Principal Software Engineer

M365 Copilot Platform is at the core of building a scalable platform to bring coherent experiences across all Copilots. As industry is evolving rapidly, we are shifting our focus to Agents and transforming the Copilot Platform into the Agents Platform. Agent Platform is core to Microsoft's Copilot ecosystem, powering intelligent agents across 1P and 3P surfaces. We are building a unified, scalable, and extensible runtime infrastructure that enables rapid experimentation, safe deployment, and seamless orchestration of LLM (large language model) powered agents. Our mission is to empower developers to build, compose, and operate agents with agility and confidence.

We are seeking a highly experienced and technically visionary Principal Software Engineer to lead the architecture and development of the next-generation agent runtime. This role is pivotal in shaping the future of agent-based computing at Microsoft, enabling extensibility at scale and supporting multi-agent collaboration across first-party (1P) and third-party (3P) agents.

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:

• Architect and evolve the core runtime infrastructure to support:
• Agent-to-Agent (A2A) and Multi-Agent Protocols (e.g., MCP).
• Declarative and code-based extensibility models.
• Runtime patching, flighting, and dynamic configuration.
• Plugin and tool integration with bot-speak and manifest schema support.
• Design and implement scalable orchestration patterns for agent collaboration, including delegation, sub-agent invocation, and shared memory contexts.
• Partner with cross-functional teams to ensure runtime stability, performance, and security.
• Drive innovation in agentic patterns such as proactive agents, async workflows, and dynamic skill selection.
• Contribute to the platform roadmap and influence long-term technical strategy.

Qualifications:

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or related technical field AND 8+ years technical engineering experience with coding in languages including, but not limited to, C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, or Python
  • OR equivalent experience.

• 6+ years of experience in software engineering with a focus on distributed systems, runtime architecture, or platform engineering.
• 4+ years of experience in technical leadership at scale, ideally in runtime or orchestration systems.
• Understanding of extensibility frameworks, plugin architectures, and protocol design.

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:

• Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science OR related technical field AND 12+ years technical engineering experience with coding in languages including, but not limited to, C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, or Python
  • OR Master's Degree in Computer Science or related technical field AND 10+ years technical engineering experience with coding in languages including, but not limited to, C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, or Python
  • OR equivalent experience.
• Experience with LLM-based systems, agentic workflows, or AI orchestration

Software Engineering IC6 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $163,000 - $296,400 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 $220,800 - $331,200 per year.

Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here: ;br>
Microsoft will accept applications for the role until August 18, 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.

#M365Copilot