This role pays more than
77%
of similar roles. Most pay
$185,187–$231,000
— the shaded band above.
At the midpoint, this role pays about
$231k
versus about
$208k
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
686 open roles
on FindRole.
Listed pay typically runs
$119,800–$234,700
across 666 roles with salary data.
Principal Software Engineer
The Principal Software Engineer joins the Azure Core team to develop next-generation infrastructure, specifically focusing on the Azure Boost DPU software stack. This highly technical systems engineering role involves building software at the hardware and software boundary across operating systems, virtualization, networking, storage, and platform infrastructure. The successful candidate will own the architecture and implementation of low-level systems software, including device management and DPU-host interaction layers. They will design high-performance networking and storage dataplanes while collaborating with firmware and hardware engineers to deliver integrated solutions. Required skills include proficiency in C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, or Python, with a focus on Rust for performance-critical systems. The role addresses the challenge of building scalable, secure infrastructure at hyperscale by managing complex components like PCIe devices, RDMA, NVMe, and various hardware acceleration technologies.
What does a Software Engineer earn in Remote?
Median $205300 from 346 postings across 55 companies.
Own the architecture, design, implementation, and operational excellence of the Azure Boost DPU software stack.
Develop low-level systems software for operating systems, virtualization, host infrastructure, and device management.
Design and implement high-performance networking and storage dataplanes optimized for throughput, latency, and scalability.
Build software that interfaces directly with DPUs, accelerators, PCIe devices, and virtualization technologies.
Resolve complex system-level challenges regarding performance, reliability, diagnosability, and security across the platform stack.
Lead technical execution and design reviews for cross-functional initiatives involving multiple engineering teams.
Establish engineering best practices for software quality, testing, validation, and observability in production environments.
Mentor and develop engineers through technical leadership, code reviews, and hands-on guidance.
What we're looking for
Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or related technical field and 8+ years of experience coding in languages like C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, or Python.
Ability to pass Microsoft Cloud Background Check and other required security screenings.
Experience developing low-level systems software including operating systems, kernel components, hypervisors, virtualization platforms, device drivers, or platform infrastructure (preferred).
Experience owning and delivering portions of a DPU, SmartNIC, host platform, or accelerator software stack (preferred).
Experience with hardware acceleration technologies such as PCIe, DMA, SR-IOV, RDMA, NVMe, IOMMU, and hardware offloads (preferred).
Experience designing software at the hardware/software boundary and collaborating with firmware, silicon, and hardware engineering teams (preferred).
Proficiency in developing performance-critical systems using C/C++ and/or Rust (preferred).
Expertise in high-performance networking/storage dataplanes, Linux/Windows internals, and large-scale cloud infrastructure (preferred).
Azure
Microsoft Fabric
Azure SQL DB
Azure Cosmos DB
Azure PostgreSQL
Azure Data Factory
Azure Synapse Analytics
Azure Service Bus
Azure Event Grid
Power BI
Azure Monitor
Log Analytics
Application Insights
Prometheus
Grafana
Microsoft Sentinel
C
C++
C#
Java
JavaScript
Python
Rust
Open Telemetry
Kubernetes
Distributed Systems