Senior Software Engineer

Overview

Are you excited by the opportunity to shape the future of Windows Server by bringing AI into enterprise-grade operating system features? Do you want to work on core platform code that powers mission-critical enterprise scenarios, and build high-performing, reliable features that leverage the latest AI technologies? Are you looking to grow your expertise in systems engineering while collaborating with a team that values experimentation, craftsmanship, and diverse perspectives? If so, the Windows Server under Windows Servicing & Delivery team is hiring!

The team builds foundational capabilities that enterprise customers in Windows Server OS around the world rely on every day. We are now bringing modern AI technologies such as local language models, semantic indexing, AI-optimized data services, and scalable APIs directly into the Windows Server platform. Our mission is to empower enterprises to use AI natively in their environments while maintaining the performance, reliability, and security they expect from Windows.

We are a highly collaborative team that thrives on solving complex problems, delivering innovative features, and helping customers unlock new scenarios.

If you are passionate about systems programming, AI integration, and working on impactful technologies at scale, this is the right place for you!

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

We are looking for a Senior Software Engineer who thrives on emerging AI technologies. In this role, you will:

• Design and implement AI-powered features natively in Windows Server to transform Windows Server vNext product with AI, by leveraging Azure Foundry Local AI and Open Source LLM to create innovative for enterprise customers.
• Build reliable and scalable AI-based Windows Server OS components to enhance user experience for IT administrators.
• Work closely with partner teams and product managers to translate enterprise customer needs into practical AI and systems-level innovations.
• Contribute to platform code that demands high performance, reliability, and security while exploring modern engineering practices and frameworks.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or related technical field AND 4+ years technical engineering experience with coding in languages including, but not limited to, C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, or Python
  • 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:

• 5+ years of professional software engineering experience building production-quality systems using C, C++, or C#, with a strong focus on performance, reliability, and security.
• Experience building or operating AI features inside an OS, platform, or infrastructure layer, rather than only at the application layer.
• Familiarity with enterprise security, privacy, and compliance considerations related to AI systems (data boundaries, model isolation, auditability).
• Experience optimizing AI inference performance (CPU/GPU/NPU), memory usage, and startup latency in constrained or server environments.
• Contributions to open-source AI or systems projects, or experience evaluating and integrating open-source components into production systems.
• Strong Windows OS and systems engineering fundamentals, including familiarity with Windows Internals, kernel/user-mode boundaries, services, drivers, IPC, and modular platform design.
• Hands-on experience integrating AI capabilities into real systems, with a solid understanding of modern AI stacks, including:
  • Local or on-device AI / LLM inference architectures
  • Agentic workflows (tool invocation, skills, planners, orchestration)
  • Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) patterns, semantic indexing, and vector search
  • Model lifecycle concepts, including prompt design, evaluation, fine-tuning, and inference optimization
• Experience working with AI frameworks, runtimes, or ecosystems, such as:
  • Open-source LLM frameworks and tooling
  • Model serving or inference runtimes (local or cloud-connected)
  • Data pipelines and embedding generation for semantic workloads
• Proven ability to design and ship scalable, enterprise-grade components or APIs, balancing innovation with backward compatibility, observability, and operational excellence.
• Strong collaboration skills, with experience working across partner engineering teams and product management to translate customer and platform requirements into robust technical solutions.

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Software Engineering IC4 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $119,800 - $234,700 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 $158,400 - $258,000 per year.

Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here:
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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.