Principal Software Engineer

Reposted 3 Days Ago
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Redmond, WA, USA
In-Office
143K-304K Annually
Expert/Leader
Software • Quantum Computing • Metaverse • Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
The Role
Leads technical strategy and execution for complex software products, architecting secure, scalable distributed systems and guiding implementation across teams. Owns production health through observability, incident response, root-cause analysis, and reliability improvements. Drives technical direction, planning, risk management, and delivery predictability while mentoring senior engineers and influencing organization-wide architecture and engineering practices.
Summary Generated by Built In
Overview

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.


As part of Microsoft Security, our team builds and operates Microsoft Information Protection (MIP) capabilities that help organizations discover, classify, label, and protect sensitive data across Microsoft 365, endpoints, applications, and cloud environments. We deliver secure, scalable solutions that help customers protect critical information, meet compliance requirements, and reduce data loss risk in an increasingly AI-driven world. This role offers the opportunity to work on large-scale distributed systems, security and compliance technologies, and AI-powered data protection experiences used by millions of people worldwide. You will collaborate across product, security, and platform teams to deliver innovative capabilities that enable customers to adopt modern technologies securely and protect their most valuable assets. We foster an inclusive, high-accountability culture grounded in innovation, continuous learning, and a growth mindset.


Responsibilities
  • Lead end-to-end technical strategy and execution for large, complex, business-critical product areas by partnering with stakeholders to define vision, shape roadmaps, and deliver measurable customer and business outcomes.
  • Architect, design, and guide implementation of secure, scalable, resilient, high-performance distributed systems; set engineering standards and drive design/code quality through reviews, automation, and operational excellence.
  • Drive technical direction across teams by resolving ambiguous requirements, identifying cross-team dependencies, decomposing multi-quarter initiatives, and improving planning accuracy, risk management, and delivery predictability.
  • Own production health at scale by establishing observability strategy, leading incident response and root-cause analysis, and driving durable reliability, security, and performance improvements. Mentor and grow senior engineers, influence cross-organizational technical decisions, and foster a culture of continuous improvement, data-driven decision making, and engineering excellence.

Embody our culture and values  


Qualifications

Required/minimum 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. 

Qualifications - 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.

Preferred Qualifications

  • Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, or a related technical field, AND 8+ years of professional software engineering experience coding in one or more programming languages including C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, or Python, with demonstrated technical leadership delivering large-scale, mission-critical systems across multiple teams, OR equivalent experience.

Other Requirements:

  • 10+ years of software engineering experience, including technical leadership of large, cross-team initiatives from strategy through production operations.
  • Proven track record architecting and operating large-scale distributed/cloud services with strong reliability, security, and performance outcomes.
  • Demonstrated ability to influence at the organization level through technical vision, architecture governance, and executive-level communication.
  • Experience mentoring senior engineers and building engineering capability through design excellence, operational rigor, and continuous improvement practices.

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 such as C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, or Python, or equivalent experience
  • Ability to pass Microsoft, customer, and/or government security screening requirements, including the Microsoft Cloud Background Check
  • Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or a related technical field and 8+ years of professional software engineering experience, or equivalent experience
  • Demonstrated technical leadership delivering large-scale, mission-critical systems across multiple teams
  • 10+ years of software engineering experience, including technical leadership of large, cross-team initiatives from strategy through production operations
  • Experience architecting and operating large-scale distributed or cloud services with strong reliability, security, and performance outcomes
  • Ability to influence at the organization level through technical vision, architecture governance, and executive-level communication
  • Experience mentoring senior engineers and building engineering capability through design excellence, operational rigor, and continuous improvement

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.

  • Healthcare Strength — Medical, dental, and vision coverage is described as comprehensive, with U.S. plans covering preventive care at 100% and limiting annual out-of-pocket costs. Mental-health counseling, employee assistance, and wellbeing resources are also emphasized.
  • Parental & Family Support — Parental leave, family-caregiver leave, childcare assistance, and family concierge services are highlighted as core elements. These supports are presented alongside parenting and family-planning resources.
  • Leave & Time Off Breadth — Vacation, holidays, and flexible work schedules are emphasized, with generous time-away policies noted. Leave options extend beyond standard vacation to include caregiver and parental programs.

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The Company
HQ: Redmond, WA
206,870 Employees
Year Founded: 1975

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.

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