We are the Store Database Team within Microsoft’s Substrate Storage Fabric—the core platform that fuels Microsoft 365 experiences, from Outlook and Teams to the latest AI-powered Copilot innovations.
The Store Database team builds and operates the core data infrastructure that powers Microsoft’s cloud-scale storage systems. We design and deliver highly available, performant, and scalable database solutions that support mission-critical workloads across the Substrate Platform. Our technology underpins key scenarios fundamental to Microsoft—including AI and Copilot experiences—by ensuring reliable, efficient, and consistent access to data at massive scale.
We are looking for a Principal Software Engineer with deep experience and expertise in building and shipping ultra high scale storage and data access solutions.
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
- Lead architecture, design, and delivery of large-scale storage platform capabilities that power Microsoft 365 data services, driving improvements in scalability, reliability, performance, and storage efficiency.
- Drive technical strategy and execution across complex initiatives spanning distributed databases, storage systems, data protection, capacity planning, and next-generation platform modernization.
- Partner with engineers, product managers, security, compliance, and dependent service teams to define technical direction, resolve cross-system challenges, and translate business and customer needs into durable technical solutions.
- Lead the design of AI-native systems and distributed storage architectures, applying modern engineering practices that leverage AI-assisted development for system design, implementation, testing, debugging, and operations.
- Establish technical standards and guardrails that ensure AI-enabled solutions remain secure, reliable, maintainable, and cost-efficient at hyperscale.
- Use telemetry, experimentation, and data-driven analysis to identify bottlenecks, improve service health, optimize resource utilization, and guide engineering investments and architectural decisions.
- Lead live-site excellence by driving root-cause analysis, resiliency improvements, operational automation, incident prevention, and safe deployment practices for mission-critical services running at global scale.
- Mentor engineers and technical leaders across the organization, raise engineering standards, build shared technical judgment, and foster a culture of ownership, innovation, inclusion, and customer obsession.
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.
- 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.
- Deep expertise in distributed storage systems, databases, cloud infrastructure, and service architecture, including performance optimization, scalability, resiliency, data durability, and operational excellence at hyperscale.
- Experience designing and operating AI-native services and applying AI-assisted engineering practices across system design, development, testing, deployment, and operations while maintaining high standards for security, privacy, compliance, and reliability.
- Demonstrated ability to lead through influence, drive cross-organizational technical strategy, mentor senior engineers, and make data-driven architectural decisions in complex, highly collaborative engineering environments.
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 C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, or Python, or equivalent experience.
- Ability to meet Microsoft, customer and/or government security screening requirements (Microsoft Cloud background check required and recurring).
- Master's Degree in Computer Science or related field AND 8+ years technical engineering experience, OR Bachelor's Degree AND 12+ years technical engineering experience, or equivalent.
- Deep expertise in distributed storage systems, databases, cloud infrastructure, performance optimization, resiliency, data durability, and operational excellence at hyperscale.
- Experience designing and operating AI-native services and applying AI-assisted engineering practices while maintaining security, privacy, compliance, and reliability.
- Demonstrated ability to lead through influence, drive cross-organizational technical strategy, mentor senior engineers, and make data-driven architectural decisions.
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
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.
