Overview
Microsoft Research Asia MSRA is looking for a Research Strategy & Program Manager to support research planning, program execution, and the connection between research opportunities and broader organizational priorities.
The role is designed for someone early to mid-career who combines analytical thinking, program management, financial acumen, and a strong understanding of research and technology environments. Working closely with researchers, program managers, and research leadership, this person will help turn research opportunities into structured plans, evidence, and insights that support better decisions and execution.
This is not a traditional coordination-focused program management role. The successful candidate will be expected to understand the purpose behind the research, ask good questions, work comfortably with ambiguity, and help teams connect research ambition with resources, execution, evidence, and potential impact.
Responsibilities
Key Responsibilities
Research Planning & Decision Support
- Support research teams and leadership in framing opportunities, capability needs, resource requirements, milestones, and expected outcomes.
- Conduct analysis to help evaluate research initiatives, including strategic relevance, required investment, potential impact, key assumptions, and risks.
- Synthesize research, business, financial, and program information into concise materials that support leadership discussions and decisions.
- Track key evidence and learning from selected research initiatives to support follow-up investment and prioritization decisions.
Financial & Resource Analysis
- Apply fundamental financial thinking to research planning, including budget analysis, resource requirements, investment alternatives, and basic return or impact considerations.
- Develop simple financial models and analysis to support resource-allocation and research-investment discussions.
- Partner with relevant finance and business stakeholders when deeper financial analysis is required.
- Help connect financial inputs with research milestones and evidence so that investment discussions are informed by both scientific progress and resource implications.
Research Impact & Ecosystem Support
- Support engagement with Microsoft teams, customers, industry, academia, government, and other external partners when those connections can generate useful research evidence, insight, or opportunities.
- Help assess potential collaborations based on research relevance, expected learning, required investment, and strategic value.
- Capture external signals and translate them into structured insights that can inform research teams and leadership.
- Support selected research-to-impact initiatives while preserving research integrity and technical ownership.
Qualifications
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in business engineering, Computer Science, Finance, Economics , or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
- At least 5 years of w
