Are you passionate about Windows apps and the developer ecosystem? Do you have a deep understanding of what it takes to build, publish, and grow successful apps? Are you excited about working at the intersection of product strategy, developer engagement, and platform innovation?
The Microsoft Store team is seeking a Principal Software Engineer to grow the Windows developer ecosystem and increase the number of high-quality applications on Windows and in the Microsoft Store. As a member of the Microsoft Store leadership team, you will define and execute our developer and independent software vendor (ISV) engagement strategy.
You will work with developers, strategic partners, and Microsoft engineering teams to strengthen the app ecosystem, remove barriers to adoption, bring innovation through AI, influence platform capabilities, and help developers succeed on Windows.
You will also apply your technical expertise to guide application architecture and identify opportunities for new services, Software Development Kits (SDKs), Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), and tools. Where needed, you will lead or contribute directly to the design and development of these capabilities.
At Microsoft, our mission—to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more—guides how we partner with customers to deliver trusted, impactful solutions. With a growth mindset culture, we innovate responsibly and measure success by shared progress—people, teams, and customers. Join us to do meaningful work that changes the world and helps shape what’s next for everyone.
Responsibilities
- Build trusted relationships with developers, ISVs, and Microsoft product teams, helping them publish and grow successful applications on Windows.
- Lead complex technical engagements across application architecture, distribution, commerce, analytics, and lifecycle management.
- Design and build developer-facing services, SDKs, APIs, and tooling that simplify app development, increase platform adoption, and help developers succeed on Windows.
- Represent the voice of the developer ecosystem by translating customer feedback, market trends, and industry insights into platform strategy, product investments, and roadmap priorities.
- Own ambiguous, cross-team initiatives from discovery and technical strategy through implementation, launch, and measurement, creating clarity across organizational boundaries and ensuring solutions meet high standards for quality, security, reliability, and maintainability.
- Define success measures for developer engagements and platform initiatives, use feedback and data to evaluate outcomes, and apply those learnings to improve future investments and developer experiences.
Qualifications
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor'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 equivalent experience.
Preferred Qualifications:
- 10+ years of experience in Windows Application development.
- Experience with cross platform app development or mobile app development.
- Experience submitting apps to the Microsoft Store, and a deep understanding of Windows app development and related tools.
- Experience leading technical projects end-to-end.
- Experience working with engineering systems tooling, build tooling, and software release branch management.
- Effective communication and collaboration skills to work effectively with multiple internal and external executive stakeholders.
- Demonstrated ability to advocate for developer communities and drive engagement across diverse developer ecosystems.
- Ability to work with teams which are globally distributed across time zones.
- Long term strategic thinking and solid problem-solving skills.
- Leadership skills to foster a culture of innovation and high performance.
#W+DJOBS
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 AND 8+ years technical engineering experience OR equivalent experience
- Proficient coding experience in languages including C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, or Python
- 10+ years of Windows application development experience
- Experience with cross-platform or mobile app development
- Experience submitting apps to the Microsoft Store and deep understanding of Windows app development tools
- Experience leading technical projects end-to-end
- Experience with engineering systems tooling, build tooling, and software release branch management
- Effective communication and collaboration with internal and external executive stakeholders
- Proven ability to advocate for developer communities and drive engagement
- Ability to work with globally distributed teams across time zones
- Strategic thinking, problem-solving, and leadership to foster innovation and high performance
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.
