Principal Software Engineer
Listed on Microsoft’s official careers site. Posted July 23, 2026. Check that it is still open and apply there.
Apply on Microsoft’s careers site →Job description
Drive technical strategy and execution across complex initiatives spanning distributed databases, storage systems, data protection, capacity planning, and next-generation platform modernization. Partner with engineers, product managers, security, compliance, and dependent service teams to define technical direction, resolve cross-system challenges, and translate business and customer needs into durable technical solutions.
Lead the design of AI-native systems and distributed storage architectures, applying modern engineering practices that leverage AI-assisted development for system design, implementation, testing, debugging, and operations. Establish technical standards and guardrails that ensure AI-enabled solutions remain secure, reliable, maintainable, and cost-efficient at hyperscale. Use telemetry, experimentation, and data-driven analysis to identify bottlenecks, improve service health, optimize resource utilization, and guide engineering investments and architectural decisions.
Lead live-site excellence by driving root-cause analysis, resiliency improvements, operational automation, incident prevention, and safe deployment practices for mission-critical services running at global scale. Mentor engineers and technical leaders across the organization, raise engineering standards, build shared technical judgment, and foster a culture of ownership, innovation, inclusion, and customer obsession. 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 These requirements include but are not limited to the following specialized security screenings: 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.
Deep expertise in distributed storage systems, databases, cloud infrastructure, and service architecture, including performance optimization, scalability, resiliency, data durability, and operational excellence at hyperscale. Experience designing and operating AI-native services and applying AI-assisted engineering practices across system design, development, testing, deployment, and operations while maintaining high standards for security, privacy, compliance, and reliability.
Demonstrated ability to lead through influence, drive cross-organizational technical strategy, mentor senior engineers, and make data-driven architectural decisions in complex, highly collaborative engineering environments.
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