OverviewMicrosoft AI Experiences (AIX) builds the end-user AI experience portfolio at Microsoft, spanning Copilot, Search, Browser, Content, Commerce, and Monetization. Browser is the Microsoft Edge organization: roughly 380 engineers, product managers, and designers working across Core, Web Platform, Growth, Security, and Mobile, with a fundamentals-first focus on browser quality, web platform, and security alongside targeted investment in growth, mobile, and agentic capabilities.
Edge runs on two clocks. Planning follows the 12-week Cycle that AI Experiences plans on, with each Cycle broken into meetups, milestones, and sprints, and with workstreams, feature crews, missions, and milestones tracked in Atlas and Azure DevOps. Shipping follows the Chromium release train, with a stable release roughly every four weeks across the Canary, Dev, Beta, and Stable channels. Those two cadences do not line up on their own. Keeping them coherent, and keeping leadership's view of both accurate, takes someone who lives in the details: the deliverables, the meetings, the data, and the follow-ups.
We are looking for a Planning Program Lead to be that person for Edge, based in Redmond, WA or (preferred) Mountain View, CA. You will maintain the deliverables that keep the planning program moving, serve as the day-to-day liaison between engineering DRIs and the leadership team, and make sure our planning systems of record reflect reality. You will set and run the workstream reviews and previews, own the follow-ups that come out of them, and keep teams accountable for the inputs each cycle depends on, from mission sheets to staffing. You will also define how Edge runs feature demos, release readiness reviews, and executive status meetings, and maintain the release calendars and milestone schedules that everything else keys off.
This role is equal parts operator, analyst, and change agent. You will make the cadence run, and you will bring a critical eye to the resourcing itself, using a working understanding of org and team design to tell whether teams are staffed and structured to succeed, not just whether the fields are filled in. You will own the program management process documentation, templates, and tooling that Edge relies on, and drive adoption through communication, training, and engagement rather than mandate. When something is not working, you are the person who spots it, troubleshoots it, and drives the process improvement so it works better next Cycle. If you are organized, data-minded, comfortable holding senior people to commitments, fluent in applying AI to your own work, and energized by making a complex program run smoothly, this role is for you.
ResponsibilitiesMaintain the planning program and its deliverables - Own the recurring deliverables that keep the Edge planning program on track across the 12-week Cycle, from planning artifacts and trackers to status rollups for leadership.
- Serve as the primary liaison between engineering DRIs and the Edge leadership team, translating leadership priorities into clear asks for teams and bringing team realities and risks back up to leaders.
- Keep the Edge planning calendar and Cycle checkpoints coordinated with the AIX Program Management Office so meetups, reviews, replanning, and end-of-cycle activities land on time.
- Maintain accurate feature release calendars and milestone schedules across tools, documentation, and communications, keeping the 12-week Cycle and the Chromium release train in sync.
Own reviews, previews, and release rhythm end to end - Set and run the workstream reviews and previews and the related team-level sessions (mission reviews, dependency reviews, and demos): invite the right attendees and keep each session purposeful and efficient.
- Define and standardize how Edge runs feature demos, release readiness reviews, and executive status meetings, so the same bar and the same format apply across every workstream.
- Draft and circulate agendas in advance, including topics, desired outcomes, and time allocations; develop or curate the content each session needs; and keep discussions on time and on topic, driving toward clear decisions, conclusions, and owners for next steps.
- Ensure notes, decisions, and action items are captured, then distribute a concise summary with decisions made, action owners, and deadlines.
- Own the follow-ups: track progress on commitments, chase them to closure, and bring updates back to subsequent reviews.
- Build and maintain feature and bug reporting cadences that track release quality and convergence progress ahead of each ship.
Drive quality inputs into Atlas and Azure DevOps - Track and steward the inputs that flow into Atlas, our resource management and planning system of record, so the data leaders rely on is accurate and current.
- Keep planning data coherent across Atlas and Azure DevOps, where Edge tracks objectives, epics, scenarios, deliverables, and tasks, so the plan and the execution record tell the same story.
- Run staffing entry as a Cycle task: make sure every team inputs and updates its staffing on schedule, and follow up with teams that are behind.
- Safeguard data quality across workstream ownership, feature crew and mission assignments, DRI assignments, mission sheets, milestones, and dependencies, holding inputs to the PMO's readiness standards and flagging gaps and inconsistencies early.
