Principal Software Engineer

Microsoft

Confirmed live yesterday High trust

Hybrid

Quick summary

Work type: Hybrid
Location: —
Salary: $142,800–$274,800 / yr
Posted: 10 days ago
Freshness: Confirmed live yesterday
Closes: Mar 20, 2027

Market check

Salary context

Competitive pay

How this pay compares to similar roles

Similar $200k

This role $209k

$127k most similar roles pay here $291k

This role pays more than 62% of similar roles. Most pay $174,600–$226,350 — the shaded band above. At the midpoint, this role pays about $209k versus about $200k 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 518 open roles on FindRole.

Listed pay typically runs $119,800–$234,700 across 505 roles with salary data.

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At a glance

TL;DR · Principal Software Engineer

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As a Principal Software Engineer on the Privileged Access Control team within Identity & Network Access, you will provide technical leadership across the privileged-access ecosystem. You will design and develop features for large-scale, distributed software services while expanding governance and provisioning products for human and non-human identities. Your daily work involves building modular, secure, and reliable components using AI-assisted development methods, participating in code reviews, and utilizing data and telemetry to inform engineering decisions. The role requires proficiency in C, C++, C#, Java, or Python, with a preference for experience in C# and architecting high-scale distributed systems. You will solve critical security problems by replacing standing privileges with policy-driven, time-bound access to protect high-value production environments. This position sits at the intersection of identity, security, authorization, distributed systems, and platform engineering.

What does a Software Engineer earn?

Median $195000 from 1914 postings across 140 companies.

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Skills

C# Python C++ C Distributed Systems Privileged Access Management Authorization Security Backend Services Telemetry AI-assisted Development Platform Engineering

What you'll do

Design and develop features for large-scale, distributed software services using AI-assisted development methods.
Shape the architecture of highly available security services across the privileged-access ecosystem.
Expand the scope of governance and provisioning products for human and non-human identities.
Drive convergence across existing access platforms to provide policy-driven, time-bound access.
Design systems with well-defined interfaces while using data and telemetry to inform engineering decisions.
Build modular, secure, reliable, and reusable components that are actively monitored and diagnosable.
Champion the use of AI throughout the software development lifecycle and operational processes.

What we're looking for

Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or related technical field and 6+ years of engineering experience in languages like C, C++, C#, Java, or Python.
Equivalent experience to a degree is acceptable.
Ability to pass Microsoft background and Microsoft Cloud background checks.
5+ years of experience architecting and designing highly available, resilient, and high-scale distributed systems (preferred).
5+ years of experience developing backend services using C# (preferred).
Experience with security, identity, authorization, privileged access management, or related technologies (preferred).

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