Principal Sourcing Engineer

Microsoft’s Cloud business is expanding, and the Cloud Supply Chain (CSCP) organization is responsible for enabling the hardware infrastructure underlying this growth including AI! CSCP’s vision is to empower customers to achieve more by delivering Cloud and AI capabilities at scale. Our mission is to deliver the world's computer with an industry-leading supply chain. The CSCP organization is responsible for traditional supply chain functions such as plan, source, make, deliver, but also manages supportability (spares), sustainability, and decommissioning of datacenter assets worldwide. We deliver the core infrastructure and foundational technologies for Microsoft's over 200 online businesses including Bing, MSN, Office 365, Xbox Live, OneDrive and the Microsoft Azure platform for external customers. Our infrastructure is supported by more than 300 datacenters around the world that enable services for more than 1 billion customers in over 90 countries.

The Cloud Sourcing, Spares, Security and Sustainability (CS4) organization within CSCP manages sourcing, strategy, and suppliers to provide cost, flexibility, and supply advantages that enable our org to become a world-class supply chain. Well-defined and executed sourcing and supply chain management ensures reliable, on-time performance and optimized cost, prevents urgent and unplanned investments, and provides accurate and timely information across the supply base and internally across the infrastructure organization. Our focus is on smart growth, high efficiency, and delivering a trusted experience to customers and partners worldwide. 

Responsibilities

Market & Strategy Development 

• Research markets, competitors, and industry trends to inform and develop multi-year sourcing strategies for SSD.
• Set savings targets across managed categories and share expertise in markets, competitors, and technologies.

Supplier Analysis & Strategy Execution 

• Analyze supplier pricing, cost structures, capabilities, and capacity to shape sourcing strategies.
• Develop, maintain, and execute multi-year sourcing strategies to ensure advantaged cost, continuity of supply, and achievement of quality, sustainability, and repairability goals.

Risk Management 

• Ensure supply chains are resilient to disruptions by proactively developing and implementing mitigation plans for risks such as manufacturing, geopolitical, seasonal, or financial challenges.

Negotiation & Supplier Engagement 

• Lead contract and price negotiations for the SSD category, collaborating cross-functionally to meet price, capacity, and strategic business needs.
• Serve as Microsoft’s central point of contact for SSD suppliers to drive innovation and operational excellence.

Cross-Functional Collaboration 

• Facilitate early engagement with cross-functional leadership—including product design, quality, and business teams—to determine sourcing requirements.
• Evaluate end-to-end supply chain operations, market conditions, and sourcing data to inform cross-functional decision-making and ensure continuous supply.

Technology & Innovation Influence 

• Recommend and influence adoption of new technologies, materials, or components based on supply availability, supplier capability, industry trends, and business impact.

Governance & Issue Resolution 

• Manage internal and external cross-functional partnerships, define processes and governance for supplier relationships, and serve as a point of escalation to resolve supply issues and ensure continuity.

Budget & Investment Alignment 

• Make and deliver on budget commitments, leveraging technical expertise to guide investment decisions and extend the life of existing assets in alignment with short- and long-term supply needs.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

• Master's degree in Business, Supply Chain Management, Engineering, Materials Science, or related field AND 6+ years experience in procurement, supply chain, sourcing, engineering, operations, or relevant sales-related roles
  • OR Bachelor's degree in Business, Supply Chain Management, Engineering, Materials Science, or related field AND 8+ years experience in procurement, supply chain, sourcing, engineering, operations, or relevant sales-related roles
  • OR equivalent experience.
• 8+ years of experience of SSD technologies, NAND market dynamics, and supplier ecosystems (e.g., TLC vs QLC, Gen4 vs Gen5 PCIe interfaces).
• 8+ years of experienc representing a team in strategic forums and simplifying complex issues for executive stakeholders.
• 8+ years of experience in managing supplier/customer relationships and resolving escalations to ensure continuity of supply.

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:

• Doctorate in Business, Supply Chain Management, Engineering, Materials Science, or related field AND 5+ years experience in procurement, supply chain, sourcing, engineering, operations, or relevant sales-related roles
  • OR Master's degree in Business, Supply Chain Management, Engineering, Materials Science, or related field AND 8+ years experience in procurement, supply chain, sourcing, engineering, operations, or relevant sales-related roles
  • OR Bachelor's degree in Business, Supply Chain Management, Engineering, Materials Science, or related field AND 12+ years experience in procurement, supply chain, sourcing, engineering, operations, or relevant sales-related roles
  • OR equivalent experience.
• Experience with qualification processes such as AQL, SKU Qual, EG node-level qual, and scale testing.
• Familiarity with BOM management, supplier performance metrics, and SSD lifecycle planning.
• Proven ability to lead multi-year sourcing strategies and multi-sourcing initiatives.
• Proven analytical skills to evaluate supplier pricing, cost structures, and capacity constraints.
• Ability to synthesize complex data and market signals to influence sourcing strategy and investment decisions.
• Demonstrated success in leading engagements across product design, quality, finance, and business teams.
• Experience driving alignment across engineering, finance, and leadership for strategic sourcing initiatives.
• Recognized as a subject matter expert in SSD sourcing, influencing product, culture, and business outcomes.
• Ability to manage supply continuity through proactive risk mitigation and supplier engagement.
• Operates with high autonomy, often leading feature crews or strategic sourcing initiatives.
• Demonstrates leadership-by-example, mentoring others and defining team processes and culture.

Sourcing Engineering IC5 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $139,900 - $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

Microsoft will accept applications for the role until August 28, 2025.

 

Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations and ordinances.  We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application or the recruiting process, please send a request via the Accommodation request form.

 

Benefits/perks listed below may vary depending on the nature of your employment with Microsoft and the country where you work.