Principal Software Engineer, VS Code

What you'll do

• Identify systemic engineering problems and set technical directions that balance immediate delivery with long-term platform health.
• Prove complex architectural ideas through hands-on prototyping, critical implementation, and deep debugging.
• Resolve cross-team architectural disagreements and define clear API boundaries to enable independent team delivery.
• Improve engineering effectiveness by developing shared design patterns, testing strategies, and tools for rapid experimentation.
• Lead technical discussions in the open while addressing community-reported issues from developers and extension authors.
• Mentor senior engineers and technical leaders to improve their judgment and ownership of projects.
• Use adoption metrics, quality signals, and user feedback to guide investment and adjust product direction.

What we're looking for

• Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or related technical field.
• 6+ years of technical engineering experience coding in languages such as JavaScript, TypeScript, or Rust (or equivalent experience).
• Ability to pass the Microsoft Cloud background check.
• 10+ years of software engineering experience with a track record of architecting and evolving complex production software (preferred).
• Demonstrated technical leadership across multiple teams to build alignment and deliver substantial initiatives (preferred).
• Hands-on coding and design skills in large TypeScript and Rust codebases (preferred).
• Experience designing shared platforms, APIs, or large application architectures with focus on performance and maintainability (preferred).
• Clear communication skills to explain complex technical decisions and navigate tradeoffs with partners (preferred).