Senior Business Planning Manager, Studio Operations, Minecraft

Overview 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.

Mojang Studios is seeking a Senior Business Planning Manager to lead how we plan, allocate, and track resources across the studio—ensuring we are investing in the highest-impact work and making clear, informed trade-offs. The role sits at the center of the studio’s operating system, owning the planning cadence and bringing visibility to how headcount and investment are deployed.

In partnership with Product, Engineering, and Finance, this role ensures resource and workforce planning supports long-range growth ambitions while enabling faster, better decisions across the studio. 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 Studio Resource Planning Own the unified view of headcount and capacity across teams, fulltime employees and vendors. Partner with leaders to align resource deployment to priorities, ensuring we are investing in the highest-impact work and making clear, informed trade-offs.

Insights & Optimization Identify trends, risks, and inefficiencies across the portfolio. Drive recommendations that improve planning accuracy, resource efficiency, and delivery outcomes. Studio Planning Cadence Lead the studio’s planning cadence across monthly close, quarterly forecasts, annual budget, and long-range planning.

Ensure accurate inputs, clear assumptions, and consistent visibility into headcount and investment. Systems, Tools & AI Enablement Build and evolve reporting, dashboards, and planning tools to track capacity and allocation. Improve workflows through automation and introduce AI-enabled insights to increase speed, transparency, and quality of decision-making.

Cross-functional Partnership Partner with Finance, Product, Engineering, and Operations to align planning with execution. Translate operational signals into clear business impact and ensure consistency across planning processes. Qualifications Bachelor's Degree in relevant field (e.g., Liberal Arts, Business Administration, Management, Computer Science) AND 6+ years experience in financial management, business planning, operations management, strategy, project management, human resources, or business-related roles OR equivalent experience.

Preferred Qualifications Experience in business planning, financial planning & analysis, or operations. Proven understanding of workforce planning, headcount management, and resource allocation. Experience owning budgeting, forecasting, and Rhythm of Business processes.

Proficiency in Excel and data/business intelligence tools (e.g., Power BI). Track record of building systems or tooling to improve planning workflows. Experience with cross-functional communication and stakeholder management. Experience in gaming, entertainment, or technology industries preferred.

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! #mojangjobs #gamingjobs Business Management IC5 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $116,900 - $203,600 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 $148,400 - $222,600 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 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.