Principal Hardware Engineer

Microsoft Silicon, Cloud Hardware, and Infrastructure Engineering (SCHIE) is the team behind Microsoft's expanding Cloud Infrastructure and responsible for powering Microsoft's "Intelligent Cloud" mission. SCHIE delivers the core infrastructure and foundational technologies for Microsoft's over 200 online businesses including Bing, MSN, Office 365, Xbox Live, Teams, OneDrive, and the Microsoft Azure platform globally with our server and data center infrastructure, security and compliance, operations, globalization, and manageability solutions. Our focus is on smart growth, high efficiency, and delivering a trusted experience to customers and partners worldwide and we are looking for passionate engineers to help achieve that mission.

As Microsoft's cloud business continues to grow the ability to deploy new offerings and hardware infrastructure on time, in high volume with high quality and lowest cost is of paramount importance. To achieve this goal, the Cloud Hardware Systems Engineering (C H SE) team is instrumental in defining and delivering operational measures of success for hardware manufacturing, improving the planning process, quality, delivery, scale and sustainability related to Microsoft cloud hardware. We are looking for engineers with a dedicated passion for customer focused solutions, insight and industry knowledge to envision and implement future technical solutions that will manage and optimize the Cloud infrastructure.

We are looking for a Principal Hardware Engineer to join the team , with technically grounded and visionary High-Speed Interconnection Architect to lead the development and execution of next-generation interconnect solutions. This role will focus on high-speed connectors, internal and external cables, and AI networking cable backplanes. The candidate will drive the technology roadmap, vendor strategy, and design execution across electrical, mechanical and signal integrity domains to enable scalable, high-performance systems .

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:

• Define technical strategy and lead the product roadmap for high-speed interconnects ( e.g. 112G/224G), including connectors, cables, and backplanes.

• Balance innovation with manufacturability, cost, and reliability to deliver robust, scalable solutions.

• Specify mechanical and electrical requirements for high-speed interconnects. Collaborate with cross-functional teams (EE, ME, SI/PI, system architecture) to ensure co-design alignment.

• Lead or support design reviews, signal integrity (SI) and mechanical simulations, and prototyping.

• Evaluate and select suppliers for connectors and cables. Drive technical alignment and qualification with vendors, including DFM/DFT/DFR considerations.

• Define test and inspection criteria for interconnect components. Ensure compliance with reliability standards and environmental requirements.

• Support root cause analysis and continuous improvement for field and production issues.

• Develop and maintain design guides, specifications, and best practices. Mentor engineers and contribute to internal knowledge sharing.
• Embody our culture and values.

Qualifications:

Minimum Qualifications:

• Master's Degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field AND 7+ years technical engineering experience
  • OR Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field AND 8+ years technical engineering experience
  • OR equivalent experience.

• 7+ years of relevant experience in system level high-speed design and implementation ( connector, cable, backplane and/or mid-plane ) across the hardware development lifecycle

• 7+ years of experience working across multiple disciplines ( electrical, mechanical , thermal, manufacturing, system / rack integration , and/or data center infrastructure) to identify risks, drive discussions, detail system tradeoffs, and assess impact

• Leadership experience in high-speed interconnection products development and/or projects execution

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:

• Proven track record in roadmap ownership, vendor management, and cross-functional collaboration

• Deep understanding of connector mechanics, cable assembly, and SI/ME tradeoffs

• Knowledge of blind-mate connector systems, floating connector designs, and cable backplane architectures
• Experience with driving execut ion of hardware validation and functional test plans

• Familiarity with AI infrastructure, hyperscale systems, or data center hardware

• Experience with PCIe Gen7 and/or 112G/224G PAM4 signaling and associated SI/PI challenges

• Exposure to reliability testing (HALT/HASS), failure analysis, and quality control systems.

• Proficiency in simulation tools (HFSS, CST, SIwave) and mechanical CAD (Creo, SolidWorks).

• Team player
• Proficient verbal and written communication and presentation skills

Hardware Engineering IC5 - 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: US corporate pay information | Microsoft Careers

Microsoft will accept applications for the role until September 22nd, 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.

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