Principal Software Engineer - Windows Cloud Division

Job ID: 200047683Posted: 2026-09-15Location: 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: MicrosoftOverviewThe Windows Cloud division is looking for a Principal Software Engineer who can help us take Azure Virtual Desktop as well as Windows 365 Cloud PC to a whole new level.Windows 365 Cloud PC (W365) and Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) have recently been recognized as leaders in the inaugural Gartner Magic Quadrant for Desktop as a Service (DaaS). At its core, W365 and AVD provide business customers a modern, elastic, cloud-based Windows experience.Are you interested in challenging distributed systems problems, and building high-scale systems? As a Principal Software Engineer on our team, you will get an amazing opportunity to help design and implement key new platform features, and ensure that those features scale and are highly resilient. You will extend your knowledge of cloud compute, hypervisors, desktop virtualization, storage at scale, and other technical areas. You will be part of a team designing new platform capabilities involving virtualized compute, storage, networking for our core products to enhance the value to our customer base. You will also be a part of an agile team working in a fast-paced environment with engineers, product managers, and partner teams to deliver customer value quickly.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.ResponsibilitiesPartners with appropriate stakeholders to determine user requirements for a set of scenarios.Leads identification of dependencies and the development of design documents for a product, application, service, or platform.Leads by example and mentors others to produce extensible and maintainable code used across products.Leverages subject-matter expertise of cross-product features with appropriate stakeholders (e.g., project managers) to drive multiple group's project plans, release plans, and work items.Holds accountability as a Designated Responsible Individual (DRI), mentoring engineers across products/solutions, working on-call to monitor system/product/service for degradation, downtime, or interruptions.Proactively seeks new knowledge and adapts to new trends, technical solutions, and patterns that will improve the availability, reliability, efficiency, observability, and performance of products while also driving consistency in monitoring and operations at scale and shares knowledge with other engineers.Focus on customer/partner needs through a data driven approach.Improve test coverage for services, organize and implement integration tests, and resolve problem areas across multiple Microservices.QualificationsRequired/Minimum Qualifications:Bachelor'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:7+ years technical engineering experience with coding in languages including, but not limited to, C#, Java, C, C++.6+ years of experience in leading the architecture, design, implementation, and shipping of large-scale cloud microservices, with deep expertise in building performant, reliable, and secure services at global scale.Broad experience and track record of working across teams to deliver shared solutions to complex problems.Ability to quickly ramp up, understand complex problems, and create solutions across many products.Proven track record of mentoring engineers, driving engineering best practices, fostering innovation, and cultivating a culture of technical excellence, continuous learning, and operational rigor.Demonstrated experience leveraging and championing AI-assisted software development, including modern AI tools and workflows for coding, testing, debugging, and design, while maintaining high standards for security, code quality, responsible AI, and maintainability.#W+DJOBSSoftware 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.