This role pays more than
62%
of similar roles. Most pay
$165,937–$229,337
— 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
598 open roles
on FindRole.
Listed pay typically runs
$119,800–$234,700
across 586 roles with salary data.
The Principal Security Architect joins the Cloud & AI organization to shape the future of Security Operations at the intersection of Identity, AI, and Security. In this role, you will collaborate with engineering and business stakeholders to identify emerging risks, assess technology trends, and translate strategic goals into scalable capabilities. You will be responsible for analyzing IAM and platform roadmaps, driving identity security strategy, threat modeling, and operational readiness. Specifically, you will develop security operations frameworks for AI-enabled systems and agentic workloads while identifying capability gaps to incubate new approaches. The role requires expertise in authentication, authorization, machine identities, and cloud-native technologies. You will navigate complex initiatives involving SIEM, threat analytics, and incident management to secure modern identity architectures and protect against evolving digital threats within a sophisticated technical environment.
Analyze IAM, platform, and AI roadmap investments to identify future security needs.
Drive identity security strategy, threat modeling, and operational readiness.
Develop security operations frameworks for AI-enabled systems and agentic workloads.
Identify capability gaps and incubate new security approaches.
Partner with engineering and security teams to influence long-term security direction.
Translate strategic goals into scalable security capabilities across modern identity architectures.
What we're looking for
A Doctorate, Master's, or Bachelor's degree in Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, or a related field is required.
Candidates must have 3+ years of experience with a Doctorate, 4+ with a Master's, or 6+ with a Bachelor's in relevant technical fields.
Experience must include software development lifecycle, large-scale computing, threat modeling, cyber security, and Security Operations Center (SOC) detection.
Candidates must be able to pass the Microsoft Cloud background check every two years.
Candidates must provide proof of citizenship or U.S. permanent residency for export control and government contract compliance.
Preferred experience includes Security Operations, Identity Security, or Cloud Security, specifically within Azure.
Experience securing AI systems, machine identities, and emerging cloud-native technologies is preferred.
Ability to influence without authority and navigate ambiguity to drive complex initiatives is required.
Microsoft Sentinel
Microsoft Purview
Microsoft Defender
Microsoft Entra
Azure
SIEM
XDR
Data Security
Endpoint Security
Cloud Security
Network Security
Hybrid Infrastructure
Security Architecture
CISSP
CCSP
Identity and Access Management
Entra
SIEM
Threat Modeling
Anomaly Detection
Cybersecurity
AI
Automation
Software Development Lifecycle
Data Science
Incident Response
Risk Assessment
Information Technology