Job description

Overview Microsoft is building the next generation of monetization experiences across one of the largest and most engaged audiences in the world: gaming. Microsoft's gaming portfolio reaches hundreds of millions of players across mobile, console, and PC. We are creating premium, player-first ways to connect brands and advertisers with these experiences while protecting the quality and trust players expect. We are looking for a Principal Product Manager to execute our monetization demand strategy across our gaming portfolio, with a focus on XBOX and Activision-Blizzard-King (ABK) titles and surfaces. You will show how advertisers show up in our gaming surfaces, defining the customer value, measurement framework, and execution plan that help Microsoft build durable, brand-safe, performance-oriented monetization while keeping the player experience first. This is a role for a product leader who is energized by ambiguous spaces, complex marketplace dynamics, and the unique creative and commercial dynamics of gaming. You will partner closely with XBOX, engineering, design, data science, sales, business planning, finance, studio, and other partner teams to identify the right opportunities, validate them with evidence, and ship products that improve advertiser outcomes, gaming surface value, and player trust. 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 drive the product strategy for gaming monetization across XBOX and Activision Blizzard King, translating business opportunities into clear player and advertiser problems, product bets, success metrics, and execution plans. • Lead product discovery across players, advertisers, studios, sales teams, and engineering partners to identify high-value monetization opportunities across mobile, console, and PC gaming, and sharpen the why now for each investment. • Develop crisp product requirements, roadmap priorities, launch plans, and tradeoff recommendations that balance advertiser demand, player experience quality, marketplace economics, privacy, policy, and technical feasibility. • Partner with engineering, data science, and design to ship scalable monetization products and measurement capabilities that improve yield, quality, relevance, and advertiser confidence across gaming surfaces. • Use data, experimentation, player and customer feedback, and marketplace signals to evaluate product performance, diagnose issues, and make prioritization decisions. • Help evolve gaming monetization from fragmented, surface-by-surface opportunities into a unified, premium, measurable, and durable product portfolio that scales across titles and platforms. • Model Microsoft culture by bringing curiosity, player and customer obsession, growth mindset, inclusive collaboration, and high accountability to cross-functional product work. Qualifications Required Qualifications: • Bachelor's Degree AND 8+ years experience in product/service/program management or software development • OR equivalent experience. Preferred Qualifications: • 3+ years experience driving product strategy, roadmap definition, requirements, and execution for complex software, advertising, marketplace, commerce, media, or platform products. • Experience using data, experimentation, customer research, or business analysis to identify opportunities, make product tradeoffs, and measure outcomes. • Experience partnering with engineering and cross-functional stakeholders to deliver products or features from concept through launch and iteration. • Experience communicating (both written and verbal) with stakeholders at all levels while simplifying ambiguous problems and influencing without direct authority. • Passion for gaming, with hands-on experience building games or gaming products, or a genuine interest in games, gaming platforms, and interactive entertainment. • Experience with mobile monetization, including in-app advertising, in-game commerce, or free-to-play monetization models. • 7+ years experience in product management, program management, strategy, business planning, advertising technology, marketplace products, or related roles. • Experience in digital advertising, monetization, inventory quality, campaign management, yield optimization, brand safety, measurement, or media marketplaces. • Demonstrated ability to operate in ambiguous, multi-stakeholder environments and convert early signals into structured product plans and measurable outcomes. • Technical fluency with platform architecture, APIs, data pipelines, experimentation systems, privacy/security considerations, or machine learning-driven product experiences. • Ability to reason across user experience, advertiser value, marketplace economics, partner incentives, and long-term platform strategy. • A growth mindset, high judgment, and passion for building products that create customer value while earning user and partner trust. • Product Management IC5 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $142,800 - $274,800 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 $188,000 - $304,200 per year. Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here: careers.microsoft.com 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.

Requirements

Must-haves

Partner with engineering, data science, and design to ship scalable monetization products and measurement capabilities that improve yield, quality, relevance, and advertiser confidence across gaming surfaces.
Use data, experimentation, player and customer feedback, and marketplace signals to evaluate product performance, diagnose issues, and make prioritization decisions.
Help evolve gaming monetization from fragmented, surface-by-surface opportunities into a unified, premium, measurable, and durable product portfolio that scales across titles and platforms.
Model Microsoft culture by bringing curiosity, player and customer obsession, growth mindset, inclusive collaboration, and high accountability to cross-functional product work.
Bachelor's Degree AND 8+ years experience in product/service/program management or software development • OR equivalent experience.
3+ years experience driving product strategy, roadmap definition, requirements, and execution for complex software, advertising, marketplace, commerce, media, or platform products.
7+ years experience in product management, program management, strategy, business planning, advertising technology, marketplace products, or related roles.
This position will be open for a minimum of 5 days, with applications accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.

Nice-to-haves

Experience using data, experimentation, customer research, or business analysis to identify opportunities, make product tradeoffs, and measure outcomes.
Experience partnering with engineering and cross-functional stakeholders to deliver products or features from concept through launch and iteration.
Experience communicating (both written and verbal) with stakeholders at all levels while simplifying ambiguous problems and influencing without direct authority.
Passion for gaming, with hands-on experience building games or gaming products, or a genuine interest in games, gaming platforms, and interactive entertainment.
Experience with mobile monetization, including in-app advertising, in-game commerce, or free-to-play monetization models.
Experience in digital advertising, monetization, inventory quality, campaign management, yield optimization, brand safety, measurement, or media marketplaces.
Demonstrated ability to operate in ambiguous, multi-stakeholder environments and convert early signals into structured product plans and measurable outcomes.
Technical fluency with platform architecture, APIs, data pipelines, experimentation systems, privacy/security considerations, or machine learning-driven product experiences.
Ability to reason across user experience, advertiser value, marketplace economics, partner incentives, and long-term platform strategy.
A growth mindset, high judgment, and passion for building products that create customer value while earning user and partner trust.
Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here:

Application prep

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Keywords to mirror

machine learning

Platform: eightfold
Effort: medium

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