Microsoft Foundry is building the foundational platforms that power the next generation of intelligent agents and generative AI systems. Within CoreAI, the Foundry Agents organization is responsible for key ownership areas across the end‑to‑end agent lifecycle: (a) Foundry Agents platform to deploy and run agents securely at enterprise scale with seamless integration with governed tools, (b) model fine‑tuning to train and improve agentic performance, and (c) Foundry observability to generate insights from agentic traces and continuously evaluate and optimize agents.
As a senior engineer within Foundry Agents, you will help build and evolve large‑scale, cloud‑native systems that span the full lifecycle of advanced agentic applications — from secure enterprise deployment and governed tool integration, to fine‑tuning and training loops, to deep observability, evaluation, and optimization in production. Your work will directly shape how developers and enterprises build reliable, autonomous, and high‑impact AI agents.
You will operate at the intersection of distributed systems, AI infrastructure, and developer platforms, owning architectural decisions for complex systems that must meet the highest standards of performance, reliability, security, and compliance. This role requires deep technical judgment, strong systems thinking, and the ability to translate evolving customer, developer, and research needs into durable platform capabilities.
Responsibilities
Across the organization, you will:
Build and scale foundational services that power secure agent deployment and execution, governed tool integration, training/fine‑tuning, and observability/evaluation
Design and evolve distributed runtimes and cloud services to run agents securely at enterprise scale with strong reliability, security, and compliance guarantees
Improve iteration loops for researchers, engineers, and developers through better tooling, abstractions, and automation across fine‑tuning, evaluation, and optimization
Debug and optimize complex interactions across models, data, hardware, and infrastructure
Drive technical direction across the full software development lifecycle, influencing design tradeoffs and long‑term architecture
Champion operational excellence, secure‑by‑design practices, and responsible AI at scale
Collaborate closely with partner teams across CoreAI and Azure to deliver seamless, production‑ready platforms
As a senior technical voice, you will raise the engineering bar through strong design principles, rigorous reviews, mentorship, and influence across teams. Ultimately, your work will help define how intelligent agent systems are built, operated, and trusted — shaping how the world interacts with AI.
Microsoft’s mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. We bring that mission to life through a culture that values growth mindset, diverse perspectives, and continuous learning. Join us and help build the platforms that will define the future of AI‑powered software.
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, Python or equivalent experience.
- 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
- 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, or Python 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, or Python OR equivalent experience.
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 C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, or Python (or equivalent experience)
- Ability to meet Microsoft, customer and/or government security screening requirements
- Pass Microsoft Cloud background check upon hire/transfer and every two years
- Experience building distributed systems, cloud-native services, and AI infrastructure (deployment, runtime, observability, fine-tuning)
- Master's Degree in Computer Science AND 12+ years engineering experience OR Bachelor's Degree AND 15+ years engineering experience (or equivalent)
- Experience with secure-by-design practices, enterprise-scale reliability, and responsible AI at scale
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.
