Principal Software Engineer-M365

Job ID: 200063832Posted: 2026-11-06Location: 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: MicrosoftOverviewSubstrate is the data and intelligence platform that enables partner teams at Microsoft to build, deploy, and maintain compliant productivity apps and services with reduced effort and faster time to market. Substrate is one of the key pillars of Microsoft 365 cloud business offerings, used by millions of people across the world, and by hundreds of thousands of commercial organizations and government agencies.The Core Authentication team is one of the fundamental teams in Substrate. It is responsible for building the authentication and authorization stacks that provide user access into Substrate and inter-service communication within Substrate. The team's mission is to provide secure, reliable and resilient authentication and authorization layers for Substrate and on-premises configurations, including our partners, and to serve as the gatekeeper for core Microsoft 365 resources.We are looking for a Principal Software Engineer who is passionate about security, technical challenges, debugging and, above all, customer success and satisfaction. Deep experience building secure, large-scale distributed systems is essential; background in modern authentication and authorization is a strong plus.As a technical leader on the team, you will drive the design and evolution of key parts of the authentication platform, lead complex cross-team initiatives from design through production, and guide the team through critical incidents and root-cause investigations. You will help shape how highly available distributed services of planetary scale securely serve thousands of businesses and millions of users around the world.The ideal candidate enjoys solving massive scale challenges, mentors and grows others, and embraces the cultural values of inclusion and belonging. Your work will be high impact, with meaningful delivery in less than 6 months. Strong hands-on development skills and a proven track record of technical leadership are highly valued.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.ResponsibilitiesEnd-to-end ownership of a feature area related to authentication/authorization, responsible for all aspects of designing, developing and deploying the solution. This includes driving its technical direction, leading design and code reviews, and setting engineering standards for the team.Lead complex initiatives across Core Authentication and dependent partner teams, working closely with cross-functional discipline contributors (product managers, architects, security engineers, support engineers).Apply threat modeling and secure-by-design practices, and ensure solutions meet compliance requirements across commercial, sovereign and government cloud environments. Drive the evolution of the authentication stack, including modern protocols and next-generation cryptography.Participate in the on-call rotation, lead resolution and root-cause analysis of complex production issues, and turn learnings into lasting reliability improvements.Mentor engineers across levels and help raise the team's technical bar.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 PythonOR 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 8+ years technical engineering experience with coding in languages including, but not limited to, C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, or PythonOR Bachelor'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 equivalent experience. 2+ years technical leadership experience, including driving a complex multi-year infrastructure project.Deep knowledge of distributed systems and cloud technologies, with experience building and operating large-scale services, backend or full-stack, including on-callKnowledge of modern authentication and authorization protocols (e.g., OAuth 2.0, OpenID Connect, Kerberos, SAML).3+ years' experience in one or more scripting languages (e.g., PowerShell, Bash, Python, or a similar language).Solid communication skills and experience working across disciplines and functions.Software 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.