Overview
Would you be excited to drive major changes to a scale service that is critical to the company? Substrate is the data and intelligence platform that enables internal partner teams at Microsoft to build, deploy, and maintain compliant productivity apps and services with reduced effort and faster time to market. We work closely with partners across M365 to enable critical suite-wide scenarios. The Substrate Core Substrate team powers the infrastructure that underpins Microsoft 365’s most critical services and Copilot. We are a high-impact, forward-looking team focused on building intelligent, scalable, and cost-efficient platforms that enable Microsoft to deliver world-class productivity experiences to billions of users. Our mission is to drive operational excellence and innovation across the M365 fleet by leveraging AI, automation, and deep platform integration. We are looking for a passionate and growth-oriented Senior Applied Scientist to join our team. As an Applied Scientist, you will play a pivotal role in transforming how Copilot features are delivered across Microsoft 365. You’ll be part of the team building the Substrate platform that powers M365 Copilot, developing scalable algorithms and machine learning pipelines that drive innovation across Copilot Search, BizChat, Connectors, and Agents (DAs). This is a unique opportunity to work at the intersection of platform engineering and applied science, helping shape the future of AI-powered productivity. 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.

Responsibilities
- Drive data exploration and analysis by collecting initial datasets, selecting appropriate analytical techniques, and applying foundational statistical methods to extract insights. - Build and evaluate ML models by running modeling tools on prepared datasets, analyzing performance, and incorporating customer feedback to improve outcomes. - Contribute to AI development by writing production-quality code for features or models, applying debugging best practices, and staying current with industry trends and methodologies. - Champion customer-centric solutions by understanding business goals, identifying growth opportunities, and managing expectations throughout the project lifecycle. - Collaborate cross-functionally with engineering and product teams to define success metrics, improve AI quality at scale, and shape how performance is measured across Copilot technologies.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications: - Bachelor's Degree in Statistics, Econometrics, Computer Science, Electrical or Computer Engineering, or related field AND 4+ years related experience (e.g., statistics predictive analytics, research) - OR Master's Degree in Statistics, Econometrics, Computer Science, Electrical or Computer Engineering, or related field AND 3+ years related experience (e.g., statistics, predictive analytics, research) - OR Doctorate in Statistics, Econometrics, Computer Science, Electrical or Computer Engineering, or related field AND 1+ year(s) related experience (e.g., statistics, predictive analytics, research) - OR equivalent experience. - 4+ years of applied science or data science experience Other Requirements: Ability to meet Microsoft, customer and/or government security screening requirements are required for this role. These requirements include but are not limited to the following specialized security screenings: - Microsoft Cloud Background Check: This position will be required to pass the Microsoft Cloud background check upon hire/transfer and every two years thereafter. Preferred Qualifications: - Master's Degree in Data Science, Mathematics, Statistics, Econometrics, Economics, Operations Research, Computer Science, - OR related field - OR Bachelor's Degree in Data Science, Mathematics, Statistics, Econometrics, Economics, Operations Research, Computer Science, - OR related field AND 6+ years data-science or applied science experience (e.g., managing structured and unstructured data, applying statistical techniques and reporting results) - OR equivalent experience.

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. 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. #M365CORE

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.

Senior Applied/Data Scientist