Principal Software Engineer (Networking Systems)

Are you passionate about designing the next generation of networking solutions for AI-driven and Azure datacenters? Join our team to architect and implement transport and other networking solutions that power Microsoft's cloud-scale AI and Azure infrastructure. As a Network Engineer at L65, you will collaborate across hardware, software, and business teams to deliver robust, scalable, and innovative networking solutions.

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 achieve 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. In alignment with our Microsoft values, we are committed to cultivating an inclusive work environment for all employees to positively impact our culture every day.

Join the Strategic Planning and Architecture (SPARC) team within Microsoft's Azure Hardware Systems and Infrastructure (AHSI) organization, the team behind Microsoft's expanding Cloud Infrastructure and for powering Microsoft's "Intelligent Cloud" mission. Microsoft delivers more than 200 online services to more than one billion individuals worldwide, and AHSI is the team behind our expanding cloud infrastructure. We deliver the core infrastructure and foundational technologies for Microsoft's cloud businesses including Microsoft Azure, Bing, MSN, Office 365, OneDrive, Skype, Teams and Xbox Live.

We are seeking a Principle Software Engineer (Networking Systems) to lead the design and development of scalable networking systems, transports, and telemetry frameworks that support Azure's AI and data center infrastructure.

Responsibilities:

• Design and implement transport networking architectures to support high-performance AI workloads and distributed systems.
• Develop and optimize frontend datacenter networking solutions, ensuring seamless connectivity, reliability, and scalability for cloud and AI services.
• Engineer host networking frameworks that enable efficient communication between compute nodes, storage, and accelerators.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams (hardware, software, product, and business) to define requirements and deliver integrated solutions.
• Drive adoption of best practices in network observability, diagnostics, and performance optimization.
• Participate in incident response and root cause analysis to ensure live site reliability and continuous improvement.
• Contribute to technical strategy and innovation in AI networking and datacenter connectivity.

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, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, or Python OR equivalent experience.
• 5+ years of experience in network engineering, with expertise in transport, datacenter, or host networking.
• 5+ years of experience in networking protocols (TCP/IP, RDMA, Ethernet, InfiniBand) and cloud technologies.
• 5+ years of experience with large-scale distributed systems and AI infrastructure.

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

• PhD Degree in Computer Science or related technical field.
• Experience with AI/ML workloads and their networking requirements.
• Familiarity with datacenter hardware (switches, NICs, DPUs, accelerators).
• Advanced knowledge of SDN, network virtualization, and automation frameworks.
• Demonstrated ability to drive technical initiatives and mentor junior engineers.
• Solid programming skills in C, C++, Python, Rust, or similar languages.
• Proven ability to collaborate and communicate across teams.

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 October 31st, 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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