Principal Software Development Engineer | Microsoft Careers

Microsoft

Actively hiring

WA Posted 64 days ago Apply by Sep 26, 2026 $139,900–$274,800 / year

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At a glance

AI generated

TL;DR

As a Principal Software Engineer at Microsoft Surface Devices, you will lead a diverse team to develop high-quality embedded firmware for cutting-edge Windows-based devices. Your day-to-day responsibilities include designing, implementing, and testing systems-level firmware, collaborating with hardware engineers, system architects, and the Windows OS teams to ensure end-to-end optimization. You will drive performance enhancements and stability improvements while aligning with company roadmaps and working closely with industry partners such as IHVs and Microcontroller suppliers. The role requires expertise in Rust programming, embedded development, cryptographic algorithms, and a deep understanding of software lifecycle management in a device-centric environment. This position is integral to delivering innovative, secure, and reliable devices that customers trust daily.

Skills

Rust C C++ Python Git Jenkins Azure CI/CD MVP UWP Windows MCU TLS SSH AES DES RSA ECDSA HMAC SHA256 CRC32

What you'll do

Design, implement, test, and support systems-level firmware on modern Windows-based devices.
Lead a diverse engineering team through the Software Development Life Cycle to ship hardware products.
Drive performance and stability enhancements for device experiences aligned with company roadmaps.
Collaborate with system architects, IHVs, and OS teams to deliver an optimized firmware platform.
Work closely with industry partners on topics related to system design and firmware implementation.

What we're looking for

5+ years of experience in software or hardware product development.
Proficiency with Rust programming language and embedded Rust development.
Expertise in cryptographic algorithms and security protocols.
Deep understanding of the software lifecycle in device development.
Experience leading a team through the Software Development Life cycle.
Background in debugging hardware devices and implementing systems-level firmware.

Market check

Salary context

Competitive pay

How this pay compares to similar roles

Similar $196k

This role $207k

$124k most similar roles pay here $291k

This role pays more than 62% of similar roles. Most pay $177,250–$214,500 — the shaded band above. At the midpoint, this role pays about $207k versus about $196k 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

US 48 days ago $163,000–$296,400

CUDA TensorRT Triton PyTorch Nsight Azure H100 A100 LLM SLM MoE Model Compression Quantization Distillation SVD Low-Rank Methods Continuous Batching KV-Cache Optimizations Routing DLIS Talon

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