Principal Software Engineer

Now more than ever, we live in an age where AI and Cloud Services are empowering people around the world to achieve more. Behind these innovative services exists a critical infrastructure that is bringing them to life. The Search & AI Platform is building that foundation which makes Bing and Copilot possible on a global scale. Our product is impacting individual's lives in scenarios such as Web Search, AI chat, AI grounding, and local deal finding.

As a Principal Software Engineer on the Search & AI Platform team you will be collaborating in building the deep learning inferencing system using in-house and open-source technologies, and working on performance analysis, key components scaling up, distributed system debugging, and new feature/algorithm development. You will be hands-on in a massively scaled and distributed system, and a wide range of CPU and GPU hardware.

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.

Starting January 26, 2026, MAI employees are expected to work from a designated Microsoft office at least four days a week if they live within 50 miles (U.S.) or 25 miles (non-U.S., country-specific) of that location. This expectation is subject to local law and may vary by jurisdiction. 

Responsibilities

• Ship high-quality, well-tested, secure, and maintainable code.
• Work collaboratively and communicate effectively with engineering, data scientists and product teams.
• Design, and develop large scale distributed software services and solutions in collaboration with teammates.
• Design services with a solid focus on high availability and scalability, robustness, and observability.
• Take end-to-end responsibility for the development, observability, quality, testing, and production readiness of the services you build.
• Design the system at scale for scenarios and canvases to be supported.
• Iterate the service capabilities as new requirements emerge with service rolled out.
• Embody our Culture and Values.

Qualifications

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.
• 6+ years of experience on distributed systems (e.g., communication optimization, network architecture design, network programming).
• 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:

• 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.
• Experience on distributed systems (e.g., communication optimization, network architecture design, network programming).
• 8+ years of experience on high performance computing (e.g., cache/memory optimization, high-performance GPU programming, compiler-based optimization, fine-grained parallel library and runtime) or distributed systems (e.g., communication optimization, network architecture design, network programming).
• Experience on deep learning model and large language model (LLM) serving. Experience on performance analysis and optimization for both CPUs and GPUs, as well as good understanding on software-hardware codesign.
• 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.

Software 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 October 17, 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.

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