Principal Applied Scientist

Microsoft

Hybrid

Quick summary

Work type: Hybrid
Location: San Francisco, CANew York, NY
Salary: $142,800–$274,800 / yr
Posted: 11 days ago
Closes: Dec 13, 2026
Nearby: 99+ roles within 25 mi

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Salary context

Competitive pay

How this pay compares to similar roles

Similar $198k

This role $209k

$127k most similar roles pay here $291k

This role pays more than 59% of similar roles. Most pay $162,000–$234,150 — the shaded band above. At the midpoint, this role pays about $209k versus about $198k for comparable roles.

Based on 240 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 622 open roles on FindRole.

Listed pay typically runs $119,800–$234,700 across 571 roles with salary data.

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At a glance

TL;DR · Principal Applied Scientist

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The Microsoft AI Web Data team seeks a Principal Applied Scientist to drive the development of next-generation platforms for Bing and Microsoft’s AI initiatives. This role involves advancing state-of-the-art modeling techniques for large-scale grounding and LLM training, operating systems that discover, fetch, process, understand, and store web content at internet scale. Key responsibilities include translating research into production solutions, collaborating with stakeholders to define technical direction, mentoring team members, documenting experiments, and fostering innovation through industry outreach and academic collaboration. The ideal candidate has 8+ years of experience in machine learning product development, hands-on expertise with deep learning frameworks like TensorFlow and PyTorch, and a strong background in areas such as LLM training, AI, data science, information retrieval, or NLP. Additionally, proficiency in Big Data technologies (Spark, MapReduce, Cosmos) and real-time systems is essential for addressing the complex challenges of web document processing and understanding at Microsoft’s scale.

Skills

TensorFlow PyTorch LLM training Artificial Intelligence Data Science Information Retrieval Machine Learning Natural Language Processing Big Data Spark MapReduce Cosmos Search Recommendations CI/CD

What you'll do

Develop deep expertise in AI research areas to shape product direction.
Translate research insights into strategic technical solutions for business impact.
Mentor junior team members and advocate for research initiatives within the company.
Document and communicate experimental results to accelerate innovation and define best practices.
Collaborate with partner teams to build a technical roadmap addressing shared needs.
Guide the development of new technologies that become production-ready solutions.

What we're looking for

8+ years of experience in product development using machine learning and related technologies
Hands-on experience developing algorithms and models with deep learning frameworks like TensorFlow and PyTorch
Active research in areas such as LLM training, AI, data science, information retrieval, or NLP
Solid understanding of web documents and web data processing concepts and challenges
Experience working with Big Data technologies (Spark, MapReduce, Cosmos) and Near Real-Time systems
Demonstrated ability to deliver measurable real-world impact through design and development

Hybrid

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