Principal Researcher, Office Product Group

Reposted One Month Ago
Be an Early Applicant
Redmond, WA, USA
In-Office
143K-304K Annually
Senior level
Software • Quantum Computing • Metaverse • Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
The Role
Lead research and engineering to design, evaluate, and deploy AI systems for Microsoft 365. Develop coordination frameworks, efficient code-generation techniques, fine-tuning/post-training methods, and real-world evaluation benchmarks. Collaborate with engineering and product teams to translate research into scalable, reliable, and responsible production features.
Summary Generated by Built In
Overview
We are building a high-impact AI engineering and applied science team within the Office Product Group to advance the next generation of intelligent, AI-powered experiences embedded directly into Microsoft 365 applications. The team operates at the intersection of research and product development, evolving new model and system capabilities and delivering them at scale to support hundreds of millions of users worldwide.
 
As a Principal Researcher, you will contribute to the design, development, evaluation, and deployment of AI systems that can reason, take action, and work across tools, documents, and services. You will apply these capabilities within real product environments, balancing innovation with practical considerations such as reliability, performance, and user experience.
 
Microsoft’s mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. We approach our work with a growth mindset, collaborate across teams to deliver meaningful outcomes, and continuously learn and innovate to better serve our customers. Our culture is grounded in respect, integrity, and accountability, creating an inclusive environment where individuals and teams can do their best work.

Responsibilities
  • Support the development of frameworks that enable coordination and communication across multiple AI components, helping to facilitate task delegation, orchestration, and result validation scenarios.
  • Apply and improve techniques for efficient code generation and transformation in low-resource environments, including adapting models to domain-specific languages, formulas, and structured or semi-structured data formats.
  • Implement and iterate on fine-tuning and post-training approaches for large-scale machine learning models to enhance reliability, controllability, and readiness for production use.
  • Contribute to the design and execution of evaluation strategies and benchmarks that reflect real-world Microsoft 365 user workflows, including participation in system-level and human-in-the-loop assessments.
  • Collaborate with engineering and product management partners to help translate research ideas into scalable, production-ready features, with attention to user experience, performance, and responsible AI practices.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:  

  • Bachelor's Degree in Statistics, Econometrics, Computer Science, Electrical or Computer Engineering, or related field AND 6+ years related experience (e.g., statistics, predictive analytics, research)
    • OR Master's Degree in Statistics, Econometrics, Computer Science, Electrical or Computer Engineering, or related field AND 4+ years related experience (e.g., statistics, predictive analytics, research)
    • OR Doctorate in Statistics, Econometrics, Computer Science, Electrical or Computer Engineering, or related field AND 3+ years related experience (e.g., statistics, predictive analytics, research)
    • OR equivalent experience.  

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Master's Degree in Statistics, Econometrics, Computer Science, Electrical or Computer Engineering, or related field AND 9+ years related experience (e.g., statistics, predictive analytics, research) OR Doctorate in Statistics, Econometrics, Computer Science, Electrical or Computer Engineering, or related field AND 6+ years related experience (e.g., statistics, predictive analytics, research)
    • OR equivalent experience.
    • 5+ years experience creating publications (e.g., patents, libraries, peer-reviewed academic papers).
    • 2+ years experience presenting at conferences or other events in the outside research/industry community as an invited speaker.
    • 5+ years experience conducting research as part of a research program (in academic or industry settings).
    • 3+ years experience developing and deploying live production systems, as part of a product team.
    • 3+ years experience developing and deploying products or systems at multiple points in the product cycle from ideation to shipping.



Applied Sciences 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 Statistics, Econometrics, Computer Science, Electrical or Computer Engineering, or related field AND 6+ years related experience OR Master's Degree AND 4+ years related experience OR Doctorate AND 3+ years related experience OR equivalent experience (experience examples: statistics, predictive analytics, research).
  • Master's Degree in Statistics, Econometrics, Computer Science, Electrical or Computer Engineering, or related field AND 9+ years related experience OR Doctorate AND 6+ years related experience OR equivalent experience.
  • 5+ years experience creating publications (e.g., patents, libraries, peer-reviewed academic papers).
  • 2+ years experience presenting at conferences or other events in the outside research/industry community as an invited speaker.
  • 5+ years experience conducting research as part of a research program (in academic or industry settings).
  • 3+ years experience developing and deploying live production systems, as part of a product team.
  • 3+ years experience developing and deploying products or systems at multiple points in the product cycle from ideation to shipping.

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.

  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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

Am I A Good Fit?
beta
Get Personalized Job Insights.
Our AI-powered fit analysis compares your resume with a job listing so you know if your skills & experience align.

The Company
HQ: Redmond, WA
206,870 Employees
Year Founded: 1975

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.

Similar Jobs

Expedia Group Logo Expedia Group

Development Engineer

AdTech • eCommerce • Information Technology • Software • Travel • Generative AI
Hybrid
Seattle, WA, USA
16000 Employees
185K-295K Annually

Expedia Group Logo Expedia Group

Senior CRM Production Specialist

AdTech • eCommerce • Information Technology • Software • Travel • Generative AI
Hybrid
Seattle, WA, USA
16000 Employees
83K-132K Annually

Expedia Group Logo Expedia Group

Principal Product Manager

AdTech • eCommerce • Information Technology • Software • Travel • Generative AI
Hybrid
Seattle, WA, USA
16000 Employees
224K-387K Annually

Expedia Group Logo Expedia Group

Scientist

AdTech • eCommerce • Information Technology • Software • Travel • Generative AI
Hybrid
Seattle, WA, USA
16000 Employees
173K-299K Annually

Similar Companies Hiring

Ford Energy Thumbnail
Automotive • Software • Energy • Utilities • Manufacturing • Renewable Energy
US
55 Employees
Revel Thumbnail
Aerospace • Hardware • Robotics • Software
Marina Del Rey, California
70 Employees
Blee Thumbnail
Artificial Intelligence • Marketing Tech • Software
New York, New York
30 Employees

Sign up now Access later

Create Free Account

Please log in or sign up to report this job.

Create Free Account