Principal AI Network Technical Lead

Microsoft•Redmond, WA

3d•$142,800 - $304,200

About The Position

Microsoft Silicon, Cloud Hardware, and Infrastructure Engineering (SCHIE) is responsible for powering Microsoft’s “Intelligent Cloud” mission by delivering core infrastructure and foundational technologies for over 200 online businesses. The Cloud Hardware Systems Engineering (CHSE) team within SCHIE focuses on defining and delivering operational measures of success for hardware manufacturing, improving planning processes, quality, delivery, scale, and sustainability related to Microsoft cloud hardware. This role is for a Principal AI Network Technical Lead who will contribute to envisioning and implementing future technical solutions for managing and optimizing cloud infrastructure, driven by a passion for customer-focused solutions and industry insight.

Requirements

Master's Degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field AND 7+ years technical engineering experience OR Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field AND 8+ years technical engineering experience OR equivalent experience.
Ability to meet Microsoft, customer, and/or government security screening requirements.
Required to pass the Microsoft Cloud Background Check upon hire or transfer and every two years thereafter.
Successful candidate will be required to provide either proof of their country of citizenship or proof of their U.S. permanent residency or other protected status for assessment of eligibility to access export-controlled information.
Citizenship will be verified with a valid passport. Lawful permanent residents, refugees, and asylees may verify status using other documents, where applicable.

Nice To Haves

10+ years of experience in networking, AI infrastructure, or large-scale system architecture.
10+ years of relevant experience in system (compute, storage, networking, and/or accelerator) level design and/or implementation across the hardware development lifecycle.
10+ years of hands-on experience in server hardware architecture, design, and development with solid understanding of hardware, firmware, and Operating System (OS).
Proven experience delivering AI and GPU-based systems to production.
Experience developing high-performance network switches, AI fabrics, or hyperscale networking solutions.
Deep understanding of scale-up and scale-out networks, Ethernet switching, RDMA/RoCE, and SONiC.
Knowledge of switch ASICs, 112G/224G SerDes, PAM4, retimers, PHYs, and high-speed interconnects.
Experience with optical networking technologies such as OCI, XPO, CPO, OBO, and DR optics.
Experience leading hardware development from architecture through validation and production.
Familiarity with rack-scale systems, power, thermal, reliability, and serviceability design.
Experience working with ODM/JDM partners and external suppliers.
Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams across hardware, firmware, software, and systems engineering.
BS / MS in Electrical/Computer Engineering or equivalent industry experience.

Responsibilities

Own end-to-end development, validation, deployment, and sustaining of Microsoft's AI scale-up switch platforms.
Drive network switch requirements, specifications, and technical decisions based on AI workload and system requirements.
Lead switch vendor selection, RFIs/RFQs/RFPs, technical evaluations, and supplier engagement strategy.
Own switch hardware development including ASICs, SerDes, retimers, connectors, SI/PI, mechanical, thermal, and power design.
Drive development of next-generation optical scale-up solutions including OCI, XPO, CPO, fiber management, and optical interconnect technologies.
Partner with software teams on SONiC, control plane, telemetry, diagnostics, fleet management, and operational readiness.
Lead switch bring-up, validation, DVT/PVT, system integration, qualification, and production readiness activities.
Own integration of scale-up switches into compute racks, switch racks, pods, and AI clusters.
Drive ODM/JDM development models and manage technical engagement with switch vendors, ODMs, and ecosystem partners.
Lead cross-functional teams spanning networking, systems, silicon, optics, firmware, software, operations, and manufacturing.
Drive system-level optimization across performance, reliability, serviceability, manufacturability, power, cost, and time-to-market.
Serve as the technical lead for Microsoft's next-generation AI scale-up switch solutions and networking platforms.