As a Principal Software Engineer on the Azure Host Networking team, you will lead the development of high-speed software-defined networking capabilities using technologies like SRIOV, DPDK, Linux network acceleration, RDMA, and containers. Your day-to-day responsibilities include collaborating with stakeholders to define user requirements, developing design documents, mentoring engineers, and ensuring system reliability through on-call monitoring. You will work with state-of-the-art hardware accelerators to build scalable SDN solutions for diverse industries such as finance and AI, requiring expertise in C/C++, Linux networking stack internals, and performance optimization of systems software. This role demands a deep understanding of kernel technologies, network systems, and experience working with Windows Server OS or similar environments, offering opportunities for technical leadership and innovation in cloud-scale infrastructure.
Skills
C
C++
Linux
Windows Server OS
DPDK
SRIOV
RDMA
Containers
Performance Optimization
System Software
High-Performance Networking
Cloud-Scale Solutions
Collaboration
Technical Leadership
Innovation
Monitoring
Observability
Automation
CI/CD
What you'll do
Leads the development of design documents for high-speed SDN solutions on Azure.
Develops platform drivers and manages hardware to support network acceleration up to 400 Gbps.
Implements software-defined networking capabilities using SRIOV, DPDK, Linux network acceleration, RDMA, and containers.
Mentors engineers and provides technical leadership in building reliable, high-performance cloud-scale SDN solutions.
Collaborates with stakeholders to drive project plans, release schedules, and work items for multiple groups.
What we're looking for
Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or related field with 6+ years of technical engineering experience in coding (C/C++).
5+ years of hands-on experience with Windows Server OS or Linux networking stack internals.
5+ years of expertise in performance optimization of systems software.
Experience leading the development and mentoring engineers to produce maintainable code across products.
Proactive approach to learning new trends, technical solutions, and patterns for improving product efficiency and reliability.
Market check
Salary context
This
$139,900–$274,800
range sits above
65%
of similar postings on FindRole.
Peer median band
$119,900–$234,000
Median floor and ceiling across peers.
Typical midpoint (25–75%)
$154,287–$214,500
Middle half of comparable postings.
Based on 240 comparable postings.*
* 240 is the maximum number of comparable postings sampled.
Employer
About Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is a global technology leader producing software, hardware, and cloud services including Windows, Office 365, Azure cloud platform, Xbox gaming, and Surface devices. Industry: Software & Cloud Computing
Microsoft currently has
451 open roles
on FindRole.
Listed pay typically runs
$119,800–$234,700
across 417 roles with salary data.