Are you interested in building and securing cloud‑scale software that protects some of the world’s most sensitive and mission‑critical environments? As a Software Engineer II in Microsoft’s Sovereign Cloud Security team, you’ll help design, deliver, and secure highly reliable services that underpin both internal security platforms and customer‑facing cloud offerings. Your work will directly contribute to protecting mission‑critical environments that demand the highest levels of trust, compliance, and operational excellence.
In this role, you’ll solve complex systems and security challenges in a fast-paced, agile setting. You’ll collaborate with experienced engineers to solve complex problems in software engineering, distributed systems, security engineering, and reliability, leveraging modern tools and engineering practices. This is an opportunity to grow your career in a position that demands rigorous engineering, robust operational excellence, and an obsession with security and reliability.
Responsibilities
Responsibilities:
• Design, implement, test, and maintain cloud‑scale services and platform components used in security‑critical and highly regulated environments.
• Build features and systems that support security, compliance, management, and reliability scenarios for both internal Microsoft platforms and customer‑facing services.
• Collaborate closely with partner teams such as security, operations, program management, and compliance to deliver end‑to‑end solutions.
• Investigate and resolve live‑site issues, contributing to strong operational excellence and service reliability.
• Participate in 24x7 on-call rotations to support service health, respond to incidents, and help restore service quickly and safely.
• Apply secure‑by‑design principles throughout the development lifecycle, including threat modeling and defense‑in‑depth practices.
• Demonstrate a growth mindset by learning new technologies, seeking feedback, and gradually taking on broader technical ownership.
Qualifications
Required Qualifications:
- Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or related technical field AND 2+ 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:
Security Clearance Requirements: Candidates must be able 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:
- The successful candidate must have an active U.S. Government Top Secret Clearance with access to Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) based on a Single Scope Background Investigation (SSBI) with Polygraph. Ability to meet Microsoft, customer and/or government security screening requirements are required pre-offer and post-hire for this role. Failure to maintain or obtain the appropriate U.S. Government clearance and/or customer screening requirements may result in employment action up to and including termination.
- Clearance Verification: This position requires successful verification of the stated security clearance to meet federal government customer requirements. You will be asked to provide clearance verification information prior to an offer of employment.
- Microsoft Cloud Background Check: This position will be required to pass the Microsoft Cloud background check upon hire/transfer and every two years thereafter.
- Citizenship & Citizenship Verification: This position requires verification of U.S. citizenship due to citizenship-based legal restrictions. Specifically, this position supports United States federal, state, and/or local United States government agency customer and is subject to certain citizenship-based restrictions where required or permitted by applicable law. To meet this legal requirement, citizenship will be verified via a valid passport, or other approved documents, or verified US government Clearance.
Preferred 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 Master's Degree in Computer Science or related technical field AND 2+ years technical engineering experience with coding in languages including, but not limited to, C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, or Python
- OR equivalent experience.
- Experience building and supporting large-scale production services, including logging, monitoring, alerting, and ensuring reliability and availability.
- Hands-on experience with DevOps systems, including source code management, CI/CD pipelines, and code review tools.
- Strong debugging skills and ability to solve issues across operating systems, applications, and cloud environments.
- Familiarity with cloud computing, virtual machines, and networking.
- Experience with security disciplines such as event collection, monitoring, detection engineering, or vulnerability management in cloud environments.
- Excellent communication skills and proven ability to collaborate with multidisciplinary teams, including Software Engineers, Program Managers, and Data Scientists. Experience building and supporting large-scale production services, including logging, monitoring, alerting, and ensuring reliability and availability.
Software Engineering IC3 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $102,100 - $202,200 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 $133,800 - $219,200 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 OR equivalent experience
- 2+ years technical engineering experience with coding in C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, or Python OR equivalent experience
- Active U.S. Government Top Secret Clearance with access to Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) based on a Single Scope Background Investigation (SSBI) with Polygraph
- Ability to meet Microsoft Cloud background check requirements (pass upon hire/transfer and every two years)
- U.S. citizenship verification (must provide valid passport or approved documents)
- Experience building and supporting large-scale production services, including logging, monitoring, alerting, reliability and availability
- Hands-on experience with DevOps systems, source code management, CI/CD pipelines, and code review tools
- Familiarity with cloud computing, virtual machines, and networking
- Experience with security disciplines such as event collection, monitoring, detection engineering, or vulnerability management
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
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