Principal Security Engineer

Microsoft

Quick summary

Work type: On-site
Location: Redmond, WA
Salary: $142,800–$274,800 / yr
Posted: 31 days ago
Closes: Nov 23, 2026
Nearby: 99+ roles within 25 mi

Market check

Salary context

Above market

How this pay compares to similar roles

Similar $184k

This role $209k

$122k most similar roles pay here $291k

This role pays more than 72% of similar roles. Most pay $151,436–$216,262 — the shaded band above. At the midpoint, this role pays about $209k versus about $184k 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 694 open roles on FindRole.

Listed pay typically runs $119,800–$234,700 across 636 roles with salary data.

Most-posted roles

View all roles at Microsoft

At a glance

TL;DR · Principal Security Engineer

Role Posting Log in to save

The IAMProtect team at Microsoft seeks a Principal Security Engineer, an experienced systems architect responsible for identifying critical security risks in cloud services and translating them into actionable mitigation plans. This hands-on role involves designing robust security architectures, defining scalable policies, and partnering with engineering teams to implement durable controls in production environments. The ideal candidate will establish proof mechanisms to ensure continuous effectiveness of security measures and produce clear technical documentation to facilitate adoption across the organization. Required qualifications include a relevant advanced degree combined with extensive experience in software development lifecycle, threat modeling, and large-scale computing. Preferred candidates have deep expertise in identity and access management, policy enforcement, and building scalable security platforms. This role addresses significant business challenges by enhancing Microsoft’s cloud security posture through rigorous risk assessment and proactive control implementation.

Skills

Azure Kubernetes Terraform Python Go Docker CI/CD Prometheus Grafana RBAC ABAC SIEM PostgreSQL MongoDB GitOps

What you'll do

Identify critical security risks and develop prioritized mitigation plans.
Design enforceable security architectures and isolation patterns for cloud services.
Define scalable security policies with phased rollouts and validation strategies.
Partner with engineering teams to implement durable production controls.
Establish proof mechanisms to measure effectiveness and detect drift in controls.

What we're looking for

Doctorate in a relevant field plus 3+ years of experience, or equivalent.
Master's degree plus 4+ years of experience in software development and cybersecurity.
Bachelor's degree plus 6+ years of experience in large-scale computing and threat modeling.
Strong technical expertise in identity and access management principles.
Experience designing and implementing enforceable security controls in production.
Proven ability to communicate effectively with senior stakeholders and drive decisions.
Familiarity with compliance-constrained cloud environments and maintaining security posture.

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