Principal Manufacturing Engineer

Job ID: 200056277Posted: 2026-09-16Location: 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: ManufacturingDiscipline: Manufacturing EngineeringCompany: MicrosoftOverviewMicrosoft Silicon, Cloud Hardware, and Infrastructure Engineering (SCHIE) is the team behind Microsoft’s expanding Cloud Infrastructure and responsible for powering Microsoft’s “Intelligent Cloud” mission. SCHIE delivers the core infrastructure and foundational technologies for Microsoft's over 200 online businesses including Bing, MSN, Office 365, Xbox Live, Teams, OneDrive, and the Microsoft Azure platform globally with our server and data center infrastructure, security and compliance, operations, globalization, and manageability solutions. Our focus is on smart growth, high efficiency, and delivering trusted experiences to customers and partners worldwide and we are looking for passionate, high-energy engineers to help achieve that mission.As Microsoft's cloud business continues to grow, the ability to deploy new offerings and hardware infrastructure on time, in high volume with high quality and lowest cost is of paramount importance. To achieve this goal, the Hardware, Infrastructure Management, and Fundamentals Engineering (HIFE) team is instrumental in defining and delivering operational measures of success for hardware manufacturing, improving the planning process, quality, delivery, scale and sustainability related to Microsoft cloud hardware. We are looking for engineers with a dedicated passion for customer focused solutions, insight and industry knowledge to envision and implement future technical solutions that will manage and optimize the Cloud infrastructure. We are looking for a Principal Hardware Manufacturing Engineer to join the team.The Hardware Manufacturing Engineering Group is a team that collaborates with Microsoft’s suppliers, engineering design teams, business managers, and supply chain managers to ensure that the newest hardware that powers Microsoft’s cloud services are available to our customers on time and at the highest levels of quality. A critical function in this work ensures the newest hardware developed by Microsoft is built at our supplier’s factories with efficiency, safety, and at the highest levels of quality. We are seeking individuals who are passionate, curious, agile and creative to work through the challenges of new product introduction as we deliver new platforms and solutions at scale. If you have experiences implementing designs through manufacturing which cover Compute and Storage workloads, join us and take part in our vision to empower every person and organization on the planet to achieve more with Microsoft’s technology.#azurehwjobs#HIFE #SCHIEResponsibilitiesFactory Operations & Capacity Planning: Develop production line capability, factory layouts, staffing plans, and capacity models to support product ramps, high-volume manufacturing, and repair operations.Supplier Management & Production Risk Mitigation: Partner with suppliers, sourcing, NPI, and engineering teams to assess manufacturing capability, qualification, compliance, capacity, and sub-tier risks while driving corrective actions and supply continuity.Manufacturing Process & Supplier Readiness: Develop, standardize, and optimize manufacturing and repair processes across global supplier sites, ensuring scalable production, yield improvement, capacity readiness, and continuous operational excellence.Quality Systems & Process Control: Implement SPC, automation, AI-driven analytics, vision systems, and digital monitoring solutions to improve quality, reduce variability, detect defects early, and enable predictive quality management.Root Cause Analysis & Continuous Improvement: Lead structured problem-solving efforts (8D, Fishbone, PFMEA, DFMEA, Six Sigma) to identify, resolve, and prevent recurring manufacturing, design, and repair issues.AI, Automation & Predictive Maintenance: Drive adoption of AI/ML, IoT, remote monitoring, and predictive maintenance technologies to improve equipment reliability, operational efficiency, and factory visibility.Product Industrialization & Design for Manufacturing: Collaborate with design, NPI, quality, and supplier teams to ensure products, packaging, and processes meet manufacturability, automation, reliability, serviceability, and sustainability requirements.Technical Validation & Risk Management: Lead qualification strategies, NUDD assessments, engineering changes, simulations, tolerance analysis, and failure-mode evaluations to proactively identify and mitigate technical, schedule, tooling, and capacity risks.Program Execution & Technology Roadmaps: Influence suppliers to invest in new technologies, align with long-term product strategies, support new product introductions, and drive successful project execution from development through mass production.Metrics, Governance & Business Reviews: Establish dashboards and reporting mechanisms to monitor supplier performance, quality, compliance, operational efficiency, and provide manufacturing insights for executive reviews and QBRs.QualificationsRequired Qualifications :Master's Degree in Manufacturing, Material, Mechanical, Electrical, Thermal, or Industrial Engineering, or related field AND 7+ years experience in a manufacturing environment/repair OR Bachelor's Degree in Manufacturing, Material, Mechanical, Electrical, Thermal, or Industrial Engineering, or related field AND 8+ years experience in a manufacturing environment /repair OR equivalent experience.Other: 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:Doctorate in Manufacturing, Material, Mechanical, Electrical, Thermal, Industrial Engineering, or related field AND 5+ years experience in manufacturing environment/repair OR Master's Degree in Manufacturing, Material, Mechanical, Electrical, Thermal, Industrial Engineering, or related field AND 8+ years experience in manufacturing environment/repair OR Bachelor's Degree in Manufacturing, Material, Mechanical, Electrical, Thermal, Industrial Engineering, or related field AND 12+ years experience in manufacturing environment/repair OR equivalent experience.Proven leadership, management, facilitation, and problem-solving skills including L1/L2 Triage Capability Proven interpersonal and communication skills, and experience working effectively with all organizational levels. Proven experience prioritizing and executing tasks in a high-pressure, fast-faced environment.  Well versed in Microsoft Office tools (Microsoft Project, PowerPoint, Word, Excel etc.) and Power BI. Patent or track record of engineering excellency.Server compute, storage, GPU and networking product development or manufacturing experiences Ability to analyze and interpret data statistically and to translate statistical data into business narratives that enable executives to make timely and informed decisions. Proven track record in identifying a complex environment and driving improvements on scale. Excellent communications and leadership skills, ability to work well with cross functional groups, ability to work independently with remote supervision. Valor, Creo and Cadence Allegro software knowledge#SCHIE #HIFEManufacturing 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.