Microsoft is a company where passionate innovators come together to collaborate, envision what is possible, and take their careers further. Our mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.
Microsoft's Data & AI organization is transforming how customers store, manage, analyze, and act on data through products including Microsoft Fabric, Azure SQL, Azure Cosmos DB, Azure Database for PostgreSQL, Azure Data Factory, Azure Synapse Analytics, and Power BI. Together, these platforms power mission-critical analytics, data-driven decision making, and a new generation of AI-powered applications.
Microsoft Fabric is building the next generation of analytics for the age of AI. Fabric Data Warehouse powers enterprise-scale workloads through a distributed query processing engine designed to deliver high performance, elasticity, reliability, and efficiency across massive data volumes.
The Fabric Data Warehouse Distributed Query Processing (DQP) team is hiring a Principal Software Engineer to help define the long-term technical vision and architecture of the DQP platform. In this role, you will drive the long-term strategy and evolution of core query processing technologies, with a special focus on Autonomous Workload Management. You will partner across engineering organizations to solve some of the most challenging problems in large-scale distributed systems, enabling analytics experiences that serve customers at cloud scale.
This role is ideal for a technical leader who combines deep systems expertise with strong architectural judgment and the ability to influence across organizational boundaries. You will help shape the future of query processing within Microsoft Fabric by driving innovation, mentoring engineers, and guiding the platform's evolution to meet the growing demands of data and AI workloads.
Responsibilities
Define and drive the long-term technical vision and architecture for the Fabric Data Warehouse Distributed Query Processing (DQP) platform, ensuring scalability, reliability, performance, and operational excellence at cloud scale.
Lead the design and evolution of core query processing technologies, including distributed execution, scheduling, resource management, workload isolation, and performance optimization.
Partner closely with engineering, product management, design, data science, and partner teams across Microsoft to deliver end-to-end solutions that connect customer needs with measurable business outcomes.
Identify and solve fundamental distributed systems problems involving scale, concurrency, fault tolerance, elasticity, efficiency, and service reliability.
Establish architectural standards, engineering best practices, and technical governance processes through design reviews, technical mentoring, and cross-team collaboration.
Influence the long-term platform strategy for personalized and collaborative analytics experiences, balancing customer value, scalability, security, and maintainability.
Mentor and develop senior engineers and technical leaders, fostering a culture of innovation, technical excellence, and customer obsession.
Lead complex cross-organizational initiatives, aligning stakeholders across multiple teams to deliver strategic capabilities that advance the Microsoft Fabric analytics platform.
Champion the use of AI-driven development practices, automation, and intelligent observability to improve engineering productivity, accelerate problem resolution, and enhance the health, reliability, and operational efficiency of the platform.
Embody our culture and values.
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.
Additional 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 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.
Strong distributed systems experience and understanding of scale, resiliency, and reliability patterns.
Strong AI-first mindset and growth orientation, with a passion for exploring new technologies and ways of working to improve engineering effectiveness and customer outcomes.
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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 a related technical field, or equivalent experience
- 6+ years of technical engineering experience with coding in languages including C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, or Python, or equivalent experience
- Ability to pass Microsoft's Cloud Background Check upon hire or transfer and every two years thereafter
- Master's degree in Computer Science or a related technical field and 8+ years of technical engineering experience, or bachelor's degree and 12+ years of experience, or equivalent experience
- Strong distributed systems experience and understanding of scale, resiliency, and reliability patterns
- AI-first mindset and growth orientation with interest in improving engineering effectiveness and customer outcomes
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.
