Senior Visual Designer, Windows

Posted Yesterday
Be an Early Applicant
4 Locations
In-Office
120K-261K Annually
Senior level
Software • Quantum Computing • Metaverse • Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
The Role
Lead visual design and design system work for Windows, establishing visual language, scalable components, tokens, patterns, and implementation guidance. Partner with product designers, UX engineers, engineers, researchers, and brand teams to improve quality across products and contexts. Drive visual exploration through adoption, ensure accessibility and platform adaptability, communicate design rationale, mentor designers, and influence cross-functional partners without direct authority.
Summary Generated by Built In
Overview

Join Microsoft as a Senior Visual Designer on the Windows Design Systems and Brand team and help define the visual foundation of Windows. You will lead key visual design and systems work that shapes how Windows experiences look, feel, move, and communicate across products and surfaces.

You will establish visual direction and translate design principles into scalable components, patterns, tokens, Figma libraries, and implementation guidance. Working within a multidisciplinary team, you will partner with product designers, UX engineers, engineers, researchers, and brand partners to solve complex UI and interaction challenges while raising the quality and consistency of Windows experiences.

This role requires exceptional visual craft, solid systems thinking, and the ability to influence across organizational boundaries. You will balance expressive creative direction with the accessibility, technical constraints, platform conventions, and durability required of a design system used at global scale.

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
  • Define and advance visual language territories for the future of Windows, translating exploration into clear principles and scalable system decisions.
  • Own significant design system workstreams from problem definition and visual exploration through implementation, documentation, and adoption.
  • Create and evolve visual and interaction foundations, including color, typography, iconography, motion, materials, layout, design tokens, components, and patterns; with exceptional craft across states, themes, densities, input methods, accessibility modes, and edge cases.
  • Translate product and user needs into scalable solutions that remain flexible across distinct Windows contexts.
  • Partner with UX engineering and engineering to define specifications, evaluate feasibility, review implementation, and hold shipped experiences to a high-quality bar.
  • Identify systemic product-quality gaps and develop reusable solutions supported by compelling presentations, prototypes, and narratives.
  • Strengthen the team’s visual design practice through mentorship, critique, documentation, shared standards, and thoughtful application of AI-assisted workflows and emerging interaction paradigms.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

  • Master's Degree in Industrial Design, Product Design, Human Computer Interaction, User Experience, Interaction Design, or related field AND 4+ years experience working in product or service design.
    • OR Bachelor's Degree in Industrial Design, Product Design, Human Computer Interaction, User Experience, Interaction Design, or related field AND 5+ years experience working in product or service design.
    • OR equivalent experience (e.g., demonstrated experience working in product or service design or using design thinking to solve problems).

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design, Visual Communication, Interaction Design, Product Design, Human-Computer Interaction, or a related field and 6+ years of professional design experience, or equivalent experience.
  • A portfolio demonstrating exceptional visual and UI craft across typography, color, composition, hierarchy, iconography, interaction states, and adaptive interface design.
  • Demonstrated ability to create or evolve visual design systems, translating visual direction or brand identity into scalable components, patterns, tokens, templates, and guidance across products or platforms.
  • Advanced Figma proficiency, including components, variables, shared libraries, and prototyping.
  • Proven partnership with engineering through specification, implementation, design QA, and resolution of visual or interaction-quality issues.
  • Ability to communicate design rationale, facilitate critique, reconcile competing requirements, and influence partners without direct authority.
  • Working knowledge of accessibility and inclusive design, including contrast, scaling, input modalities, localization, high-contrast modes, and assistive technologies.
  • 8+ years of professional experience in visual design, UI design, product design, or design systems.
  • A track record of establishing visual language for a platform, operating system, or multi-product ecosystem.
  • Leadership of a significant design system workstream from exploration through implementation and adoption.
  • Deep expertise in one or more visual disciplines, such as typography, color, iconography, motion, illustration, spatial design, or data visualization.
  • Background designing complex desktop or productivity environments across windows, input methods, display densities, themes, and accessibility modes.
  • Familiarity with design token architecture and the relationship between design libraries and production code.
  • Demonstrated impact through mentorship, critique, standards, documentation, or design education.
  • Knowledge of AI-assisted design workflows and emerging interaction paradigms.
  • Work on global products accounting for localization, internationalization, and culturally inclusive design.


