Principal Software Engineering Manager

Microsoft

7h

About The Position

This role leads Azure Compute’s image, media, and operating system (OS) servicing platforms with end‑to-end ownership of OS image creation, patching, validation, and rollout at hyperscale. It modernizes Azure’s servicing lifecycle by embedding artificial intelligence (AI) across build, validation, and release pipelines to improve security, reliability, and release confidence. The position partners with Azure Compute, Azure Core, Security, and Release organizations to define platform strategy, success metrics, and risk posture for global fleet servicing.
The role owns the architecture and evolution of AI‑powered validation, telemetry, and servicing platforms, reducing manual effort, improving signal quality, and accelerating time‑to-release. It establishes standards for secure servicing, compliance, blast‑radius reduction, and recovery across the Azure fleet. It also drives platform modernization through automation, observability, and learning systems to continuously improve quality and operational efficiency.
The position represents the organization in senior technical and business reviews, clearly articulating tradeoffs, risks, and priorities. It builds and leads multi‑team engineering organizations, fostering a culture of ownership, accountability, and AI‑assisted engineering excellence while delivering measurable improvements in security, productivity, and business agility.
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 8+ 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 12+ 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 15+ 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 people management experience.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end outcomes for Azure Compute image, media, and operating system servicing platforms, ensuring the global Azure fleet remains secure, compliant, and reliably serviced at scale.
• Lead operating system image creation, patching, validation, rollout, and recovery workflows, balancing security, reliability, and delivery speed while minimizing customer impact and service disruption.
• Partner closely with security, release, and compliance stakeholders to ensure servicing platforms meet Azure security standards, audit requirements, and regulatory obligations.
• Drive the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) across validation, quality, and risk detection systems to improve signal quality, reduce manual effort, and accelerate release readiness.
• Establish platform strategy and modernization plans that strengthen telemetry, observability, automation, and learning systems to support hyperscale servicing operations.
• Provide technical and organizational leadership across multiple engineering teams, fostering a culture of ownership, accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Represent platform health, risks, priorities, and tradeoffs in senior technical and business forums, enabling data-informed decisions and sustained customer trust.

What This Job Offers

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