Principal Software Engineer, Distributed Systems

Job ID: 200059422Posted: 2026-10-07Location: United States, Washington, RedmondSalary: USD $142,800 - $274,800 per yearEmployment type: Full-TimeWork site: 4 days / week in-officeRole type: Individual ContributorTravel: Less than 25%Profession: Software EngineeringDiscipline: Software EngineeringCompany: MicrosoftOverviewMSN, as part of the AI Experiences organization at Microsoft, is a personalized content feed powering user experiences across Microsoft. Our mission is to empower every person on the planet to be informed, entertained, and inspired. With nearly 30 years of history, MSN has evolved into a premier content destination with high-quality content, AI-powered user-controlled personalization, and massive global reach. Over the past 4 years, AI and Machine Learning technologies have fueled massive growth, transforming MSN’s content moderation, personalization, and content entry points.We are looking for a Principal Software Engineer to design, build, and operationalize hyperscale distributed systems that power Microsoft’s content and media experiences. This role is for an engineer who is equally comfortable solving complex distributed systems challenges and building high-throughput platforms for content ingestion, processing, transformation, and delivery. You will own systems end to end, from platform architecture and processing pipelines through orchestration and serving layers, to reliable and efficient operation at hyperscale.Microsoft’s mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. As employees we come together with a growth mindset, innovate to empower others, and collaborate to realize our shared goals. Each day we build on our values of respect, integrity, and accountability to create a culture of inclusion where everyone can thrive at work and beyond.  AI Experiences employees who live within a 50- mile commute of adesignated Microsoft Hub in the U.S. are expected to work from the officeat least four days per week. This expectation is subject to local law and mayvary by jurisdiction.ResponsibilitiesOwn the design and development of distributed software systems that are reliable, scalable, and performant.Work closely with other engineers, product managers, and cross-functional partners to deliver impactful features and improvements. Write high-quality, maintainable, and testable code, and participate in code reviews to ensure best practices are followed. You will also help identify and resolve production issues, and continuously improve the performance and reliability of our systems. Collaborate with stakeholders to understand requirements, translate them into technical specifications, and deliver solutions that meet business goals. You will be expected to take initiative, think proactively, and contribute to a culture of continuous improvement. Design scalable APIs, data pipelines, and feature/signal stores that ensure efficient, secure, and reliable data flow between ML systems and product surfaces.Drive live-site excellence: instrumentation, monitoring, capacity planning, and incident response for Backend services.QualificationsRequired Qualifications:Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or related technical field AND 6+ years technical engineering experience including experience with distributed systems and/or backend services with coding in languages including, but not limited to, C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, or PythonOR equivalent experience.Other Requirements:Ability to meet Microsoft, customer and/or government security screening requirements are required for this role. These requirements include but are not limited to the following specialized security screenings:Microsoft Cloud Background Check: This position will be required to pass the Microsoft Cloud background check upon hire/transfer and every two years thereafter.Preferred Qualifications:Master's Degree in Computer Science or related technical field AND 8+ years technical engineering experience distributed systems and/or backend services with coding in languages including, but not limited to, C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, or PythonOR Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or related technical field AND 12+ years technical engineering experience with coding in languages including, but not limited to, C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, or PythonOR equivalent experience.Experience in large scale system architecture, design, development, testing, and release, including but not limited to web applications, microservices in layers, database design, API design, performance tuning, telemetry design and analysis.Can design and create complex distributed systems workflows by gathering requirements from partner teams, identifying of dependencies, and driving alignment and design with partner and product teams, and finally leading the implementation of the solution. Demonstrable history of excellent analytical and problem-solving skills. Demonstrated programming skills and knowledge of architectural patterns for large, high-scale applications. Excellence in software engineering practices, coding and solid foundation in data structures, algorithms with demonstrated testing, debugging and analytical skills. Data-driven mindset.Ability to analyze data and persuade your team using effective analysis. Excellent learning, problem solving and communication skills. #AIXSoftware Engineering IC5 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $142,800 - $274,800 per year. There is a different range applicable to specific work locations, within the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area, and the base pay range for this role in those locations is USD $188,000 - $304,200 per year. Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here:This position will be open for a minimum of 5 days, with applications accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran or military status, race, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance with religious accommodations and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about requesting accommodations.