Principal Software Engineer - Windows Domain FDE

Job ID: 200055717Posted: 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: MicrosoftOverviewBe part of a culture that pursues and celebrates excellence and drives innovation where success is a shared journey from a One Microsoft approach. As a Principal Software Engineer, Windows Domain FDE (Foward Deployed Engineer) you will join the Windows Commercial Acceleration Engine (WCAE) Team as part of the Windows Ecosystem and Commercial Engagement (WECE) organization in Windows + Devices. Windows Commercial Acceleration Engine is building a forward-deployed engineering capability that works directly with strategic enterprise customers to solve their most consequential Windows technical challenges. In this hands-on engineering role, you will work directly with strategic enterprise customers to identify, diagnose, and resolve their most complex Windows device management challenges to improve their install base health. You will apply deep technical expertise across Microsoft Intune, Windows Autopilot, device provisioning and deployment, configuration management, and device health to understand their complex environment, identify problems and architect solutions and implement them. You will leverage telemetry, logs, code, scripts, configurations, policies, and engineering systems to investigate and move complex issues from discovery to measurable resolution. Success in this role will be defined by remediating the customer as well as turning successful solutions into re-usable packaged solutions, diagnostic tools, product improvements, and implementation guidance that will benefit many more customers and strengthen Windows at scale. You will collaborate closely with customers, field teams, and Windows product engineering. Your technical depth, customer empathy, and ability to operate across disciplines will be key to delivering measurable customer and business outcomes. This work will be pivotal to the success of the Windows Commercial business. 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.ResponsibilitiesSwarm on a customer engagement as a forward-deployed engineer to dive deep in device management and improve the install-base health of strategic Windows commercial customers with hands-on technical engagement.Embed with strategic enterprise customers to rapidly understand complex device-management environments, architectures, policies, dependencies, and operational processes/constraints. Use customer data, telemetry, logs, and diagnostic tools to identify challenges in their device management. Establish a clear technical problem statement, baseline, success measures, and remediation plan for each engagement. Build and implement technical resolution and modernize device management to resolve install base health challenges: Design and implement solutions with customers. When needed, develop prototypes, scripts, diagnostic tools, configuration changes, and implementation approaches, then validate them in customer environments to demonstrate measurable improvements. Apply solid engineering fundamentals including security, privacy, maintainability and supportability. Validate solution in customer environments to demonstrate measurable improvements. End goal is to simplify and modernize Windows management using Microsoft Intune, Windows Autopilot, cloud-native management, policy optimization, application delivery, update management, and endpoint-security capabilities for a healthier install base, and better IT Pro and end user experience. Collaborate with Windows, Intune, and other product engineering teams to investigate complex cross-product issues and drive product fixes, supportability changes, and telemetry enhancements supported by actionable customer evidence including detailed reproduction information, logs, etc. and business impact. FDE will maintain accountability for the customer outcome. Scale successful approaches for broad impact. Identify patterns and convert customer solutions and lessons learned into reusable playbooks, patterns, tools, and technical guidance that can benefit a broader set of enterprise customers. Transfer expertise to other FDEs, partners, field, support teams, and product groups so each engagement increases the capability of the broader ecosystem. Demonstrate improvement in customers install base health through customer evidence, telemetry, validation results, or agreed success measures. Help restore customer confidence in Windows and strengthen the role of Windows in customers’ future endpoint, security, management, and AI-platform strategies. Build trusted relationships with customer technical leaders, Microsoft field teams, and product engineering teams. Communicate technical findings, tradeoffs, risks, decisions, and progress clearly to customer engineers, IT leaders, Microsoft field teams, product engineers, and executives. QualificationsRequired 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.Preferred Qualifications:Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Data Science, Math, Business, or a related field AND 6+ years of experience in engineering, product or technical program management, product development, technical consulting, or solution delivery.OR equivalent experience. Experience working directly with enterprise customers to understand complex technical environments, diagnose problems, and implement or validate solutions. Technical experience with enterprise Windows device management, including several of the following areas: Microsoft Intune, Windows Autopilot, device provisioning and enrollment, configuration and policy management, application management, OS and update management, endpoint security, compliance, and device health. Experience troubleshooting complex device-management issues using data, logs, telemetry, diagnostic tools, and structured problem-solving methods. Experience with enterprise identity, networking, security, and management dependencies that affect Windows device enrollment, configuration, compliance, and operations. Experience building or modifying scripts, automation, diagnostic tools, prototypes, reference implementations, or production-quality technical solutions. Ability to synthesize information from multiple sources, identify systemic patterns and root causes, and translate findings into practical customer solutions and actionable product feedback. Experience collaborating across customer, field, support, and product engineering teams to drive technical issues from discovery through resolution. Ability to communicate complex technical findings, risks, and recommendations clearly to technical and executive audiences. Experience in a Forward Deployed Engineering, customer-facing software engineering, field engineering, technical consulting, escalation engineering, support engineering, or solutions architecture role. Experience with Microsoft Consulting Services, Industry Solutions, Customer Success, FastTrack, or a comparable enterprise technology consulting organization. Deep experience with Microsoft Intune, Windows Autopilot, Microsoft Configuration Manager, co-management, Windows Update for Business, application deployment, endpoint analytics, or endpoint security. Experience designing or operating device-management solutions for large, complex, or highly regulated enterprise environments. Experience using PowerShell, Microsoft Graph, Windows diagnostic tools, or other automation and troubleshooting technologies. Experience developing prototypes, scripts, diagnostic tools, reference implementations, or reusable technical guidance. Demonstrated ability to turn solutions developed for an individual customer into repeatable approaches that benefit a broader customer population. Experience representing customer needs in product planning and influencing engineering priorities through technical evidence and business impact. #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:Software Engineering IC6 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $165,600 - $296,400 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 $220,800 - $331,200 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.