve product problems on our own and know when to escalate bigger challenges to other resources. We are the voice of our customers, sharing their suggestions and feedback to our development teams that apply the ongoing input when designing new products and services.
- Support Account Managers build and manage long-term, strategic business customer relationships. Our job is to make sure customer experiences are consistent with our company values.
- Support Engineers provide proactive and reactive services to help customers successfully use our products.
- Supportability professionals relay customer feedback to our business groups and management to improve existing products and services, and to create new ones.

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Finance

Microsoft’s growth and success rely on superb financial management and on mapping our finances to our product and business strategies. Finance teams are found in businesses across the company. We cultivate insight and vision through effective business partnerships and excellence in processes, tools, and implementation.
- Financial Planning & Analysis employees are the stewards of our long-term financial vision. We develop policies and controls for ensuring financial data integrity, manage financial performance, and implement finance systems.
- Tax professionals manage our global tax expenses through proactive planning and efficient compliance. We also work to influence global tax law developments that can affect our business.
- Treasury professionals manage the value of our financial and physical assets, secure capital, and balance risk/return by overseeing foreign exchange, corporate finance, and cash management.
- Business & Development Strategy employees develop and implement strategies for increasing shareholder value through investments in new markets and opportunities.

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Hardware Engineering

Microsoft is more than software: We’ve also built a portfolio that includes some of the world’s best-selling hardware devices. For more than 25 years, Hardware Engineering has woven customer needs for entertainment, mobility, productivity, comfort, and value into our product lines. The result? Devices that have changed the way the world works, plays, and connects—from keyboards, mouse products, and webcams to music players and Xbox consoles.
- Design Verification Engineers (DVEs) develop tools and processes for testing our hardware, identify areas for improvement, and drive improvements across the development process.
- Hardware Development Engineers envision and create the next generation of hardware by designing, developing, and testing our products, and improving our development processes.
- Hardware Manufacturing employees identify build requirements, develop manufacturing and supplier strategies, and source and manage suppliers.

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Human Resources

People are what make Microsoft the unique, innovative and progressive company that it is. To ensure we invest in this critical asset, Human Resources employees identify, hire, and grow our people and develop and run our industry-leading compensation and benefits programs.
- Compensation & Benefits employees design and oversee innovative and competitive compensation and benefits packages to retain and motivate key talent, all while creating programs that help our people ensure a positive work/life balance.
- HR Business Partners (Generalists) work directly with their clients to develop customized strategies for optimizing their employees’ performance, development, diversity and retention.
- Learning & Development identifies the company’s employee, management, and leadership development needs and delivers learning experiences and resources to address those needs.
- Organization Capability leads initiatives that help us achieve business results, such as organization development, research, succession and talent planning, and diversity.
- Staffing employees develop and execute recruitment strategies to find, attract, and hire the best talent to the company.

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Information Technology

IT serves both internal and external customers. We’re responsible for delivering innovative, reliable, and scalable technology and service solutions. Quality is also critical: Our teams provide feedback on products before they’re released to help ensure they meet the highest standards of excellence.
- IT Software Development Engineers design, develop, and implement business applications and platforms.
- IT Software Test Engineers test the quality of our technical applications and platforms and investigate any issues.
- IT Operations Program Managers are responsible for new products, systems, and applications from design through deployment.
- Service Engineering employees design and architect technical services for end-to-end systems, networks, and platforms.
- Service Operations employees run and maintain systems, networks, and platforms. We also support and troubleshoot the availability of applications, properties, systems, networks, and servers.
- Solution Managers develop a comprehensive vision, scope, and business case for proposed technical solutions.

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Legal & Corporate Affairs

Our Legal & Corporate Affairs (LCA) professionals perform at the leading edge of new technology law, ethics, and policy. Our job is to protect and strengthen our company’s assets and intellectual property. The LCA team includes professionals in areas such as government and community affairs, intellectual property and licensing, corporate governance and compliance, and global citizenship.
- Attorneys provide legal advice and counsel in areas such as trademark protection, patents, finance and operations, technology licensing, product development and marketing, mergers and acquisitions, corporate affairs, litigation, employment, and immigration.
- Corporate Affairs employees direct our community investments, defining and implementing public policy positions that make us a trusted technology partner to governments and educational institutions.
- Investigations professionals protect our company from illegal activity and policy violations, focusing on prevention and deterrence, and help us recover from any violations that may occur.
- Legal specialists work closely with attorneys to negotiate and draft contract provisions and license agreements, facilitate vendor relationships, coordinate contracts, train account managers, and conduct interviews.

