Principal Software Engineer

Microsoft

Confirmed live 2 days ago High trust

Hybrid

Quick summary

Work type: Hybrid
Location: —
Salary: $142,800–$274,800 / yr
Posted: 98 days ago
Freshness: Confirmed live 2 days ago
Closes: Jan 19, 2027

Market check

Salary context

Above market

How this pay compares to similar roles

Similar $192k

This role $209k

$124k $291k

below market most similar roles pay here above market

This role pays more than 70% of similar roles. Most pay $169,550–$214,500 — the blue band above. At the midpoint, this role pays about $209k versus about $192k 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 687 open roles on FindRole.

Listed pay typically runs $119,800–$234,700 across 646 roles with salary data.

Most-posted roles

View all roles at Microsoft

At a glance

TL;DR · Principal Software Engineer

Role Posting Log in to save

The Principal Software Engineer joins the Store Database Team within the Substrate Storage Fabric to build and operate core data infrastructure for Microsoft 365 experiences. This role involves leading the architecture, design, and delivery of large-scale storage platform capabilities, including distributed databases, data protection, and capacity planning. You will drive technical strategy for next-generation platform modernization and design AI-native systems while establishing technical standards for security and cost-efficiency. Key responsibilities include performing root-cause analysis, optimizing resource utilization through telemetry, and mentoring engineers. Candidates must possess deep expertise in distributed storage systems and cloud infrastructure. Required technical skills include proficiency in coding languages such as C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, or Python to solve complex problems regarding scalability, reliability, and data durability at hyperscale.

What does a Software Engineer earn?

Median $196750 from 2536 postings across 152 companies.

See salary data

Skills

Distributed Databases Storage Systems C C++ C# Java Python JavaScript Cloud Infrastructure Service Architecture Capacity Planning Data Protection Telemetry Root-Cause Analysis Operational Automation

What you'll do

Lead the architecture, design, and delivery of large-scale storage platform capabilities for Microsoft 365 data services.
Drive technical strategy for distributed databases, storage systems, data protection, and platform modernization.
Design AI-native systems and distributed storage architectures using modern engineering practices.
Establish technical standards and guardrails to ensure AI-enabled solutions remain secure and cost-efficient at hyperscale.
Use telemetry and data-driven analysis to identify bottlenecks and optimize resource utilization.
Lead live-site excellence by driving root-cause analysis, operational automation, and incident prevention for global services.
Mentor engineers and technical leaders to raise engineering standards and foster a culture of ownership.

What we're looking for

Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or related technical field and 6+ years of technical engineering experience with coding in languages like C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, or Python.
Ability to pass the Microsoft Cloud background check upon hire and every two years thereafter.
Master's Degree in Computer Science or related technical field and 8+ years of technical engineering experience with coding in languages like C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, or Python (preferred).
Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or related technical field and 12+ years of technical engineering experience with coding in languages like C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, or Python (preferred).
Deep expertise in distributed storage systems, databases, cloud infrastructure, and service architecture, including performance optimization and scalability at hyperscale (preferred).
Experience designing and operating AI-native services and applying AI-assisted engineering practices across the software development lifecycle (preferred).
Demonstrated ability to lead through influence, drive cross-organizational technical strategy, and mentor senior engineers (preferred).
Ability to make data-driven architectural decisions in complex, highly collaborative engineering environments (preferred).

Save