Are you excited by the challenge of building highly scalable distributed storage systems that preserve exabytes of data for decades? The Azure Archive Storage team builds Microsoft’s cloud-scale archival storage solution, delivering secure, cost-effective, and energy-conscious long-term storage for customers around the world. This opportunity will allow you to deepen your expertise in large-scale distributed storage, grow your technical leadership across Azure Storage, and shape the future of affordable, durable, long-term cloud storage.
As a Principal Software Engineer in Azure Archive Storage, you will drive the architecture, design, and delivery of core service capabilities that enable next-generation archival storage hardware and hyperscale storage scenarios. You will partner across engineering teams to define technical direction, solve complex distributed systems problems, mentor engineers, and deliver high-quality services that operate reliably at global scale. You will work on a deeply technical service that optimizes the interaction between software and unconventional storage systems, pushing the boundaries of durability, availability, scalability, concurrency, and storage economics.
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
- Partner with stakeholders to define user requirements and technical strategy for Azure Archive Storage scenarios spanning durability, scalability, performance, and cost efficiency
- Lead architecture, dependency identification, design reviews, and feature implementation for Azure Archive Storage services and next-generation archival storage platforms
- Drive innovation in large-scale distributed storage systems, developing solutions that improve data durability, service availability, operational efficiency, and long-term storage economics
- Provide technical leadership and influence product direction through deep expertise in cloud-scale storage, distributed systems, and archival storage technologies
- Leverage cross-functional partnerships to align engineering investments, coordinate project and release plans, and deliver platform capabilities across teams and organizations
- Serve as a Designated Responsible Individual (DRI) for critical service components, driving operational excellence, mentoring engineers, and leading response to service degradation, downtime, and service interruptions
- Champion engineering best practices and continuous improvement by advancing observability, reliability, performance, and scalability, while sharing knowledge and raising the engineering bar across the organization
Qualifications
Required 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
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:
- 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 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 equivalent experience
- Experience with:
- Designing, building, and operating large-scale distributed services in cloud environments
- Driving technical architecture and delivering complex software systems across multiple teams and stakeholders
- Developing storage systems, data platforms, or highly available backend services
- Improving service reliability, observability, performance, and operational excellence at scale
- Storage media technologies, storage hardware, or Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) technologies
- Problem-solving, diagnostics, and debugging skills for business-critical production services
- Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services, or other hyperscale cloud platforms
- Ability to influence technical direction, build alignment, and drive execution across engineering organizations
- Demonstrated ownership of end-to-end service lifecycle, including design, implementation, deployment, and operations
- Proven track record of mentoring engineers and promoting engineering excellence through design reviews, code quality, and best practices
#azurecorejobs
Software Engineering IC5 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $142,800 - $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:
https://careers.microsoft.com/us/en/us-corporate-pay
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.
Skills Required
- Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or related technical field AND 6+ years technical engineering experience with coding in languages including C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, or Python (OR equivalent experience)
- Ability to meet Microsoft, customer and/or government security screening requirements, including passing the Microsoft Cloud Background Check upon hire/transfer and every two years
- Master's Degree in Computer Science or related technical field AND 8+ years technical engineering experience, OR Bachelor's Degree AND 12+ years technical engineering experience (OR equivalent experience)
- Experience designing, building, and operating large-scale distributed services in cloud environments
- Experience driving technical architecture and delivering complex software systems across multiple teams and stakeholders
- Experience developing storage systems, data platforms, or highly available backend services
- Experience improving service reliability, observability, performance, and operational excellence at scale
- Experience with storage media technologies, storage hardware, or Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) technologies
- Strong problem-solving, diagnostics, and debugging skills for business-critical production services
- Experience with Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services, or other hyperscale cloud platforms
- Proven ability to influence technical direction, build alignment, and drive execution across engineering organizations
- Demonstrated ownership of end-to-end service lifecycle including design, implementation, deployment, and operations
- Proven track record of mentoring engineers and promoting engineering excellence through design reviews and code quality
Microsoft Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Microsoft and has not been reviewed or approved by Microsoft.
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Fair & Transparent Compensation — Pay is presented as broadly competitive overall, with clear role/level/location variation and an emphasis on using posted ranges and band information for apples-to-apples comparisons.
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Retirement Support — Retirement benefits are described as a standout, highlighted by a strong 401(k) match structure and immediate vesting, plus additional plan features for tax-advantaged saving.
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Parental & Family Support — Family-oriented benefits are portrayed as a meaningful strength, with substantial paid parental leave and added supports like back-up care and adoption/surrogacy assistance.
Microsoft Insights
What We Do
At Microsoft, our mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. Our mission is grounded in both the world in which we live and the future we strive to create. Today, we live in a mobile-first, cloud-first world, and the transformation we are driving across our businesses is designed to enable Microsoft and our customers to thrive in this world.