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Marketing

Marketing presents our products and services to the world. Our teams are found in all businesses across the company. We evaluate market opportunities, represent customer and partner preferences and priorities, define value propositions, and produce integrated marketing programs. We want to tell individuals and organizations how our technologies can benefit them—perhaps even change their lives.
- Marketing Communications professionals develop and deliver global strategies for communicating about our products and solutions. Our specialties include advertising, branding, events, internal communications, online leads, public relations, and relationship marketing.
- Marketing Sciences employees research and analyze the needs and preferences of customers and partners and competitor behavior. Our discoveries inform and influence our business strategies, value propositions, and decisions about product development and pricing.
- Partner, Segment, & Audience Marketing employees apply competitor and regional market knowledge and conduct budget, revenue, and go-to-market planning—all as part of developing and implementing our customer and partner relationship strategies.
- Product Management professionals identify the market requirements and investment opportunities to shape the business strategy for our product lines and services.
- Product Marketing employees take our products and services to market through campaigns, revenue forecasting, marketing results analysis, and more.
- Business and Development Strategy professionals take us where we haven’t yet ventured. We develop and implement strategies for investing in new markets and opportunities to increase shareholder value.
- Product Planners identify the critical customer needs and market and technology trends that will influence our product and service development directions.

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Operations

Operations controls product manufacturing, licensing, and packaging, as well as the supply chain that moves products to market. We work closely with technical, sales, and marketing professionals to coordinate product launches, transactions, and vendor relations. You might say we put Microsoft products on the shelf.
- Channel Managers partner with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), retailers, and enterprise customers. We advocate their needs, educate and train them, and help them deliver our products and incorporate our technologies into their own.
- Manufacturing employees identify build requirements, develop manufacturing and supplier strategies, and source and manage suppliers.
- Operations Program Managers take charge of program and project design, implementation, and release. It’s our business to understand business requirements; create and promote program/ project visions and strategies; scope, plan, and schedule; keep processes efficient; mitigate risk; and measure results.
- Procurement employees strategically purchase the company’s commodities and services. To effectively manage risk, contracts, and compliance, we assess business, market, and financial needs; develop and implement strategies for supply categories, vendor sourcing, and negotiations; and select and manage the best vendors.
- Supply Chain employees support the entire process of customer order fulfillment, from order placement through payment confirmation. Our jobs involve designing and implementing supply chain solutions, managing product lifecycles, and overseeing supply chain operations.
- Workplace Services specialists design, procure, and manage employee services and facilities, including information technologies and real estate.

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Research

Collaborating with colleges and universities worldwide, Research advances computer science and software engineering by conducting both basic and applied research. In addition to inventing remarkable computing technologies, we enhance user experiences and reduce software development and maintenance costs.
- Researchers collaborate to produce new insights, theories, analyses, data, algorithms, and prototypes.
- Research Program Managers oversee programs, processes, and collaborations that advance the state of the art in technology.

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Sales & Technical Sales

We love introducing customers to a product or service that solves a business problem or makes life easier or more rewarding. We develop customer relationships and help customers solve business and technical problems using our products and solutions.
- Account Managers maintain long-term relationships by showing customers how our products can benefit them and their businesses.
- Account Technology Specialists act as trusted technical advisors, developing relationships with business decision makers, and expanding Microsoft technology deployments.
- Advertising Sales employees work with advertisers and agencies to meet their digital marketing needs, while increasing our digital advertising market share.
- Industry Sales professionals develop and customize our products for the customers of financial services, public sector, telecommunications, retail, healthcare, and manufacturing companies.
- Inside Sales professionals handle inbound customer inquiries. We each focus on specific accounts, territories, solutions, services, or technologies.
- Licensing professionals work directly with customers to meet their volume licensing needs, with an emphasis on shortening licensing sales cycles.
- Partner Account Managers establish and maintain managed partner relationships, keeping partners up to date on, technically knowledgeable about, and ready to sell Microsoft products and solutions.
- Partner Technology Advisors engage at the pre-sales technical stage to improve customer and partner experiences.
- Professional Services Sales (Pro SS) teams maintain long-term relationships by providing professional services (architecture, consulting and support) to help customers succeed through the deployment and productive use of Microsoft technologies.
- Solution Sales professionals identify opportunities for customers to use our software and consulting services to improve their IT infrastructures and development capabilities.
- Sales Excellence professionals are strategic partners and thought leaders who drive execution excellence, landing growth and operating plans; and relationship management.
- Technology Solutions professionals are business or technical specialists who address broad or complex product and technology issues.

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Services & Consulting

In our business, successful solutions combine superior technology with the people who apply it. In Services and Consulting, we work side-by-side with our customers—often at their sites—to help them make the most of our technologies. We manage solution delivery and provide professional services to both customers and partners, including evaluating, designing, and implementing enterprise IT infrastructures and business applications.
- Architecture Delivery employees support enterprise engagements across industries, platforms, and solutions and throughout the IT lifecycle. We back our company’s sales staff with relationship and opportunity management and lead concept development and planning.
- Consulting Delivery employees design, plan, and implement billable customer and partner IT solution delivery services. Our role is to help customers align their strategic, architectural, and operational requirements.
- Support Delivery employees offer preventative and reactive IT support to customers and partners through managed agreements. They assess risk, transfer knowledge, and provide guidance on effective product operations.

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