Principal Group Software Engineering Manager

Overview

Would you be excited about building a global-scale, Kubernetes-based service platform that powers Microsoft's productivity workloads? Do you want to lead a team of talented and motivated engineers who use cutting-edge technology and best practices to deliver high-quality solutions? Are you passionate about making distributed systems secure? Do you want to challenge yourself taking on a role to be a security leader for entire COSMIC? If so, join us on the COSMIC team and help us shape the future of Microsoft's cloud infrastructure.

The COSMIC team, part of the M365 Substrate Core organization, has a bold mission to standardize how we deliver services and build a modern Kubernetes-based compute fabric with turn-key geo-presence, security, high availability, fault isolation and automated cloud build out. COSMIC, which stands for Containers on Substrate-Managed Intelligent Clusters, is a strategic bet we are making to modernize our compute platform and improve the agility, security, compliance, and COGS of our services in the Experience and Devices (E+D) division.

Role Overview

We are seeking a Group Engineering Manager to lead the COSMIC Application Platform -the paved path that makes the safe path the fast path for building and operating geo-scale services across M365 and E+D.

The App Platform is the customer-facing layer of COSMIC , delivering the APIs, tooling, and platform capabilities teams rely on to build, deploy, observe, and operate services at global scale. Its mission is to remove friction and abstract cloud complexity , enabling teams to move faster while maintaining high bars for safety, reliability, and compliance. By embedding best practices directly into the platform, it raises the floor for every service and turns operational rigor into a default, not a burden.

In this role, you will lead multiple engineering teams responsible for delivering the Application Platform capabilities end-to-end. Working closely with product management and architects, you will drive the evolution of the platform so that safety, reliability, and speed are built in by default. You will partner with engineering leaders across COSMIC, M365 Core and Azure to ensure platform capabilities are delivered at scale and translate into measurable improvements in time-to-market, service health, and developer experience across hundreds of critical Microsoft services.

Ultimately, this role is accountable for making COSMIC the default way services are built and run in E+D -a geo-scale application platform where teams can innovate quickly and confidently because the platform handles the hard parts for them.

Company Culture

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.

Responsibilities

• Lead and grow multiple engineering teams responsible for delivering the COSMIC Application Platform, while cultivating a team culture that embraces Microsoft's values of Respect, Accountability, and Integrity.
• Own end-to-end delivery of platform capabilities-from planning through execution and operational readiness-ensuring the platform scales reliably and meets high bars for safety, availability, and compliance.
• Partner with product management and architects to translate platform priorities into shipped capabilities, balancing near-term delivery with long-term platform evolution.
• Drive execution across teams and dependencies, aligning engineering work across the COSMIC organization and partners to deliver cohesive, high-quality platform experiences at scale.
• Establish and track clear success metrics for platform adoption, reliability, and developer experience, using data to guide prioritization and continuous improvement.
• Build a strong leadership bench by mentoring Engineering Managers and senior technical leaders, fostering a culture of accountability, craftsmanship, and continuous learning.
• Champion operational excellence by ensuring platform capabilities reduce toil, improve incident outcomes, and make best practices the default for services running on COSMIC.
• Represent the App Platform in cross-org forums, communicating progress, risks, and tradeoffs to stakeholders, and ensuring alignment with broader Substrate and E+D objectives.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or related technical field AND 8+ 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:

• Master'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 Python
  • OR Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or related technical field AND 15+ years technical engineering experience with coding in languages including, but not limited to, C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, or Python
  • OR equivalent experience.
• 6+ years people management experience.
• 2+ years of people management experience as a manager of managers.

#M365Core

Software Engineering M6 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $165,600.00 - $296,400.00 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 $220,800.00 - $331,200.00 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.