Senior Economist

Microsoft Microsoft · Big Tech · Redmond, WA +4 · Data Science

This role is for a Senior Economist focused on AI Strategy and Business Innovation within Microsoft's Customer Experience and Success organization. The primary focus is on applying economic and data-driven methods to evaluate business initiatives, quantify customer and business outcomes, and build analytical frameworks. While the role is within an AI-focused team and discusses AI transformation, the core responsibilities involve economic analysis, causal inference, and business strategy, not direct AI/ML model development or deployment.

What you'd actually do

  1. Design and apply causal inference methods to evaluate business initiatives in non-experimental settings.
  2. Identify, define, and quantify customer and business outcomes, then causally evaluate product and service offerings to determine which combinations maximize outcome attainment.
  3. Build robust analytical frameworks that connect customer, commercial, and operational signals to measurable outcomes.
  4. Develop cohort-level economic insights to support prioritization, investment decisions, and long-term planning.
  5. Partner with data and engineering teams to define practical data requirements and improve analytical readiness.

Skills

Required

  • Doctorate in Data Science, Mathematics, Statistics, Econometrics, Economics or related field AND 1+ year(s) of experience in applied economics or data-science
  • Master's Degree in Data Science, Mathematics, Statistics, Econometrics, Economics or related field AND 3+ years of experience in applied economics or data-science
  • Bachelor's Degree in Data Science, Mathematics, Statistics, Econometrics, Economics or related field AND 5+ years of experience in applied economics or data-science
  • equivalent experience

Nice to have

  • Doctorate in Data Science, Mathematics, Statistics, Econometrics, Economics or related field AND 3+ years of experience in applied economics or data-science
  • Master's Degree in Data Science, Mathematics, Statistics, Econometrics, Economics or related field AND 5+ years of experience in applied economics or data-science
  • Bachelor's Degree in Data Science, Mathematics, Statistics, Econometrics, Economics or related field AND 7+ years of experience in applied economics or data-science
  • equivalent experience
  • 3+ years of experience applying causal inference in real-world settings
  • Experience with quasi-experimental methods (DiD, IV, matching, regression techniques), experimentation and impact evaluation
  • Demonstrated ability to communicate complex findings to business leaders and cross-functional partners, translating technical concepts into executive-ready messages
  • Familiarity with portfolio-level or risk modeling concepts, cost modeling under uncertainty
  • Proven ability to work with messy, observational data and incomplete measurement systems
  • Experience in SaaS / cloud services / platform economics, marketplace or pricing organizations, or experimentation teams (growth, product analytics)
  • Exposure to o

What the JD emphasized

  • critical competency