About the role

Aplyr's Quick Take

This role is about leading product strategy for retail advertising at Microsoft, focusing on connecting advertisers with consumers through innovative solutions. You'll be responsible for defining product vision, prioritizing roadmaps, and collaborating across teams to enhance user experiences and drive growth.

Good fit

Ideal candidates have extensive experience in product management, particularly in retail advertising or consumer marketing. A strategic mindset and strong collaboration skills are essential, along with a deep understanding of consumer behavior and advertising dynamics.

Worth noting

The salary range is quite broad, indicating potential flexibility based on experience. The role demands a blend of strategic thinking and execution, which may appeal to those who enjoy both high-level planning and hands-on product development.

Overview

The Monetization Product Team at Microsoft is responsible for building and scaling advertising, commerce, and revenue-generating experiences across Microsoft's consumer ecosystem. We partner closely with engineering, design, data science, sales, and business teams to develop products that help advertisers connect with customers while creating meaningful value for consumers. Our team combines strategic thinking, customer obsession, and rapid execution to bring innovative monetization solutions to market.

As a Principal Product Manager, Ads Retail Lead, you will define and drive the product strategy for retail and consumer product advertising experiences. You will work at the intersection of advertiser needs, consumer engagement, data-driven insights, and platform innovation to create advertising products that help brands reach customers more effectively and achieve measurable business outcomes.

This role requires a deep understanding of the retail advertising landscape, consumer marketing trends, and emerging monetization opportunities. You will identify customer needs, shape product vision, and collaborate across disciplines to deliver solutions that drive growth for advertisers while enhancing the overall user experience.

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 retail and product advertising experiences, identifying opportunities to connect consumers with relevant products while delivering measurable value for advertisers.
Own a key advertising product area, including customer insights, product vision, roadmap prioritization, requirements definition, and end-to-end execution from concept through launch and optimization.
Lead initiatives that improve product discovery, shopping, and purchase-related user journeys through innovative advertising and monetization experiences.
Partner closely with Engineering, Design, Data Science, Research, and Product Marketing to translate advertiser and user needs into scalable advertising products and platform capabilities.
Develop a deep understanding of advertiser objectives, consumer behavior, auction dynamics, measurement frameworks, and industry trends to inform product investment decisions.
Define success metrics, establish experimentation strategies, and leverage data-driven insights to optimize advertiser performance, user engagement, and business outcomes.
Navigate ambiguity, influence across organizational boundaries, and drive alignment among stakeholders to deliver impact in a fast-moving environment.
Serve as the product lead for your area, shaping long-term strategy while collaborating with cross-functional teams to bring innovative advertising solutions to market.
Evaluate emerging trends in digital advertising, retail media, commerce, and AI-powered recommendations to identify new opportunities for growth and differentiation.
Communicate product vision, strategy, and results effectively with senior leaders, partners, and cross-functional stakeholders

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

Bachelor's Degree AND 8+ years experience in product management including experience advertising in retail or consumer products
- OR equivalent experience.

Preferred Qualifications:

Bachelor's Degree AND 12+ years experience in product management including experience advertising in retail or consumer products
- OR equivalent experience.
4+ years experience taking a product, feature, or experience to market (e.g., design, addressing product market fit, and launch, internal tool/framework).
6+ years experience improving product metrics for a product, feature, or experience in a market (e.g., growing customer base, expanding customer usage, avoiding customer churn).
6+ years experience disrupting a market for a product, feature, or experience (e.g., competitive disruption, taking the place of an established competing product).
Experience leading product teams building products in advertising, privacy, conversational AI, generative AI, or transferrable skills.
Experience building consumer products leveraging Machine Learning or Large Language Models.
Ability to work in a fast-paced environment, manage multiple priorities, and adapt to changing requirements and deadlines. 
Proven ability to collaborate and contribute to a positive, inclusive work environment, fostering knowledge sharing and growth within the team.
Experience with data analytics and experimentation tools. Working knowledge of SQL and coding skills (Python, Javascript).

#MicrosoftAI

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:
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 & Tags

ai product

Aplyr's read

Microsoft is a technology giant shaping global computing, attracting talent interested in innovation and impact across software, cloud, and AI sectors.
Synthesized from recent postings & public sources

What's promising

•Strong commitment to innovation in AI and cloud computing.
•Diverse range of roles from technical to managerial, offering career growth.
•Financially stable with a robust global presence and market influence.

What to watch

•Complex organizational structure can slow decision-making processes.
•High competition for roles may limit entry-level opportunities.
•Potential for work-life balance challenges in high-demand positions.

Why Microsoft

•Pioneer in personal and business computing with a legacy of innovation.
•Extensive global reach with a diverse workforce and inclusive culture.
•Leader in integrating AI into mainstream software and cloud services.

Aplyr’s read is generated by AI from public sources. Was it useful?

About Microsoft

Microsoft

microsoft.com

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MSFT$497.75+1.52%

Microsoft is a global technology company that develops, licenses, and supports a wide range of software products, services, and devices. Known for its Windows operating system and Office productivity suite, Microsoft has a significant impact on personal and business computing worldwide.