This role pays more than
51%
of similar roles. Most pay
$178,000–$247,000
— the shaded band above.
At the midpoint, this role pays about
$209k
versus about
$212k
for comparable roles.
Based on 239 similar postings.
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
633 open roles
on FindRole.
Listed pay typically runs
$119,800–$234,700
across 621 roles with salary data.
The Principal AI Network Technical Lead joins the Cloud Hardware Systems Engineering team to lead the development of Microsoft's next-generation AI scale-up switch platforms. This role involves owning the end-to-end lifecycle of network switches, including requirements, vendor selection, and hardware design involving ASICs, SerDes, retimers, and optical interconnect technologies like OCI, XPO, and CPO. The individual will manage technical engagement with ODMs and JDMs while collaborating with software teams on SONiC, telemetry, and fleet management. Key responsibilities include driving system-level optimizations for performance, reliability, and manufacturability across AI clusters and compute racks. The role requires expertise in Ethernet switching, RDMA/RoCE, high-speed interconnects, and large-scale system architecture to solve complex infrastructure challenges. Candidates must possess deep knowledge of hardware, firmware, and software integration within the context of high-performance networking for AI workloads.
Manage end-to-end development, validation, deployment, and sustaining of AI scale-up switch platforms.
Define network switch requirements, specifications, and technical decisions based on AI workload demands.
Lead vendor selection processes including RFIs, RFQs, RFPs, and technical evaluations for hardware suppliers.
Oversee switch hardware components including ASICs, SerDes, retimers, mechanical design, and power systems.
Drive the development of next-generation optical scale-up solutions and fiber management technologies.
Collaborate with software teams on SONiC, control plane, telemetry, and operational readiness.
Lead switch bring-up, validation, system integration, and production readiness activities.
Optimize system performance across reliability, serviceability, manufacturability, power, and cost.
What we're looking for
Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field and 7+ years of technical engineering experience.
Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field and 8+ years of technical engineering experience.
Ability to pass the Microsoft Cloud Background Check.
Must provide proof of citizenship or U.S. permanent residency for export control eligibility.
10+ years of experience in networking, AI infrastructure, or large-scale system architecture (preferred).
10+ years of experience in system level design and implementation across the hardware development lifecycle (preferred).
10+ years of hands-on experience in server hardware architecture, design, and development with knowledge of firmware and OS (preferred).
Experience delivering AI/GPU systems to production or developing high-performance network switches and hyperscale networking solutions (preferred).
RDMA
RoCE
TCP/IP
UDP
SONiC
Linux Networking
Ethernet
SmartNICs
DPUs
High-Speed SerDes
Packet Analysis
Telemetry
Azure
Distributed Training
Collective Communication
Congestion Control
QoS
Artificial Intelligence
Large Language Models
LLM
Agentic AI
IAM
Data Protection
DLP
SIEM
SOAR
Red Teaming
NIST AI RMF
ISO/IEC 42001
OWASP Top 10 for LLM Applications
MITRE ATLAS
Agile
Scrum
Waterfall
Azure DevOps
Clarity PPM
MS Project
Microsoft Office 365
AWS
Azure