Principal Product Manager Lead - Minecraft Gameplay Systems

At Mojang Studios, the creators of Minecraft, we are on a mission to build a better world through the power of play.

Why play? Well, play is at the heart of everything we do. It’s the blocky backbone of our games, the core of our development philosophy, and even the origin of our name. From the relentless experimentation of our endlessly inspiring community to the classrooms where Minecraft has become an essential teaching tool, play is the bedrock of our existence.

We enable millions to create and play together, connect people across the globe, and foster a community that is among the most active and passionate in the world. Our community is global and incredibly diverse. When we are developing anything within our franchise, we keep this in mind. We want everyone to not only feel included in Minecraft, but also to see themselves in what we make. Our goal is for the Mojang Studios team to be as diverse as our community.

The Minecraft team is looking for a Principal Product Manager Lead to join the Gameplay Systems team within the Bedrock Platform; we build the engine and systems that power a diverse set of Minecraft experiences over a dozen+ platforms in support of multiple internal partners and all Bedrock players and creators.

This role will be accountable for the planning, production, and delivery of core gameplay engine infrastructure, including entity frameworks, world generation, and creator APIs. You will manage and develop a team of product managers, contribute to the patterns, artifacts, and rhythm of the broader team, and build and manage product roadmaps while managing and reporting on multiple projects aligned to the right customer release vehicles.

We are seeking a technical people‑first leader with experience partnering closely with Engineering, QA (Quality Assurance), and Design through the full feature lifecycle. You thrive at the intersection of platform scalability and player delight, collaborate across organizations, geographies, and cultures, and translate complex technical concepts into clear strategic narratives for audiences ranging from individual contributors to executive leadership. You foster an environment where internal engineers and external creators can build efficiently and intuitively, driving clarity from opportunity identification through to solutions and outcomes.

As a principal‑level people manager, you evolve the platform vision, elevate team capabilities, and expand organizational impact. You hire, coach, and grow PM (Product Management) talent, establish best practices, and drive cross‑functional collaboration at scale. You identify emerging opportunities, influence long‑term technical architecture decisions, and champion the platform that will define Minecraft’s future, balancing long‑term gameplay investments with near‑term gameplay needs. You will present regularly to senior leadership and the broader studio, building the understanding and support necessary for sustained platform success.

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.

In the end, it’s the people of Mojang Studios that make this place truly special. When you join, you’ll find yourself in the company of incredibly bright, warm, and creative individuals – all united and working toward a single goal. Come help us reach it!

• Build, lead, and grow a Product Management team including hiring and developing key talent, establishing an inclusive team culture and operating rhythms, coaching for impact, and raising the bar on execution and collaboration across disciplines.
• Set and drive the multi‑year gameplay systems strategy and roadmap defining the “why/what” for core engine capabilities, prioritize opportunities, and connect goals to player and creator outcomes with clear OKRs (Objective & Key Results)/KPIs (Key Performance Indicators).
• Partner with studio leadership to set measurable goals for the organization and manage delivery end‑to‑end with principled trade‑offs, surfacing risks early, and providing exec‑ready reporting on progress and outcomes.
• Work across Mojang Studios with key stakeholders to track technology initiatives, interpret requirements, and build well-scoped and incremental plans that execute on our technology roadmap.
• Establish a culture of  cross-geography and cross-organization collaboration, including resolving issues regardless of team boundaries; building joint outcomes and shared goals with partner teams, instilling a culture of shared success throughout the Minecraft Game Experiences team.
• Embody our Culture  &  Values

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree AND 8+ years experience in product/service/project/program management or software development
  • OR equivalent experience.
• 1+ year(s) people management experience.

Preferred Qualifications:

• 4+ year(s) people management experience.
• Bachelor's Degree AND 12+ years of experience in product/service/project/program management or software development OR equivalent experience.
• Experience working with both engineering and support teams. 
• Experience running multiple or larger teams using both Office Suite as well as project management software (Jira, Azure DevOps, TeamCity, GitHub, Hansoft, Asana etc.). 
• Experience with data analytics and reporting systems (PowerBI, Tableau, Azure Data Explorer, etc.)
• Understands all aspects of production methodologies, project management, and has organizational and communication skills. 

Product Management M5 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $139,900 - $274,800 per year. There is a different range applicable to specific work locations, within the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area, and the base pay range for this role in those locations is USD $188,000 - $304,200 per year.

Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here: https://careers.microsoft.com/us/en/us-corporate-pay

Microsoft will accept applications for the role until September 30, 2025. 

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.  We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. 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.

#mojangjobs

#gamingjobs