Principal Software Engineer

Microsoft • Redmond, WA

15h • Hybrid

About The Position

Microsoft Advertising empowers the world’s largest advertisers to reach their maximum potential through digital advertising solutions on the Microsoft Advertising platform. We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced Principal Software Engineer to join our dynamic team. The ideal candidate will have a solid background in data engineering and data analytics, with a proven track record of designing and implementing scalable data solutions. As a Principal Software Engineer, you will play a key role in driving our data strategy, ensuring the integrity and accessibility of our data and leveraging data insights to support business decisions.
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.
Starting January 26, 2026, Microsoft AI (MAI) employees who live within a 50- mile commute of a designated Microsoft office in the U.S. or 25-mile commute of a non-U.S., country-specific location are expected to work from the office at least four days per week. This expectation is subject to local law and may vary by jurisdiction.

Requirements

• 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 Python OR equivalent experience.
• 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.

Nice To Haves

• 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 Python OR 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.
• 6+ years of experience in software engineering, with a focus on data engineering and data analytics.
• Solid experience with data processing frameworks such as Apache Spark, Hadoop.
• Expertise in SQL and experience with RDBMS, Key Value stores.
• Familiarity with cloud platforms and data services.
• Excellent problem solving skills and the ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Solid communication skills.
• Familiarity with Azure.
• Experience with machine learning and data science tools and frameworks.
• Knowledge of data visualization tools (e.g., Tableau, Power BI).
• Experience with containerization and orchestration tools (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes).

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with cross functional teams to understand data requirements and deliver high quality data solutions.
• Develop and optimize data models to support data analytics.
• Utilize advanced analytics techniques to extract insights from large datasets and drive data driven decision making.
• Implement data validation frameworks and monitoring systems to detect and resolve data quality issues.
• Troubleshoot and resolve issues in data pipelines to ensure timely and accurate data delivery
• Work with a security-first mindset, focusing on system scalability and maintainability.
• Coach and mentor peers and emerging team members while advocating for best practices.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level