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This role pays more than
60%
of similar roles. Most pay
$168,987–$227,262
— the blue 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
636 open roles
on FindRole.
Listed pay typically runs
$119,800–$234,700
across 591 roles with salary data.
The Principal Hardware Engineer joins the Azure Memory & Storage Commodity Quality and Validation Engineering team to drive the Certified Device List qualification program. This role involves leading qualification and validation strategies for hard disk drives, solid state drives, and PCIe switches. You will design, develop, and automate test suites covering functionality, performance, reliability, and security while translating Microsoft, OCP, and platform requirements into comprehensive test procedures. Key responsibilities include analyzing fleet learnings, debugging failures in the lab, and partnering with suppliers to ensure compliance with quality standards. You will utilize expertise in SAS, SATA, NVMe, and PCIe protocols, alongside C/C++ for Windows or Linux driver debugging. The work focuses on ensuring storage and PCIe solutions meet rigorous reliability and performance requirements for cloud infrastructure.
What does a Hardware Engineer earn?
Median $174375 from 34 postings across 11 companies.
Translate Microsoft, OCP, security, and reliability requirements into comprehensive validation strategies and test plans for HDDs, SSDs, and PCIe switches.
Design, develop, and automate test suites covering functionality, performance, reliability, security, and fleet-specific scenarios.
Analyze fleet learnings and field incidents to identify coverage gaps and reproduce failures in the lab.
Partner with suppliers to review qualification results, debug failures, and drive root-cause analysis for corrective actions.
Validate storage and PCIe solutions across component, subsystem, and platform levels, including firmware and driver interactions.
Lead cross-functional technical discussions with architecture, firmware, and datacenter engineering teams to resolve complex hardware issues.
Drive qualification readiness for next-generation HDD, SSD, NVMe, and PCIe Switch technologies to meet Azure requirements.
What we're looking for
Master's Degree in Electrical, Computer, or Mechanical Engineering and 7+ years of technical engineering experience.
Bachelor's Degree in Electrical, Computer, or Mechanical Engineering and 8+ years of technical engineering experience.
Ability to meet Microsoft, customer, and/or government security screening requirements.
8+ years of experience with enterprise storage technologies including HDDs, SSDs, SAS, SATA, PCIe, or NVMe (preferred).
5+ years of experience leading development of validation strategies, qualification programs, or automated test frameworks for hardware (preferred).
Proven experience leading cross-functional technical initiatives and influencing product quality or engineering roadmaps (preferred).
Hands-on experience with server platforms, storage subsystems, and Windows/Linux driver or kernel development using C/C++ (preferred).
Understanding of SSD/HDD/PCIe architecture, fault modes, and firmware/host interactions (preferred).
Ethernet
SONiC
Linux
ASIC
SerDes
Signal Integrity
Silicon Photonics
SAI
Telemetry
Diagnostics
Firmware
System Validation
Distributed Systems
AI/ML Fabrics