Job Description

Overview

Microsoft Research Asia (MSRA) is looking for a Research Strategy & Program Manager to support research planning, program execution, and the connection between research opportunities and broader organizational priorities.

The role is designed for someone early to mid-career who combines analytical thinking, program management, financial acumen, and a strong understanding of research and technology environments. Working closely with researchers, program managers, and research leadership, this person will help turn research opportunities into structured plans, evidence, and insights that support better decisions and execution.

This is not a traditional coordination-focused program management role. The successful candidate will be expected to understand the purpose behind the research, ask good questions, work comfortably with ambiguity, and help teams connect research ambition with resources, execution, evidence, and potential impact.

Responsibilities

Key Responsibilities

Research Planning & Decision Support

• Support research teams and leadership in framing opportunities, capability needs, resource requirements, milestones, and expected outcomes.
• Conduct analysis to help evaluate research initiatives, including strategic relevance, required investment, potential impact, key assumptions, and risks.
• Synthesize research, business, financial, and program information into concise materials that support leadership discussions and decisions.
• Track key evidence and learning from selected research initiatives to support follow-up investment and prioritization decisions.

Financial & Resource Analysis

• Apply fundamental financial thinking to research planning, including budget analysis, resource requirements, investment alternatives, and basic return or impact considerations.
• Develop simple financial models and analysis to support resource-allocation and research-investment discussions.
• Partner with relevant finance and business stakeholders when deeper financial analysis is required.
• Help connect financial inputs with research milestones and evidence so that investment discussions are informed by both scientific progress and resource implications.

Research Impact & Ecosystem Support

• Support engagement with Microsoft teams, customers, industry, academia, government, and other external partners when those connections can generate useful research evidence, insight, or opportunities.
• Help assess potential collaborations based on research relevance, expected learning, required investment, and strategic value.
• Capture external signals and translate them into structured insights that can inform research teams and leadership.
• Support selected research-to-impact initiatives while preserving research integrity and technical ownership.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business engineering, Computer Science, Finance, Economics , or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• At least 5 years of working experience in program management, business analysis, financial analysis, strategy, research operations, technology programs, or a related area.
• Finance or financial-analysis foundation, with the ability to understand business model, operation system, resource allocation, and investment trade-offs.
• Strong analytical and structured problem-solving skills, with the ability to work through ambiguous questions and incomplete information.
• Demonstrated ability to organize and execute work involving multiple stakeholders and dependencies.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to turn complex information into clear, concise analysis and recommendations.
• Strong learning agility and curiosity about AI, research, emerging technologies, and how research creates broader value.

Preferred Qualifications

• Academic or professional background combining business with domain knowledge about investment.
• Experience working in or closely with Microsoft Research Asia, Microsoft Research, or a comparable research, technology, academic, or innovation environment.
• Understanding of MSRA's research environment, culture, operating model, and connections across Microsoft, or demonstrated ability to quickly develop that understanding.
• Experience supporting technology investment, research programs, strategic planning, budgeting, business cases, or portfolio analysis.
• Familiarity with AI and current technology trends; sufficient technical curiosity and learning ability to engage effectively with researchers is expected.
• Experience working across different disciplines, organizations, or geographic locations.

Capabilities We Will Look For

Analytical judgment

Can structure an ambiguous problem, identify the important questions, separate assumptions from evidence, and form a reasonable recommendation.

Business/Financial acumen

Can understand the resource and investment implications behind a research opportunity and use financial analysis to improve, rather than replace, research judgment.

Program execution

Can turn an idea into an actionable plan, manage dependencies, follow through on commitments, and help teams move toward outcomes.

Research and technology learning agility

Can learn unfamiliar technical topics quickly enough to understand why the work matters, what evidence is important, and where support may be needed.

Understanding of MSRA and Microsoft

Can connect research activities with MSRA's broader mission, capabilities, stakeholders, and opportunities across Microsoft.

Collaboration

Can work effectively with researchers, engineers, finance and business partners, and other stakeholders without relying on formal authority.

Communication

Can translate complex research, financial, and program information into concise, decision-oriented communication.

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.