This role pays more than
60%
of similar roles. Most pay
$174,600–$231,000
— the shaded band above.
At the midpoint, this role pays about
$209k
versus about
$203k
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.
As a Principal Software Engineer, Content Engineering, you will join the MSN organization to lead the evolution of Windows 11 Widgets and next-generation intelligent content experiences. You will define technical strategy and architecture across client, service, and platform investments to deliver performant, reliable features for users. Your daily work involves designing and developing large-scale Windows applications, dashboard experiences, and content surfaces while partnering with Windows engineering teams to ensure seamless integration. The role requires expertise in C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, or Python, along with experience in TypeScript, modern web technologies, and performance engineering. You will solve complex problems regarding startup performance, reliability, and accessibility for consumer-facing experiences. Key responsibilities include conducting architecture reviews, mentoring engineers, and using telemetry and experimentation to guide product investments within the Windows ecosystem.
What does a Software Engineer earn in Washington?
Median $202800 from 326 postings across 28 companies.
Define technical strategy and architecture for Windows Widgets, dashboard experiences, and supporting platform components.
Lead the design and development of large-scale Windows and MSN experiences focused on reliability and performance.
Translate business objectives and customer needs into scalable technical solutions.
Use data and experimentation to guide product investments and measure customer impact.
Drive end-to-end execution across multiple teams to deliver complex, high-priority initiatives.
Influence engineering excellence through architecture reviews, design discussions, and code reviews.
Champion best practices for quality, operational excellence, accessibility, privacy, and security.
What we're looking for
Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field and 6+ years of technical engineering experience in languages like C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, or Python.
Master's degree in Computer Science or related field and 8+ years of technical engineering experience in relevant programming languages.
Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field and 12+ years of technical engineering experience in relevant programming languages.
10+ years of software engineering experience building and shipping large-scale products or services.
Proven track record of architecting, designing, and delivering complex, high-performance, and reliable systems at scale.
Experience developing Windows applications, shell experiences, or client-side experiences integrated with Windows platform capabilities.
Demonstrated technical leadership in driving strategy, architecture reviews, and cross-organizational initiatives.
Expertise in modern web technologies, performance engineering, and using data/telemetry to guide product decisions.
C
C++
C#
Java
JavaScript
Python
Azure Virtual Desktop
Windows 365
client-engineering
Test Automation
Performance Measurement
Observability
Monitoring
Diagnostics
C
C++
C#
Java
JavaScript
Python
Microservices
API Design
Distributed Systems
Database Design
Telemetry
Data Structures
Algorithms
ChatGPT
Claude
Machine Learning
AI
C
C++
C#
Java
JavaScript
Python
Azure
Distributed Systems
Microservices
GitHub Copilot
Caching Technologies
Databases
Service Reliability Engineering
System Design
Telemetry
Web Technologies