POSITION OVERVIEW:

User Experience (UX) Designers work as a part of a team with experienced designers to develop software and hardware products that are simple and intuitive. This requires learning a combination of research, prototyping, testing, and cross-discipline collaboration.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Completion of relevant training, for example:Graduated from a UX Design academy or boot camp, plus six months of UX Design projects or professional experience after graduation
  Self-taught designer demonstrating recent design projects or professional experience
  Degree from a community college in UX design or related field
  Degree from a college/university in UX design or related field with a previous career in design, plus a 2+ year career break

• Formal or informal design experience outside of a classroom

• Previous work experience in any field

• Interest in and/or experience working with design systems and toolkits or advancing feature areas within existing product architectures

• Effective communication and collaboration skills within a multidisciplinary team

• Comfort iterating design with data & research input, as well as feedback from peers, product group, and leadership

• Experience using an interface design tool: Sketch, XD, Figma, or Illustrator

• Currently authorized to work in the United States for entire duration of Leap apprenticeship. Immigration sponsorship will not be provided by the employer nor Microsoft

• Not employed as a vendor or full time employee for Microsoft Corporation within the past six months

ABOUT the Leap Program:

At Microsoft, we know there are many pathways into the technology industry and into our organization. We’re constantly looking for new ways to create unconventional entry points for talent and leverage the skills and experiences of talent from outside the traditional academic paths.

In 2015, we launched the Leap Program to introduce more people to work in the tech industry. The program offers an immersive 16-week apprenticeship for those who have a base foundation of technical training. This apprenticeship program combines in-classroom learning with hands-on engineering projects, working on real teams and real products within our organization such as Azure, Xbox, Bing, and Office365.

Leap participants are change catalysts and change multipliers: they bring a diverse set of personal experiences and cognitive abilities to their work as well as to their colleagues and communities at Microsoft. They play a vital role in advancing engineering processes, accelerating innovation and activating inclusion as a part of Microsoft culture.

Whether it’s a stay-at-home parent interested in re-entering the workforce or someone who is ready for a ‘second act,’ the stories from current and former participants are truly inspiring. Not only is Leap launching new cohorts across the country and the globe, but it’s also re-launching the lives of countless individuals looking to make an impact.