Overview

Microsoft is at a defining moment as AI and Copilot reshape how people experience technology. The Senior Communications Strategist - Microsoft & Copilot is responsible for translating Microsoft and Copilot brand and Go To Market strategy into clear audience, channel, and engagement plans that ensure our ideas reach the right people in the right environments.

This role sits at the intersection of brand strategy, audience understanding, and media behavior, owning the “how and where” of communications approach for a defined set of initiatives, campaigns, or audience priorities. You will partner closely with Brand Strategy, Media, Campaigns, Integrated Marketing, Product Marketing, and agency teams to help shape communications architecture across paid, owned, and earned channels.

This individual contributor role involves strategic planning, audience understanding, and translating insights into actionable communications to support market effectiveness.

Responsibilities Communications & Audience Strategy

• Develop communications strategy for defined Microsoft and Copilot initiatives and campaign workstreams
• Translate brand and go to market strategy into audience, channel, and engagement frameworks that guide execution
• Contribute to priority audience definitions: who they are, what they care about, and how they consume media
• Build planning artifacts that make strategy usable: briefs, audience snapshots, channel roles, and engagement journeys

Channel & Media Strategy (in partnership with Media)

• Recommend channel roles and the optimal mix across paid, owned, and earned to support campaign objectives
• Provide strategic inputs to media and agency partners executing buys (connections architecture, comms rationale, channel role clarity)
• Ensure channel recommendations reinforce brand intent, creative strategy, and audience behavior
• Identify opportunities to bring campaigns into culture via environment selection, creator/community contexts, and relevant moments

Cross-Functional Collaboration & Planning Leadership

• Partner closely with Brand Strategy, Media, Campaigns, Integrated Marketing, and Product Marketing to align communications approach
• Serve as communications strategy point-person for assigned initiatives, ensuring plans are consistent, connected, and actionable
• Drive alignment on how ideas show up in market through clear planning outputs and decision frameworks

Insight, Measurement & Optimization

• Synthesize audience, cultural, and media signals into communications insights and planning recommendations
• Support measurement approach: define success signals, learning agendas, and test-and-learn opportunities
• Use performance signals (reach quality, engagement, resonance indicators) to refine communications direction over time
• Uphold Microsoft and Copilot brand stewardship across media environments by flagging misalignment and improving consistency

What Success Looks Like

• Communications strategy connects brand objectives to defined audience segments and channel selections for assigned initiatives.
• Channel and engagement recommendations are informed by documented audience insights and media consumption behavior.
• Cross‑functional partners (e.g., Brand Strategy, Media, Campaigns, Product Marketing) engage Communications Strategy as a strategic planning partner.
• Campaigns demonstrate improvements in relevance and alignment with priority audiences, based on defined success metrics.
• Work outputs meet quality and clarity standards, including clear briefs, articulated strategic narratives, defined channel roles, and documented learning and measurement plans.

Typical Outputs / Deliverables

• Communications strategy frameworks supporting campaigns and workstreams.
• Audience segmentation summaries and synthesized insights documentation.
• Defined channel role architecture across paid, owned, and earned media.
• Engagement journey maps and channel environment recommendations.
• Planning briefs for media and agency partners, including inputs, parameters, and strategic rationale.
• Test‑and‑learn hypotheses and measurement inputs aligned to communications decisions.

Qualifications Required/minimum qualifications

• 6+ years work experience at a branding agency or with product marketing, brand building, and/or strategy development OR equivalent experience.

Additional or preferred qualifications

• Master's Degree in Business, Marketing, Communications, or related field OR equivalent experience.
• 6+ years creative strategy experience, which could include brief writing and/or managing strategy on the corporate or agency side.
• 6+ years experience managing projects (e.g., internal stakeholder management, timelines, prioritization, road mapping).

Brand IC4 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $106,400 - $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 $137,600 - $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

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.