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Principal Product Manager - AI Governance (Azure AI Foundry)

Redmond, Washington (WA), United States
Hybrid
Product Manager (Full-time)
Senior
$140k - $275k per year
Posted January 9, 2026
Closes April 9, 2026
Role Overview
SeniorFull-time

Overview

AI is transforming how organizations operate, and with it comes a new frontier of governance. Microsoft's Azure AI Foundry team is looking for a Principal Product Manager to lead the AI Governance area, defining how enterprises manage trust, compliance, and control across their AI systems.

As AI agents and copilots become central to enterprise workflows, this role drives the development of governance experiences that unify security, policy, and observability across the AI lifecycle. You'll shape how customers ensure responsible operation of AI agents through integrations with Microsoft Entra, Purview, Defender, and AI Foundry, building the foundation for continuous compliance and agentic trust at scale.

This is a highly visible and technical product role at the intersection of AI safety, compliance engineering, and enterprise infrastructure. You will partner with cross-company teams in Responsible AI (RAI), OCTO, Purview, Entra, and Azure Security to bring AI governance into the core of the Microsoft cloud ecosystem — enabling every organization to innovate confidently and responsibly.

Why Join Us?

  • You'll join a mission-driven team shaping the world's most comprehensive AI governance platform — unifying trust, compliance, and security for the age of AI agents.
  • Your work will directly influence how governments, enterprises, and developers build AI responsibly on the world's most trusted cloud.

Responsibilities

  • Lead the AI Governance product area within Azure AI Foundry — defining the long-term vision, strategy, and roadmap for policy management, compliance automation, and regulatory readiness.
  • Design and deliver core governance experiences, including agent-level policies, data sensitivity signals, prohibited action controls, and AI system compliance dashboards.
  • Integrate Foundry governance with Microsoft's broader security and compliance stack — Entra (identity and A2A policies), Purview (data classification and DLP), and Defender (threat insights).
  • Translate emerging AI regulations (EU AI Act, ISO 42001, NIST AI RMF) into actionable platform capabilities and customer experiences.
  • Partner with Responsible AI researchers and engineering teams to operationalize ethical principles into measurable safeguards and evaluators.
  • Collaborate with customers, industry bodies, and policymakers to help shape standards for trustworthy AI deployment.
  • Establish and track success metrics (governance coverage, compliance posture, customer adoption), ensuring measurable impact and clarity across engineering and partner orgs.
  • Represent the product in executive and customer forums, evangelizing Microsoft's approach to responsible, governed AI systems.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

  • Bachelor's Degree AND 8+ years in product management, program management, or technical leadership roles
    • OR equivalent 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

  • Deep familiarity with AI/ML systems, model governance, or enterprise compliance frameworks.
  • Proven experience driving cross-functional initiatives with engineering, security, and policy teams.
  • Excellent communication skills with demonstrated ability to influence across organizational boundaries.
  • 10+ years of product management or applied AI experience, ideally in enterprise cloud or responsible AI domains.
  • Knowledge of AI governance frameworks (EU AI Act, NIST AI RMF, ISO 42001, SOC 2, etc.).
  • Experience building or integrating security, compliance, or observability products.
  • Familiarity with agentic AI systems and associated risk classes (e.g., sensitive data leakage, prohibited actions, task drift, jailbreaks).
  • Hands-on technical depth to collaborate effectively with engineers and architects.
  • Solid storytelling and executive communication skills; ability to inspire trust and drive alignment in complex, cross-org environments.
Location Requirements
Important details about work location
Hybrid Work

3 days / week in-office

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About Microsoft
Learn about your potential employer

Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology company founded in 1975 and headquartered in Redmond, Washington. Our mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.

Microsoft develops and markets software, services, and hardware devices that deliver new opportunities, greater convenience, and enhanced value to people's lives. We do business worldwide with offices in more than 100 countries and approximately 228,000 passionate employees.

Our diverse portfolio includes operating systems (Windows), productivity applications (Microsoft 365), cloud services (Azure), artificial intelligence solutions, gaming platforms (Xbox), and professional networking (LinkedIn). We are committed to responsible innovation and sustainable practices, having announced plans to be carbon negative by 2030.

Application Status
Currently accepting applications
Application Deadline

April 9, 2026

Expected Response

5-7 business days

After submission

AI Fluency Assessment
AI-powered role analysis
AI Fluency:
4.0
Dimension Breakdown
Workflow Integration95%
Tool Proficiency70%
Strategic Application95%
Innovation80%
Key Insights
  • Role explicitly centers on AI governance for agentic systems and copilots, showing clear applied AI focus.
  • Strong workflow integration: required integrations with Entra, Purview, Defender and continuous compliance highlight automation across systems.
  • High strategic impact: owning roadmap, translating regulations (EU AI Act, NIST) into platform features, and driving cross-org adoption.
Career Fit Analysis
How this job meets key career needs
Quality: 80%3 Red Flags5 Highlights4 Questions

This Principal Product Manager role at Microsoft scores well on stability and esteem: it offers a competitive salary, a senior title with high visibility and measurable impact, and mission-driven work in AI governance. Lower-level needs (explicit benefits) and higher-level growth supports (formal development pathways, team details) are not fully documented in the posting. Candidates should confirm team structure, resourcing, and concrete career/development supports during interviews. The recurring security screening and the heavy cross-org coordination expectations are notable practical considerations.

Red Flags
  • Unclear direct team and reporting structure — posting emphasizes cross-company partnership but does not state team size, direct manager, or immediate peers; this can obscure day-to-day experience and support.
  • Recurring security screening and requirements (Microsoft Cloud background check every two years) may restrict candidate pool, affect start timeline, or introduce periodic administrative hurdles.
  • High cross-organizational influence and 'highly visible' responsibility without stated resourcing or organizational authority could lead to slow progress or heavy stakeholder management overhead if not backed by executive sponsorship.
Highlights
  • Clear, competitive compensation range and full-time employment at a stable, large employer.
  • Strong senior-level ownership and visibility (roadmap, executive representation, cross-org influence).
  • High-impact, mission-driven scope touching AI safety, policy, and standards — attractive for purpose-driven candidates.
Key Areas
Pay & Benefits
80%
Stability
95%
Culture
60%
Impact
90%
Growth
75%
Questions to Ask
  • Can you describe the immediate team I would join (team size, direct manager, embedded engineers/designers) and how this role is staffed versus dependent on cross-org partnerships?
  • What authority or decision-making scope comes with this role when coordinating across Entra, Purview, Defender and other partner teams? Are there executive sponsors or formal forums to accelerate cross-org initiatives?
  • What are the key success metrics for the first 6–12 months (examples of governance coverage, adoption targets, or KPIs), and what resources (engineers, PMs, program managers) are committed to meet them?
Position Details

Location

Redmond, Washington (WA), United StatesHybrid

Salary Range

$140k - $275k

Employment Type

Full-time

Experience Level

Senior

Posted

January 9, 2026 (2 weeks ago)

How to Apply

3 Simple Steps

1

Prepare

Update your resume and write a tailored cover letter

2

Submit

Complete the online application form

3

Get Interviewed

Typically receive response within 5-7 business days

Documents Needed

Updated resume (PDF preferred)
Tailored cover letter
Portfolio or work samples (if applicable)
Professional references ready

Ready to apply?

Ensure you have all documents ready

Closes April 9, 2026

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