Analyze resourcing and team design - Go beyond data entry to assess the resourcing itself: use a working knowledge of org and team design to evaluate whether workstreams and feature crews are staffed and structured to deliver their missions.
- Surface staffing gaps, over- and under-allocation, and structural risks, with particular attention to Edge's model where individuals contribute to several missions at once, and partner with DRIs and leadership on options to resolve them.
- Provide clear, data-grounded analysis that helps leaders make resourcing and org-design decisions each Cycle and at the midpoint replan.
Own program management standards, tooling, and adoption - Own and evolve the core program management process documentation, templates, and integrated tooling that Edge program managers work from, aligned with AIX PMO standards.
- Drive adoption of those standards through targeted communication, training, and engagement that produces lasting behavioral change rather than awareness alone, and sustain a program management community through office hours, forums, and feedback loops.
- Run a communication plan that keeps the organization current on process and tooling changes, best practices, milestones, and program priorities.
- Serve as a trusted program management partner to engineering, product, design, and web platform teams, with enough understanding of development cycles and Chromium constraints that program planning reflects engineering reality.
Improve the process, apply AI, and troubleshoot - Improve the day-to-day mechanics of the planning program: streamline how reviews, follow-ups, and data collection run, and apply better tooling and automation where it adds accuracy or saves time.
- Identify, evaluate, and champion AI-powered tools and workflows that improve how the program team plans, documents, and delivers; translate those capabilities into practical, accessible standards; and act as a change agent for AI fluency across the organization.
- Lead structured change management for PMO-driven initiatives across a large, globally distributed organization: assess readiness, identify adoption risks, design interventions, and measure impact.
- Troubleshoot when things are not working, diagnose the root cause, and put durable fixes in place, escalating systemic or methodology-level changes to the AIX PMO.
- Embody our culture and values
QualificationsRequired/Minimum Qualifications - Bachelor's degree in Business, Operations, Engineering, or a related field AND 6+ years of experience in program management, program operations, or business operations in a cross-functional software engineering environment. OR 7+ years of equivalent experience.
Additional or Preferred Qualifications - Experience supporting a Program Management Office or a comparable central planning, resourcing, or delivery-excellence function.
- Demonstrated AI fluency: a working grasp of core concepts, terminology, and practical applications, with proven ability to apply AI to improve program workflows and team productivity.
- Demonstrated experience running recurring meetings or reviews end to end: agenda, facilitation, decisions, documentation, and follow-up.
- Experience owning data quality in a planning, resourcing, or portfolio tool such as Atlas, Azure DevOps, Microsoft Project, Smartsheet, or Jira, and driving adoption of standardized processes and data elements for efficiency at scale.
- Familiarity with browser, client, or platform release cycles, including release trains, channel-based delivery, release readiness reviews, and dependency management.
- Experience with knowledge management systems, bug tracking, and program reporting tools.
- Experience in change management, including stakeholder analysis, readiness assessment, and adoption measurement, with a track record of driving sustainable behavioral change at scale.
- Working knowledge of org design or team design and the ability to analyze whether teams are staffed and structured to succeed, including comfort with resourcing and allocation data and spotting gaps, conflicts, and structural risks.
- Experience acting as a liaison between execution teams and senior leadership in a fast-moving organization, with the ability to hold senior stakeholders accountable to commitments.
- Exceptional written and verbal communication, able to distill complexity for any audience, and skilled at influencing without authority to build trust-based relationships across engineering, product, and quality organizations.
- Strong consultative problem-solver who brings structure to ambiguity, anticipates leadership and organizational needs, and course-corrects with confidence and discretion.
- Strong technical aptitude and self-directed learning, with a track record of building and sustaining communities in large organizations through programs, events, and feedback loops that drive shared hands-on learning.
- Track record of driving process improvement and troubleshooting operational breakdowns, with a strong bias for action and a habit of getting ahead of problems before they become blockers.
- High degree of professionalism, operating autonomously and handling confidential information with integrity.
- Working proficiency with Atlas, Azure DevOps, Microsoft Loop and SharePoint, Microsoft Teams, PowerPoint, Power BI, and AI productivity tools such as Microsoft 365 Copilot. PMP certification a plus.
Business Management IC5 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $116,900 - $203,600 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 $148,400 - $222,600 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
Business Management IC6 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $130,900 - $277,200 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 $165,600 - $303,600 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.
