The AI Infrastructure Engineering Systems team at Microsoft builds the cloud platform, engineering infrastructure, and developer systems that enable teams to develop, deploy, and operate AI services at scale. We create foundational capabilities spanning build and release systems, Kubernetes, networking, observability, infrastructure automation, security, and service lifecycle management. Working closely with AI researchers, product engineers, and hardware teams, we provide reliable and consistent paths from development to production. We are a multidisciplinary team of highly capable and motivated engineers with a collaborative and inclusive culture.
As a Principal Software Engineer - AI Infrastructure Engineering Systems on the AI Infra Engineering Systems team, you will design, implement, and ensure the quality of engineering platforms, developer tooling, and Azure integrations. This hands-on technical role covers architecture, design, implementation, testing, deployment, and production operations. Successful candidates will bring strong distributed-systems and cloud-platform experience, sound engineering judgment, and the ability to deliver reliable solutions for rapidly evolving AI workloads at scale.
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
- Apply sound engineering principles to design reliable, scalable, and maintainable platform systems
- Collaborate across infrastructure, security, networking, and service teams to improve end-to-end reliability
- Establish and promote coding, testing, observability, and operational-readiness standards
- Develop automation, services, and tools using Go, Python, Terraform, and other relevant technologies
- Define requirements, scope solutions, estimate work, and deliver improvements that reduce operational risk and increase service resilience
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
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 12+ years technical engineering experience with coding in languages including, but not limited to, C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, Python and Go.
- OR Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or related technical field AND 15+ years technical engineering experience with coding in languages including, but not limited to, C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, Python and Go.
- OR equivalent experience.
- Master'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, Python and Go.
#AIInfra
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
Software Engineering IC6 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $165,600 - $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:
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
- 6+ years technical engineering experience with coding in languages including C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, or Python (or equivalent experience)
- Strong distributed-systems and cloud-platform experience
- Experience with Kubernetes, networking, observability, infrastructure automation, security, and service lifecycle management
- Ability to pass Microsoft Cloud background check and required security screenings
- Experience developing automation, services, and tools using Go, Python, and Terraform
- Master's Degree in Computer Science and 12+ years technical engineering experience (preferred alternative qualification)
- Bachelor's Degree and 15+ years technical engineering experience (preferred alternative qualification)
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.








