Microsoft Entra secures identities for billions of users - and, increasingly, for the AI agents acting on their behalf. Within Identity Security, the Conditional Access team owns the policy engine that decides, in real time on every sign-in, who gets access to what and under which conditions. It is the most consequential enforcement point in the Microsoft identity stack. We are now building the agentic layer on top of it: the Conditional Access Optimization Agent, an AI system that reasons over an organization's policies, surfaces gaps and risky configurations, and recommends and safely applies the changes that harden posture without breaking users.
We are hiring a Principal Software Engineer to set the technical direction for securing AI at Microsoft - both securing the agents we ship and using agents to secure our customers. It is a problem space that spans the Conditional Access policy engine, Identity Protection risk signals, and the emerging agent-identity platform, and the person in this role defines how those pieces fit together.
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.
#MSFTSecurity #AI #ConditionalAccess #GenAI #ZeroTrust
Responsibilities
- Writing high quality code, designing systems with AI and safety in mind, delivering high quality experiences to customers, willing to perform on call duties on a rotation basis to support the problem, able to work across teams and products to delivery One Microsoft experiences.
- Accelerating all parts of software lifecycle using AI.
Qualifications
Required Qualifications:
- Do you have a 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 background and Microsoft Cloud background check upon hire/transfer and every two years thereafter.
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 or equivalent experience
- Coding experience in languages such as C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, or Python
- Ability to meet Microsoft, customer and/or government security screening requirements (pass Microsoft Cloud Background Check)
- Willingness to perform on-call duties on a rotation basis
- Experience designing systems with AI and safety in mind and accelerating software lifecycle using AI
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.








