Social Sciences Program Manager

Microsoft; London; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a forward-thinking organization at the forefront of AI development, where you'll explore the societal implications of emerging technologies. This role offers a unique opportunity to engage in high-level research, produce impactful deliverables, and collaborate with diverse teams. You'll be instrumental in shaping the future of AI through insightful analysis and creative communication. If you're passionate about understanding the intersection of technology and society, this position is perfect for you. Embrace the challenge of working in a dynamic environment that values innovation, collaboration, and inclusivity, and make a meaningful impact on the world.

Qualifications

• Master's degree required with proven research and writing experience.
• Experience in academia or technology is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Craft high-quality research papers and presentations on AI's societal impact.
• Engage in original research and collaborate across teams.

Skills

Research Skills

Writing Skills

Communication Skills

Analytical Skills

Collaboration

Project Management

Education

Master's Degree in relevant field

Doctorate in relevant field

Job description

Overview

Microsoft AI is a new organization within Microsoft encompassing Copilot, Bing and Edge, designed to create the world’s most compelling and successful consumer artificial intelligence (AI) products and models. If successful in our mission to produce an AI companion for everyone, this will have a profound impact on society, changing everything from health and education to social relationships and work. To understand this impact and guide our teams to produce the best possible results, Microsoft AI is creating an Advanced Planning Unit to help envision and build for the future.

The Advanced Planning Unit will operate in the Office of Microsoft AI’s CEO and will combine cutting edge research across Microsoft and beyond, explore and articulate a range of possible scenarios for the future of AI, craft concrete product recommendations, and suggest planning outcomes based on them. Alongside this, it will produce a rolling program of events, publications and other reports to help further our understanding.

AI is transforming how we work, live, and connect. We want to understand how and what it implies for us working on AI today. You will be on top of the latest developments in an area of the social science (which includes but is not limited to sociology, psychology, anthropology and public policy) relating to the creation, diffusion, and impact of new technologies and AI. You will be able to research and translate this into concise documents and statements that could go to Product Managers, developers, executives or Communication teams. You will scour existing work across diverse Microsoft teams and synthesize it with other information sources in persuasive and creative ways. You’ll also be hands on with a diverse range of tasks from conference organisation to drafting comms materials. We’re looking for proactive, flexible and imaginative team players who can combine the rigor of academia with the fast, proactive mindset of a modern technical business. This unique role will put you at the forefront of understanding AI’s societal impact and creation.

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.

In alignment with our Microsoft values, we are committed to cultivating an inclusive work environment for all employees to positively impact our culture every day.

Responsibilities

• Craft high-quality deliverables (research papers, whitepapers, product memos, summaries, executive briefings, presentations, email updates) that grapple with questions of AI’s societal impact and potential. The expectation is that the original work will be kept within Microsoft.
• Apply yourself to a range of urgent questions, reports and communications as needed, from must-have briefings to responsive external communications on matters related to the Advanced Planning Unit, the Office of the MAI CEO and Microsoft AI more widely.
• Help create impactful events and publications on areas adjacent to our work including significant internal review meetings, convenings of experts, public conferences, journals, blog posts and website updates.
• Build a network of research sources and contacts across Microsoft and maintain relationships. You will collaborate across teams to develop research insights and have visibility on all relevant Microsoft research and work.
• Engage in original research and analysis and secondary overview across a range of sources from journals to the popular media to interviews.
• Help the Microsoft AI team and the wider Microsoft community understand our work's core messages and implications. Build relationships across the organization to facilitate these messages and translate your research into actionable insights for development teams working on core products.
• Propose and deliver research topics, output materials, and both internal or external activities to further our mission of addressing the challenges we face from AI safety to development hurdles.
• Embody our culture and values.

Qualifications

Required / Minimum Qualifications:

• Master's Degree in relevant field AND related research or other relevant experience.
• Proven track record of writing and research in academic or other contexts. This could include academic papers, chapters and books, journalism, blogging, social media or other writing forms.

Additional or Preferred Qualifications:

• Doctorate in relevant field OR equivalent experience.
• Experience publishing academic papers or other high-quality writing as a lead author or essential contributor.
• Experience participating in a top conference in relevant research domain.
• Demonstrable long-term interest in AI.
• Ability to collaborate and clearly communicate across multiple teams and levels while also contributing to a positive, inclusive work environment, fostering knowledge sharing and growth within the team.
• Experience within academia and ideally a technology company or similar fast-paced environment.
• Proven ability to work fast and flexibly on diverse projects, including non-research-based tasks under pressure.

Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations and ordinances. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application or the recruiting process, please send a request via the Accommodation request form.

Benefits/perks listed below may vary depending on the nature of your employment with Microsoft and the country where you work.