Senior Software Engineer - CTJ - Poly

Job ID: 200033894Posted: 2026-08-26Location: United States, Washington, RedmondSalary: USD $119,800 - $234,700 per yearEmployment type: Full-TimeWork site: 3 days / week in-officeRole type: Individual ContributorTravel: Less than 25%Profession: Software EngineeringDiscipline: Software EngineeringCompany: MicrosoftOverviewThis Senior Sofware Engineer will independently use artificial intelligence tools and practices across the software development lifecycle. Understand customer/user requirements for a project/sub-section of a product. Lead discussions for the architecture of a solution by testing design hypotheses and developing complex specifications. Independently create a test strategy that ensures solution quality. Collaborate with internal and external teams to identify dependencies and reach common goals. Write code that is extensible, maintainable, well-tested, secure, and performant. Use debugging tools to verify assumptions and improve code quality. Review product code to ensure appropriate test coverage and adherence to standards. Proactively drive automation within production deployment across projects. Implement security standards to raise security hardening across solutions, ensuring each layer is independently secure.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.ResponsibilitiesDesign, build, and operate distributed database services for secure, air‑gapped cloud environments, spanning infrastructure, automation, and platform tooling.Own production reliability and operability of database services, including availability, performance, backup and restore, upgrades, and incident response.Develop secure, compliant systems that meet strict isolation, regulatory, and supply‑chain requirements in sovereign and disconnected clouds.Automate the full service lifecycle end‑to‑end, reducing manual toil across provisioning, deployment, patching, failover, and recovery.Troubleshoot and resolve complex distributed system failures, leading deep root‑cause analysis and driving durable, long‑term fixes.Collaborate cross‑functionally with engineering, security, networking, and compliance teams to deliver fully operable database platforms.Set a high engineering and operational bar, contributing high‑quality code, strong design reviews, and mentoring engineers who build what they run.Embody our culture and values.QualificationsRequired Qualifications:Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or related technical field AND 4+ years technical engineering experience with coding in languages including, but not limited to, C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, or Python OR equivalent experience. Other Qualifications: Security Clearance Requirements: Candidates must be able 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: The successful candidate must have an active U.S. Government Top Secret Clearance with access to Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) based on a Single Scope Background Investigation (SSBI) with Polygraph. Ability to meet Microsoft, customer and/or government security screening requirements are required pre-offer and post-hire for this role. Failure to maintain or obtain the appropriate U.S. Government clearance and/or customer screening requirements may result in employment action up to and including termination.Clearance Verification: This position requires successful verification of the stated security clearance to meet federal government customer requirements. You will be asked to provide clearance verification information prior to an offer of employment.Microsoft Cloud Background Check: This position will be required to pass the Microsoft Cloud background check upon hire/transfer and every two years thereafter. Citizenship & Citizenship Verification: This position requires verification of U.S. citizenship due to citizenship-based legal restrictions. Specifically, this position supports United States federal, state, and/or local United States government agency customer and is subject to certain citizenship-based restrictions where required or permitted by applicable law. To meet this legal requirement, citizenship will be verified via a valid passport, or other approved documents, or verified US government ClearancePreferred Qualifications:Master'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 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.Software Engineering IC4 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $119,800 - $234,700 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 $160,200 - $261,000 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.