Principal Software Engineer

The Microsoft Security Purview Team is looking for a passionate Principal Software Engineer to design, build, and operate high-throughput, multi-tenant Tier 0 services that customers depend on. In this role, you will shape the architecture and technical direction of secure, scalable, and highly reliable systems. You will anticipate failure modes, contain blast radius, evaluate complex tradeoffs, and establish engineering patterns that improve service health, maintainability, and operational efficiency.

You will combine hands-on engineering with broad technical leadership. This includes writing clean, well-factored, and thoroughly tested code; leading design reviews and complex live-site investigations; and driving systemic improvements that prevent recurring issues. You will collaborate across engineering, product, and partner teams to align dependencies, resolve ambiguity, and deliver durable solutions that scale beyond a single service or team.

You will also embrace an AI-first approach, both in the intelligent experiences we deliver and in how we design, build, test, operate, and continuously improve software. This opportunity is ideal for an engineer who brings strong technical judgment, thrives on solving complex distributed-systems challenges, and raises the engineering bar through influence, mentorship, and example.

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.

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

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

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.
• 3+ years of experience designing, building, shipping, and operating large-scale distributed or multi-tenant cloud services in production, including making architectural tradeoffs across scalability, reliability, security, performance, and cost.
• 2+ years of experience owning highly available production services, including on-call or live-site response, observability, root-cause analysis, and implementation of systemic improvements that prevent recurring incidents.
• 2+ years of experience delivering cloud-native services on Azure, AWS, or GCP using containerization, microservices, and orchestration technologies such as Kubernetes, with accountability for availability, latency, reliability, or cost objectives.

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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.