Principal Hardware Systems Engineer - Storage
About The Position
Microsoft Silicon, Cloud Hardware, and Infrastructure Engineering (SCHIE) builds and operates the infrastructure and foundational technologies that power Microsoft’s cloud and online businesses. The Principal Hardware Systems Engineer will collaborate with Cloud Hardware Infrastructure Engineering, Azure Engineering, and Exchange Engineering to qualify storage components for Microsoft data centers. The role requires understanding component architectures, software applications, and operating-system environments to develop qualification test plans at both device and system levels; it may also involve writing test software and debugging issues. The engineer will synthesize complex or conflicting requirements from hardware, software, and business teams. The role influences scalable qualification frameworks, validation methods, automation infrastructure, and deployment-readiness processes for cloud-scale environments. It establishes qualification coverage, reliability requirements, usage models, telemetry strategy, and health-monitoring frameworks to ensure production readiness at hyperscale. The engineer drives resolution of complex storage and memory issues affecting Azure availability, performance, and reliability, and leads cross-functional investigations across hardware, firmware, operating systems, drivers, and cloud services. The position also engages external ecosystem partners and promotes data-driven engineering excellence, risk management, and continuous improvement.
Requirements
- Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field and 7+ years of technical engineering experience; or bachelor's degree in one of those fields and 8+ years of technical engineering experience; or equivalent experience.
- Ability to meet Microsoft, customer, and/or government security screening requirements, including passing the Microsoft Cloud Background Check upon hire or transfer and every two years thereafter.
Nice To Haves
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to engage leadership audiences.
- Knowledge of server system and storage architecture.
- Familiarity with networking, power, rack management, and remote-access environments.
- Experience integrating and validating hardware components and/or systems.
- Familiarity with PowerShell, Python, or Perl and developing scripts or routines to support debugging and automate data collection and reduction.
- Ability to work collaboratively across teams, internal divisions, and industry partners such as OEMs and ODMs, while providing technical leadership in product development.
- Doctorate in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field and 5+ years of technical engineering experience; or master's degree in one of those fields and 8+ years; or bachelor's degree in one of those fields and 12+ years; or equivalent experience.
- 5+ years of experience in hardware system validation, including planning, documentation, development, execution, and debugging.
- Knowledge of system memory architecture and validation.
- Knowledge of storage and system memory architecture and validation.
- 8+ years of experience in hardware validation, including planning, documentation, development, execution, and debugging.
- 5+ years of experience integrating hardware components, including storage, at server system level.
Responsibilities
- Influence the architecture of scalable qualification frameworks, validation methodologies, automation infrastructure, and deployment-readiness processes for cloud-scale environments.
- Establish qualification coverage, reliability requirements, usage models, telemetry strategy, and health-monitoring frameworks to ensure production readiness at hyperscale.
- Drive resolution of complex storage and memory issues affecting Azure platform availability, performance, and reliability.
- Lead cross-functional investigations involving hardware, firmware, operating systems, drivers, and cloud services to identify root causes and define corrective actions.
- Represent the team with OEMs, ODMs, silicon providers, and storage and memory ecosystem partners, assisting with issue debugging as necessary.
- Promote engineering excellence through data-driven decision-making, technical reviews, risk management, and continuous improvement of qualification processes.
- Guide team members as needed and adapt to changing priorities and competing demands.
Benefits
- The position may be eligible for benefits and other compensation; specific benefits are not listed.
Stand Out From the Crowd
Upload your resume and get instant feedback on how well it matches this job.
What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Principal
