Software Development Engineer II | Microsoft Careers

Microsoft

Quick summary

Work type: On-site
Location: Redmond, WA
Salary: $102,100–$202,200 / yr
Posted: 6 days ago
Closes: Dec 7, 2026
Nearby: 99+ roles within 25 mi

Market check

Salary context

Competitive pay

How this pay compares to similar roles

Similar $180k

This role $152k

$86k most similar roles pay here $251k

This role pays less than 63% of similar roles. Most pay $152,150–$208,800 — the shaded band above. At the midpoint, this role pays about $152k versus about $180k 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 1577 open roles on FindRole.

Listed pay typically runs $119,800–$234,700 across 1405 roles with salary data.

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At a glance

TL;DR · Software Development Engineer II | Microsoft Careers

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As a Software Development Engineer II on the Core Platform Driver team at Microsoft, you will work on advancing graphics technology by building and optimizing platform components across various operating systems. Your day-to-day responsibilities include using performance tools to identify CPU and GPU hotspots, analyzing memory-related issues, and developing benchmarks for key performance areas. You will also collaborate with internal and external teams to deliver solutions, contribute to code reviews, and provide feedback to improve software developer tools. Essential skills include expertise in C/C++, graphics stacks, power management, and experience with DirectX11-12 APIs and Vulkan. This role involves working on a state-of-the-art gaming platform that supports billions of customers worldwide, emphasizing the importance of delivering high-quality systems software for reliability and innovation.

Skills

C C++ Windows Linux GPU CPU PowerManagement GraphicsStacks DirectX11 DirectX12 Vulkan HLSL LLVM GPUView WindowsPerformanceAnalyzer RadeonGPUProfiler AMDuProf PIX

What you'll do

Use performance tools to identify CPU & GPU hotspots and recommend hardware/software improvements.
Analyze memory-related issues to quantify impact and suggest software enhancements.
Develop benchmarks for key GPU and CPU performance areas including power management.
Evaluate gaming performance across Windows and Linux stacks to improve components.
Work independently with internal/external teams to deliver solutions for software features.

What we're looking for

Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or 5+ years of relevant technical engineering experience with C/C++.
Master's Degree in Computer Science preferred with 3+ years of relevant technical engineering experience.
At least 4 years of Windows Graphics driver software stack experience required.
Experience in system-level performance optimization for both Linux and Windows.
Proficiency in graphics tooling including GPUView, WPA, Radeon GPU Profiler, AMD uProf, PIX, and similar tools.
Expertise in DirectX11-12 graphics APIs and Vulkan.

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