Principal Security Engineer

Job ID: 200042334Posted: 2026-09-28Location: United States, Washington, RedmondSalary: USD $142,800 - $274,800 per yearEmployment type: Full-TimeWork site: 3 days / week in-officeRole type: Individual ContributorTravel: Less than 25%Profession: Software EngineeringDiscipline: Software EngineeringCompany: MicrosoftOverviewDo you want to be at the forefront of innovating the latest hardware designs to propel Microsoft’s cloud growth? Are you seeking a unique career opportunity that combines technical capabilities, cross-team collaboration, with business insight and strategy?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 achieve 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. In alignment with our Microsoft values, we are committed to cultivating an inclusive work environment for all employees to positively impact our culture every day.Join the Systems Planning and Architecture (SPARC) team within Microsoft’s Azure Hardware Systems and Infrastructure (AHSI) organization, the team behind Microsoft’s expanding Cloud Infrastructure and for powering Microsoft’s “Intelligent Cloud” mission. Microsoft delivers more than 200 online services to more than one billion individuals worldwide, and AHSI is the team behind our expanding cloud infrastructure. We deliver the core infrastructure and foundational technologies for Microsoft's cloud businesses including Microsoft Azure, Bing, MSN, Office 365, OneDrive, Skype, Teams and Xbox Live.The SPARC organization manages Azure’s hardware roadmap from architecture concept through production for all of Microsoft’s current and future on-line services. This role is for a Principal Security Engineer with a background in security protocols and secure hardware design. You will be involved with all phases of product development, from secure silicon design through manufacturing and supply chain, and into high scale deployment. At the design phase, you will work with security threat model team and be responsible for the silicon security architecture and design of low-level hardware accelerators.ResponsibilitiesDesigned and developed firmware for Hardware Security Modules (HSMs), security accelerators, and Root of Trust (RoT) solutions.Contributed to all phases of product development, including architecture, design, implementation, integration, and validation for security-focused SoCs.Defined and implemented bootloader and embedded kernel architectures to support secure and reliable system initialization.Developed secure firmware supporting security protocols, key management, attestation, and cryptographic services.Implemented and optimized secure boot flows to ensure trusted device startup and firmware integrity.Wrote, debugged, and optimized embedded firmware with a focus on performance, reliability, and security.Diagnosed and resolved complex firmware issues through root cause analysis, debugging, and troubleshooting.Applied cryptographic principles and security protocols to protect embedded systems and hardware assets.Developed firmware for embedded devices running Real-Time Operating Systems (RTOS), utilizing OS primitives such as task scheduling, interrupts, threading, synchronization, and memory management.Collaborated with cross-functional hardware, software, and security engineering teams to deliver secure embedded solutions.Ensured firmware compliance with security requirements and industry best practices for trusted computing environments.QualificationsRequired/minimum qualificationsBachelor's Degree in Computer Science or related technical field AND 6+ years technical engineering experience with coding in languages including, but not limited to, C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, or Python OR 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:10+ years of professional experience designing, developing security critical code.Familiarity with standard Cryptography algorithmsFamiliarity with secure boots, attestation, recoveryProblem solving, debugging, and troubleshooting skills, advanced design and development skills. Experienced with ROM, Bootloader, and embedded runtime development.Ability to debug and resolve issues spanning multiple subsystems.Proven and demonstrable skill in Rust, C, C++.Experience in working in pre silicon environments.Familiar with PCIe, NVME, I3C, I2C, SPI, SPI-FLASSoftware 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.