#W+DJOBS


Product Design 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

  • Master's degree in Industrial Design, Product Design, Human Computer Interaction, User Experience, Interaction Design, or a related field and 4+ years of product or service design experience
  • Bachelor's degree in Industrial Design, Product Design, Human Computer Interaction, User Experience, Interaction Design, or a related field and 5+ years of product or service design experience
  • Equivalent demonstrated experience working in product or service design or using design thinking to solve problems
  • Bachelor's degree in Graphic Design, Visual Communication, Interaction Design, Product Design, Human-Computer Interaction, or a related field and 6+ years of professional design experience, or equivalent experience
  • Portfolio demonstrating exceptional visual and UI craft across typography, color, composition, hierarchy, iconography, interaction states, and adaptive interface design
  • Experience creating or evolving visual design systems and translating visual direction or brand identity into scalable components, patterns, tokens, templates, and guidance
  • Advanced Figma proficiency, including components, variables, shared libraries, and prototyping
  • Experience partnering with engineering through specification, implementation, design QA, and resolution of visual or interaction-quality issues
  • Ability to communicate design rationale, facilitate critique, reconcile competing requirements, and influence partners without direct authority
  • Working knowledge of accessibility and inclusive design, including contrast, scaling, input modalities, localization, high-contrast modes, and assistive technologies
  • 8+ years of professional experience in visual design, UI design, product design, or design systems
  • Experience establishing visual language for a platform, operating system, or multi-product ecosystem
  • Experience leading a significant design system workstream from exploration through implementation and adoption
  • Deep expertise in one or more visual disciplines, such as typography, color, iconography, motion, illustration, spatial design, or data visualization
  • Experience designing complex desktop or productivity environments across windows, input methods, display densities, themes, and accessibility modes
  • Familiarity with design token architecture and the relationship between design libraries and production code
  • Demonstrated impact through mentorship, critique, standards, documentation, or design education
  • Knowledge of AI-assisted design workflows and emerging interaction paradigms
  • Experience working on global products with localization, internationalization, and culturally inclusive design

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.

  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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

Am I A Good Fit?
beta
Get Personalized Job Insights.
Our AI-powered fit analysis compares your resume with a job listing so you know if your skills & experience align.

The Company
HQ: Redmond, WA
206,870 Employees
Year Founded: 1975

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.

Similar Jobs

Hybrid
Seattle, WA, USA
205000 Employees
23-31 Hourly

MetLife Logo MetLife

Sr. Relationship Manager

Fintech • Information Technology • Insurance • Financial Services • Big Data Analytics
Remote or Hybrid
United States
43000 Employees
155K-190K Annually

MetLife Logo MetLife

Customer Care Advocate AMS - Virtual - 9.28.26 - 19200

Fintech • Information Technology • Insurance • Financial Services • Big Data Analytics
Remote or Hybrid
United States
43000 Employees
42K-42K Annually

Applied Systems Logo Applied Systems

Director, Product Management

Artificial Intelligence • Cloud • Payments • Software • Business Intelligence • Generative AI • Automation
Remote or Hybrid
United States
3116 Employees
150K-220K Annually

Similar Companies Hiring

Onshore Thumbnail
Artificial Intelligence • Fintech • Software • Financial Services
New York, New York
60 Employees
Revel.io Thumbnail
Aerospace • Hardware • Robotics • Software
US
50 Employees
Blee Thumbnail
Artificial Intelligence • Marketing Tech • Software
New York, New York
30 Employees

Sign up now Access later

Create Free Account

Please log in or sign up to report this job.

Create Free Account