Group Creative Director

Overview

Microsoft's Creative, Advertising & Integrated Marketing team is looking for a Group Creative Director - Art & Film, to lead the creative vision and craft of advertising and video storytelling across Windows, Devices and Services.

This is a senior creative leadership role for someone whose foundation is in advertising, art direction or filmmaking. Someone who understands how a powerful insight becomes an idea, how an idea becomes a story, and how every creative decision, from casting and cinematography through to edit, grade, music and sound, can make that story memorable.

The GCD Art & Film will lead the development of major advertising campaigns and hero creative, partnering with Copywriters, art directors, creative directors, strategists, producers, agencies and world-class production partners to create work that earns attention and builds our brands.

The role requires exceptional creative judgment and a highly developed feel for moving image. You should instinctively understand story, performance, visual storytelling, shot selection, editorial rhythm, pacing, music and sound design, and recognize when each of those elements is helping or hurting an idea.

To be successful, the GCD Art & Film should understand how audiences actually experience creative today. Combining creative instinct with curiosity about audience behavior and performance signals, from qualitative research to attention/audience-retention curves, using data as a key input into creative judgment rather than allowing it to replace judgment.

Above all, this is a role for someone who cares deeply about the work and the craft to make it excel.

Responsibilities

Key Responsibilities

Lead advertising and film

• Set the creative ambition for major Windows, Surface and Services advertising campaigns, launches and cultural moments, leading work from brief and insight through concept, script, production and final delivery.

• Originate and shape breakthrough ideas with Copywriters, Art Directors, Creative Directors and agency partners, creating work that can extend across film, social, digital, OOH, DOOH, retail and emerging formats.

• Lead the creative development of film and moving-image storytelling across live action, animation, motion design and VFX, with a sophisticated understanding of story, performance, cinematography, production design and visual storytelling.

• Bring exceptional judgment to filmmaking craft, including narrative structure, shot selection, editorial rhythm and pacing, color and grade, music, sound design and finishing, understanding how each decision shapes the emotional impact of a story.

• Partner with creative production leadership to identify and engage exceptional directors, production companies, cinematographers, editors, VFX artists, animators, composers and sound designers, bringing together the right talent for the creative ambition.

• Lead creatively through production and post-production, protecting the strength of the idea while continually looking for opportunities to make the work more distinctive, surprising and beautifully crafted.

• Hold the work to a world-class standard for ideas, storytelling and execution, knowing when exceptional craft can elevate an idea and when simplicity and restraint will make it stronger.

Build work for how audiences watch today

• Understand modern viewing behavior across broadcast, streaming, YouTube, social and emerging platforms, and create stories designed to earn and sustain attention.

• Use audience-retention curves, drop-off points, completion rates, qualitative research and other creative-performance signals to better understand how audiences experience the work.

• Translate those signals into creative hypotheses around openings, narrative clarity, pacing, product integration and emotional payoff.

• Balance evidence with creative instinct, using data to sharpen creative judgment rather than replace it.

Raise the creative bar

• Lead and mentor Creative Directors, Editors and Motion Graphics artists.

• Be hands-on in the work, giving clear, specific creative direction that materially improves both the idea and its execution.

• Build a culture of rigorous critique where teams understand not simply what should change, but why.

• Develop talent with deep expertise in advertising, filmmaking, art direction and motion storytelling.

• Champion ambitious ideas while knowing when subtraction, restraint and simplicity will make the work stronger.

Partner across the creative organization

• Partner closely with creative leaders across copy, design, production, strategy, IMC and advertising to create work where idea, story, craft and brand expression reinforce one another.

• Collaborate with Creative Strategy to translate customer, cultural and business insight into creative opportunity.

• Work closely with creative production leadership throughout development, production and post to ensure the creative ambition is realized at the highest level of craft.

• Partner with Integrated Marketing, Advertising, Media, Product Marketing, Social, Retail and Communications to turn ideas into connected customer experiences.

• Present and defend creative work with senior leaders, clearly articulating the central idea and the creative reasoning behind key executional decisions.

Qualifications

Required qualifications:

• Bachelors Degree or Certificate in Design, Fine Arts, Human Computer Interaction, Visual Communications or related art field AND 8+ years experience in art design or a related art field working on computer games or entertainment OR equivalent experience.
• 5+ years people management experience (e.g., serving as a Lead Artist, Art Manager, Creative Director, etc.).

Preferred qualifications:

• 12+ years of experience in advertising, creative direction, art direction, film or related creative disciplines, including significant experience at Creative Director, Group Creative Director or Executive Creative Director level.

• An exceptional portfolio of advertising and filmmaking that demonstrates not only outstanding ideas, but a highly developed command of filmmaking craft: compelling storytelling, performance, cinematography, editorial judgment and pacing, color and grade, music, sound design and finishing.

• A body of work that demonstrates the ability to turn strong creative ideas into beautifully crafted films that hold attention, create emotion and leave a lasting impression.

• Deep experience developing integrated campaigns for globally recognized consumer brands.

• Demonstrated creative leadership across the complete filmmaking process, from concept and script through production, editorial and finishing.

• Experience collaborating directly with directors, production companies, cinematographers, editors, VFX studios, composers, sound designers and other specialist creative partners.

• Ability to give precise, constructive creative direction across multiple disciplines while protecting the central idea.

• Strong understanding of contemporary culture, entertainment, social platforms and changing audience behavior.

• Exceptional taste, creative judgment and communication skills.

• Experience at a creatively recognized advertising agency, production-led creative company or equivalent in-house creative organization.

• A portfolio that includes recognized, culturally resonant or category-defining advertising and film work.

• Experience leading creative for technology, entertainment, gaming, consumer electronics or other highly competitive consumer categories.

• Fluency in interpreting creative-effectiveness research and behavioral signals, including audience-retention data and attention patterns, with the judgment to distinguish meaningful creative insight from optimization noise.

• Experience with emerging production techniques and AI-assisted creative workflows across ideation, pre-visualization, production and post-production.

• Strong relationships across the advertising and film-production community.

• A track record of attracting, developing and inspiring exceptional creative talent.

Art M6 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $142,800 - $296,400 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 - $331,200 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.