Microsoft Security's Economics and Analytics team provides rigorous scientific analyses that inform decisions on business strategy, product performance, and industry dynamics. We use a variety of tools, including experimentation, econometric analysis, machine learning, and economic theory to develop insights that drive executive action. We work on ambiguous, high-profile problems and bring a unique and valued perspective to the Security division.
We are looking for a Senior Economist to join our team. This person will focus on the division’s operational efficiency. Example workstreams include helping to optimize GPU capacity; determining where we can use less expensive AI models for the same business outcomes; and creating insights on how we can organize and work more efficiently. The ideal candidate will have sharp economic intuition and deep technical skills combined with the gumption to start hacking away at difficult problems. Their crisp writing will give executives easy access to complex ideas. Does that sound like you? If so, please apply.
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
Discover the division's biggest opportunities to improve efficiency and help formalize them as scientific questions that can be answered with data and theory
Estimate the causal effects of product, operational, and resource-allocation decisions on cost, utilization, customer outcomes, and revenue.
Formulate resource allocation decisions as optimization problems
Define measures that connect resource usage, including tokens, compute, and capacity, to productive utilization and business outcomes.
Determine the appropriate micro-level unit of analysis, such as a feature, workflow, agent, or service, so that efficiency signals support actionable product and resource-allocation decisions.
Work with product and engineering to instrument and collect the right data
Translate analytical findings into decision rules, forecasting tools, and optimization systems; partner with business, product, and engineering teams to implement them and measure their realized impact.
Write clear, accessible reports to communicate your analysis for executive consumption
Qualifications
Required/minimum Qualifications
- Bachelor'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 Master's Degree in Statistics, Econometrics, Computer Science, Electrical or Computer Engineering, or related field AND 3+ years related experience (e.g., statistics, predictive analytics, research)
- OR Doctorate in Statistics, Econometrics, Computer Science, Electrical or Computer Engineering, or related field AND 1+ year(s) related experience (e.g., statistics, predictive analytics, research)
- OR equivalent experience.
- OR Doctorate in Statistics, Econometrics, Computer Science, Electrical or Computer Engineering, or related field AND 1+ year(s) related experience (e.g., statistics, predictive analytics, research)
- AND 4+ 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 3+ years related experience (e.g., statistics, predictive analytics, research)
- 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 background and Microsoft Cloud background check upon hire/transfer and every two years thereafter.
- 4+ years of experience applying economics, statistics, causal inference, or optimization to complex business, policy, or product decisions.
- 3+ years of experience with scientific computing using R or Python, including frameworks such as Statsmodels, EconML, or DoubleML.
- Experience working with large-scale datasets and data processing tools to develop quantitative models, analyses, or research insights.
- 3+ years of experience conducting applied research in academic or industry settings, including formulating research questions and evaluating relevant literature.
- Doctorate in Economics or a related quantitative field preferred, particularly with a focus on applied microeconomics, econometrics, optimization, or causal inference.
- Demonstrated research impact through publications, patents, open-source libraries, or peer-reviewed academic work.
- Experience developing and deploying production systems or products, ideally across multiple stages of the product lifecycle from ideation through shipping.
- Knowledge of security-related domains, including threat intelligence, threat hunting, anti-fraud systems, and/or social engineering research.
- Strong written, verbal, and presentation skills, with the ability to translate complex technical or research concepts for a variety of audiences.
- Strong collaboration and partnership skills, with experience working across teams and guiding or mentoring less-experienced colleagues.
Applied Sciences IC4 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $119,800 - $234,700 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 $160,200 - $261,000 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.
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in Statistics, Econometrics, Computer Science, Electrical or Computer Engineering, or a related field, plus 4+ years of related experience
- Master's degree in Statistics, Econometrics, Computer Science, Electrical or Computer Engineering, or a related field, plus 3+ years of related experience
- Doctorate in Statistics, Econometrics, Computer Science, Electrical or Computer Engineering, or a related field, plus 1+ year of related experience
- Equivalent experience may substitute for the listed education and experience requirements
- Ability to meet Microsoft, customer, and government security screening requirements
- Pass Microsoft and Microsoft Cloud background checks upon hire or transfer and every two years thereafter
- 4+ years applying economics, statistics, causal inference, or optimization to complex business, policy, or product decisions
- 3+ years of scientific computing using R or Python, including Statsmodels, EconML, or DoubleML
- Experience working with large-scale datasets and data processing tools to develop quantitative models, analyses, or research insights
- 3+ years conducting applied research in academic or industry settings
- Doctorate in Economics or a related quantitative field, particularly applied microeconomics, econometrics, optimization, or causal inference
- Research impact demonstrated through publications, patents, open-source libraries, or peer-reviewed academic work
- Experience developing and deploying production systems or products across multiple product lifecycle stages
- Knowledge of security-related domains, including threat intelligence, threat hunting, anti-fraud systems, or social engineering research
- Strong written, verbal, presentation, collaboration, and partnership skills
- Experience guiding or mentoring less-experienced colleagues
Microsoft Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Microsoft and has not been reviewed or approved by Microsoft.
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Fair & Transparent Compensation — Pay is presented as broadly competitive overall, with clear role/level/location variation and an emphasis on using posted ranges and band information for apples-to-apples comparisons.
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Retirement Support — Retirement benefits are described as a standout, highlighted by a strong 401(k) match structure and immediate vesting, plus additional plan features for tax-advantaged saving.
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Parental & Family Support — Family-oriented benefits are portrayed as a meaningful strength, with substantial paid parental leave and added supports like back-up care and adoption/surrogacy assistance.
Microsoft Insights
What We Do
At Microsoft, our mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. Our mission is grounded in both the world in which we live and the future we strive to create. Today, we live in a mobile-first, cloud-first world, and the transformation we are driving across our businesses is designed to enable Microsoft and our customers to thrive in this world.
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