Principal Software Engineer

The Managed Core Compute (MC2) organization is at the heart of Azure's infrastructure, delivering scalable, secure, and performant compute platforms that power mission-critical workloads across the globe. MC2 offer IaaS (Virtual Machines, Containers) and PaaS (Service Fabric) platforms built on hyper scale distributed services serving 10B+ requests a month, and ensuring availability, resiliency and security of entire Azure fleet.

As a Principal Software Engineer in MC2, you will lead the design and development of planetary scale foundational compute services, drive architectural innovation, and mentor engineering talent across teams. You will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of Azure's compute fabric, with a strong emphasis on AI integration, service reliability, and operational excellence.

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:

• Technical Leadership: Architect and deliver distributed systems that are secure, scalable, and resilient. Lead technical strategy and execution across multiple teams and services.
• AI-Driven Transformation: Champion the integration of AI into engineering workflows, including on-call support, test generation, and developer productivity tooling.
• Cross-Team Collaboration: Partner with PMs, architects, and other engineering leaders to define and deliver end-to-end solutions. Drive alignment across horizontal and vertical teams.
• Mentorship and Culture: Model engineering excellence and inclusive practices. Mentor senior engineers and contribute to a culture of continuous learning and innovation.
• Customer Impact: Define and track success metrics that reflect customer value. Ensure services meet or exceed SLAs and deliver tangible improvements to customer experience.
• Strategic Influence: Contribute to long-term technical vision and roadmap planning. Influence organizational structure and investment decisions to accelerate innovation

Qualifications:

Required/Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or related technical field AND 6+ years technical engineering experience with coding in languages including, but not limited to, C#, Java, or Python
  • OR equivalent experience.
• 4+ years of experience in cloud infrastructure, compute platforms, or container orchestration.
• 4+ years of experience in leading through influence and driving cross-org initiatives.
• 1+ year(s) of experience integrating AI/ML into engineering systems.

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.

Additional or Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor'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 Master'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.
• 1+ years experience with Azure infrastructure or similar hyperscale cloud platforms.
• Familiarity with service reliability engineering (SRE) practices and operational excellence.
• Demonstrated impact in evolving organizational structures or leading transformation initiatives.
• Demonstrated ability to drive clarity in ambiguous environments.
• Excitement for building inclusive teams and fostering a culture of engineering excellence.

Software 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: ;br>
Microsoft will accept applications for the role until August 5, 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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