Creative Director, Motion Design

MAI Creative Studio defines how Microsoft AI products feel, move, and communicate across surfaces. As Copilot converges work and life experiences, motion carries identity, clarity, and emotion through the product.
This is a foundational role. You'll establish motion as a system-level language across MAI: a coherent set of primitives that governs how AI behaves, responds, and expresses itself. The scope runs from system transitions and interaction feedback through agent behavior and narrative storytelling.
The work sits at the intersection of product, design, and brand. You'll translate emerging AI capabilities into experiences that feel understandable, expressive, and distinctly ours.

Define motion as a system

• Develop and evolve MAI's motion design language: principles, patterns, core behaviors
• Define reusable motion primitives that scale across Copilot product surfaces and marketing contexts
• Establish a cohesive motion system across interaction, identity, and storytelling

Drive product and brand cohesion through motion

• Lead motion direction across product experiences, brand expression, and cultural storytelling
• Translate product capabilities into expressive, emotionally resonant interactions
• Reinforce tone of voice, narrative arc, and overall experience coherence

Lead high-craft execution

• Direct creation of high-fidelity motion across UI systems, agent behavior, and narrative content
• Set the bar for craft across internal teams and external partners (agencies, specialists)
• Oversee motion system development, prototypes, and reference implementations

Lead motion partnerships across Microsoft

• Establish and steward relationships with motion and design teams across MSFT (Fluent, Windows, Office, Edge, and beyond)
• Align motion language and craft standards where MAI work touches the broader Microsoft surface
• Represent MAI's expressive language in cross-org design forums and reviews
• Identify opportunities for shared systems, joint craft initiatives, and reciprocal influence

Build and scale the motion discipline

• Lead and develop a small senior team
• Mentor motion designers, creative technologists, and collaborators
• Define workflows, critique standards, and best practices for motion at scale
• Determine when to leverage internal teams vs specialist contractors (3D, animation systems)

Operate as a cross-functional creative leader

• Partner with product design, engineering, brand, and production to embed motion into shipped experiences
• Act as connective tissue between product and marketing execution
• Shape upstream decisions about how experiences should feel

Required

• 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 design
  • OR 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 design
  • OR 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

• Experience with AI-driven or agent-based experiences
• 8-12+ years in motion design, animation, or creative direction
• Proven experience building motion systems at scale
• A portfolio spanning product motion, identity systems, and storytelling
• Strong creative point of view; comfort defining direction in ambiguous spaces
• Experience working across product and marketing
• Background in character, behavior, or expressive system design
• Familiarity with real-time motion frameworks (Lottie, Rive, game engines)
• Comfort working at both system strategy and execution detail

Product 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:
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.