Principal UX Design Engineer

Microsoft • Redmond, WA

2d • Onsite

About The Position

The CoreAI Computational Design team is shaping the next generation of coding environments across VS Code, Azure AI Foundry, GitHub, and Visual Studio. We are looking for a π-shaped person with deep expertise in both culture (one leg of the π symbol) and coding (the other leg π symbol), and who thrives moving across the needs of humanity and the power of computation.
As coding evolves from a one-way act of writing instructions into a dialogue with agentic systems, we see new possibilities for how software can be built, deployed, and maintained. Our vision is to make this future tangible by designing experiences that feel natural to use, draw strength from scale, and create the sense of working with a true collaborator.
This role calls for someone who builds as a way of thinking; someone who sketching ideas in code, explores novel interaction paradigms, and collaborates deeply with engineers and product managers. By combining craft, curiosity, and technical precision, you’ll help bring to life the tools that empower developers to work alongside AI with trust, speed, and joy.
This role is onsite, 3 days per week in Redmond, WA.

Requirements

• Master’s Degree in Industrial Design, Product Design, Human–Computer Interaction, User Experience, Interaction Design, Computer Science, or related field AND 6+ years experience working in product or service design
• OR Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Design, Product Design, Human–Computer Interaction, User Experience, Interaction Design, Computer Science, or related field AND 8+ years experience working in product or service design
• OR equivalent experience (e.g., demonstrated experience designing and prototyping complex software systems or using design thinking to solve technical problems).

Nice To Haves

• Experience building or extending IDE, CLI, or editor-based tools for developers.
• Comfort with machine learning, the latest AI models, and model-in-the-loop prototyping.
• 5+ years full-stack or front-end development experience with expertise in modern programming languages and frameworks (e.g., TypeScript, JavaScript, Python, C#, Go, Rust, or equivalent).
• Track record of translating design insights into clean, review-ready PRs and using clear storytelling to align engineering, PM, and leadership around product direction.

Responsibilities

• Shape the frontier: Prototype and define new interaction patterns for agentic coding, from prompt-based authoring to collaborative debugging.
• Design in code: Create functional prototypes and experimental interfaces that demonstrate the potential of AI-native developer experiences.
• Bridge design and engineering: Collaborate closely with product management and engineering to translate conceptual models into performant, scalable solutions.
• Simplify the complex: Turn advanced AI capabilities into clear, intuitive workflows that make developers feel empowered. And not overwhelmed.
• Elevate craft: Champion design excellence through systems thinking, interaction detail, and thoughtful use of emerging frameworks.
• Prototype responsibly: Move fast to explore new ideas while grounding every experiment in trust, privacy, and long-term value.
• Stay curious: Continuously explore new agentic paradigms, frameworks, and prototyping tools to keep CoreAI at the forefront of the coding revolution.

Benefits

• Benefits/perks listed below may vary depending on the nature of your employment with Microsoft and the country where you work.
• Find additional benefits and pay information here: https://careers.microsoft.com/us/en/us-corporate-pay

What This Job Offers

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