About the team
The Windows Cloud Experiences team builds the Windows App, the unified client for connecting to Windows 365, Azure Virtual Desktop, and remote PCs. We create secure, reliable, and high performance client experiences that bring together native Windows capabilities and cloud-powered services across devices and form factors.
We are looking for a senior engineer who enjoys working close to the Windows platform and can turn complex operating-system, networking, identity, and remoting challenges into polished customer experiences. This role is centered on Windows client and platform engineering, not only surface-level user interface development.
About the role
As a Senior Software Engineer on Windows App, you will own important areas of the native Windows client from architecture through implementation, validation, release, and live-site support. You will work across application, platform, and service boundaries to make remote Windows experiences feel secure, responsive, dependable, and deeply integrated with the operating system.
You will join a collaborative, fast-moving team that values technical depth, customer focus, engineering craftsmanship, and end-to-end ownership. You will also help other engineers grow through design guidance, code reviews, debugging support, and mentoring.
Responsibilities
- Design, implement, and ship native Windows client features using modern C++, with C# used where appropriate, and integrate deeply with Win32, WinRT, COM, Windows services, and operating-system APIs.
- Own Windows App scenarios across resource discovery, connection setup, authentication, OS integration, reliability, and performance.
- Develop secure, scalable, and maintainable components that span processes, threads, services, client applications, and cloud-backed experiences.
- Diagnose complex problems using debuggers, dumps, traces, logs, and telemetry, including issues involving concurrency, memory, networking, latency, and operating-system integration.
- Drive features through the full engineering lifecycle: architecture, design, implementation, testing, deployment, experimentation, monitoring, and live-site response.
- Partner with Windows, Windows 365, Azure Virtual Desktop, identity, security, design, and product teams to deliver coherent end-to-end customer experiences.
- Raise the engineering bar for performance, reliability, accessibility, security, testability, and long-term maintainability.
- Mentor engineers, lead technical discussions, and create clarity in ambiguous or cross-team problem spaces.
Qualifications
Required/Minimum Qualifications:
- Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or related technical field AND 4+ 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.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Master'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++, or C#.
- OR 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.
- Production experience designing, implementing, debugging, and shipping software in modern C++; experience with C# is also valuable.
- Experience building native Windows applications, platform components, services, or other systems-level software.
- Strong software design, debugging, problem-solving, and performance-analysis skills.
- Demonstrated ability to drive complex features end to end and collaborate effectively across engineering disciplines and organizations.
- Clear written and verbal communication skills, s, with a record of mentoring or providing technical leadership to other engineers.
- Deep knowledge of Windows systems technologies such as Win32, WinRT, COM, RPC, Windows services, inter-process communication, and core Windows APIs.
- Experience with remote desktop, virtualization, or virtual desktop infrastructure technologies.
- Experience with networking, authentication, and identity in Windows clients, including Microsoft Entra ID, MSAL, or Web Account Manager.
- Experience debugging multi-process, multi-threaded, performance-critical native code, including memory, concurrency, latency, and reliability issues.
- Experience with Windows App SDK, WinUI, XAML, WebView2, MSIX, or related Windows client technologies.
- Experience building secure and accessible client software used at enterprise scale, supported by telemetry-driven development and live-site operations.
- Experience using AI-assisted engineering tools responsibly to improve development, testing, or debugging workflows.
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Software Engineering IC4 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $119,800 - $234,700 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 $160,200 - $261,000 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 and 4+ years of technical engineering experience with coding
- Equivalent experience may substitute for the degree and experience requirement
- Ability to pass the Microsoft Cloud Background Check upon hire or transfer and every two years thereafter
- Master's degree in Computer Science or a related technical field and 6+ years of technical engineering experience with coding
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or a related technical field and 8+ years of technical engineering experience with coding
- Production experience designing, implementing, debugging, and shipping software in modern C++
- Experience with C#
- Experience building native Windows applications, platform components, services, or systems-level software
- Strong software design, debugging, problem-solving, and performance-analysis skills
- Ability to drive complex features end to end and collaborate across engineering disciplines and organizations
- Clear written and verbal communication skills, with mentoring or technical leadership experience
- Deep knowledge of Win32, WinRT, COM, RPC, Windows services, inter-process communication, and core Windows APIs
- Experience with remote desktop, virtualization, or virtual desktop infrastructure technologies
- Experience with networking, authentication, and Windows client identity technologies including Microsoft Entra ID, MSAL, or Web Account Manager
- Experience debugging multi-process, multi-threaded, performance-critical native code involving memory, concurrency, latency, and reliability
- Experience with Windows App SDK, WinUI, XAML, WebView2, MSIX, or related Windows client technologies
- Experience building secure and accessible enterprise-scale client software using telemetry-driven development and live-site operations
- Experience using AI-assisted engineering tools responsibly
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.







