Principal Software Engineering Manager

Are you an experienced engineering leader with a passion for solving highly complex and ambiguous engineering challenges? Do you excel in collaborating with architects, program management, and data disciplines? Are you able to generate energy and help create clarity for the team that you lead? Do you have a proven track record of solving engineering problems partnering across multiple teams and organizations? If so, come and join us!

We are seeking a highly skilled and motivated Principal Software Engineering Manager to lead our Excel Chat team, part of the Excel Product Group. This team is responsible for developing new features and enhancing the data analysis scenarios for Excel Copilot Chat surface across Win32, Mac and Web platforms enhancing the functionality and user experience of Excel Copilot. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in software engineering, GenAI / LLMs, experience in managing cross-functional teams, and a passion for driving innovation in the extensibility space.

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.

Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor a team of engineers working on the development of Excel Copilot.
• Be the leader of a high performing, talented group of engineers and foster a diverse, inclusive, and result driven team culture.
• Model, coach, and care for employees and peers, helping everyone to bring their best self to work and enable their career growth.
• Drives and supports partnership with appropriate stakeholders (e.g., project manager, technical lead) to determine user requirements within teams.
• Drives identification of dependencies and the development of design documents for a product, application, service, or platform.
• Coaches others and acts as a Designated Responsible Individual (DRI) and guides other engineers across products, working on call to monitor system/product/service for degradation, downtime, or interruptions.
• Seeks new knowledge that will improve the availability, reliability, efficiency, observability, and performance of products while also driving consistency in monitoring and operations at scale and shares knowledge with other engineers.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, or related technical discipline AND 10+ years technical engineering experience with coding in languages including, but not limited to, C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, or Python
• 10+ years of experience in software design and development, with 1+ year of hands-on work in GenAI and a good understanding of Large Language Models (LLMs).
• Experience in managing highly complex, large scale software engineering projects with 2+ years people management experience.
• Demonstrated experience in collaborating with geographically distributed partner teams.
• 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:

• Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science
• 4+ years people management experience.
• OR related technical field AND 10+ 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 8+ years technical engineering experience with coding in languages including, but not limited to, C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, or Python
• OR equivalent experience.

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. 

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