Principal Software Engineer

Microsoft • Redmond, WA

23h

About The Position

Microsoft is a company where passionate innovators come to collaborate, envision what can be, and take their careers to levels they cannot achieve anywhere else. This is a world of more possibilities, more innovation, more openness in a cloud-enabled world. The Business & Industry Copilots group is a rapidly growing organization responsible for Microsoft Dynamics 365, Copilot Studio, Power Apps, Power Automate, Dataverse, Microsoft Industry Solutions, and more. Microsoft is considered one of the leaders in Software as a Service in the world of business applications, and this organization is at the heart of how business applications are designed and delivered. We are looking for a Principal Software Engineer to join our team! This is an exciting time to work on something highly strategic to Microsoft. Microsoft Dataverse is the data cloud behind mission-critical business apps and agentic experiences—operating at unmatched scale: 6M+ Azure SQL databases, 2T+ weekly transactions, and 30M+ weekly active users. At the heart of this platform, the Data Engine team owns SQL availability and performance for the world’s largest Azure SQL deployment and the data access/authorization plane for many Fortune 500 customers with 100TB-class datasets and 100K-user workloads. Our unique challenge? Deliver best-in-class quality of service while driving down cost and improving gross margin in a multi-tenant environment. Join us to design and operate the data platform that enables enterprise users and agents to reason over business data—fast, resilient, secure, and cost-efficient. You’ll work alongside world-class engineers solving complex problems at cloud scale with impeccable quality. 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.

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.
• Travel: Occasional travel (0% to 25%) is expected in this role.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s Degree in Computer Science or related technical field AND 12+ years technical engineering experience OR Bachelor’s Degree AND 15+ years technical engineering experience with coding in languages including, but not limited to, C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, or Python OR equivalent experience.
• Proficiency in performance analysis and SQL query tuning, knowledge of SQL server internals.
• Experience in agentic AI technologies and workflows, including building systems that enable autonomous decision-making, orchestration, and safe execution of AI-driven processes within enterprise environments.
• Proficiency in Python for automation, data processing, or integration with cloud services and AI workflows.
• Experience leading engineering teams in the design, implementation, and operation of large-scale, distributed platforms or services.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design and architecture of highly available, multi-tenant SQL data platforms at massive scale—powering 6M+ databases, 2T+ weekly transactions, and 30M+ active users.
• Set technical direction for complex initiatives that deliver secure, performant, and cost-efficient solutions for Fortune 500 customers with 100TB-class datasets and 100K-user workloads.
• Architect and evolve systems to optimize resource utilization and gross margin, leveraging metrics-driven strategies for intelligent load balancing across database pools.
• Build advanced automation for deployment, monitoring, diagnostics, and self-healing, reducing operational overhead and improving live-site resilience for the world’s largest Azure SQL footprint.
• Identify and address recurring issues or emerging trends, driving initiatives such as enhanced observability, recovery strategies, and preventive engineering to protect customer experience.
• Champion continuous improvements by filing impactful bugs, proposing design changes, and ensuring timely delivery of fixes to maintain reliability and compliance.
• Adapt architecture and services to enable agentic AI workflows, ensuring secure and scalable data access patterns for autonomous applications.
• Navigate ambiguity and high-stakes scenarios with resilience and clarity, making sound technical decisions under uncertainty.
• Communicate technical vision and recommendations effectively, influencing stakeholders and fostering strong partnerships to deliver business-critical outcomes.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Principal
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees