Sr. Software Engineer - Distributed Systems
About The Position
Microsoft's Azure Data engineering team is leading the transformation of analytics in the world of data with products like databases, data integration, big data analytics, messaging & real-time analytics, and business intelligence. The products our portfolio include Microsoft Fabric, Azure SQL DB, Azure Cosmos DB, Azure PostgreSQL, Azure Data Factory, Azure Synapse Analytics, Azure Service Bus, Azure Event Grid, and Power BI. Our mission is to build the data platform for the age of AI, powering a new class of data-first applications and driving a data culture. Within Azure Data, the messaging and real-time analytics team provides comprehensive solutions and a robust platform that enables users to ingest high granularity signals (real-time & observability) and complex data, converting those into a competitive advantage in real-time for both end users and modern applications. The Azure Event Grid's Engine engineering team is hiring a talented and highly motivated Senior Software Engineer to lead the design and implementation of solutions for the next generation of PubSub for customers across the globe. Our team needs an engineer with deep understanding in architecting distributed systems, analyzing complex requirements, and driving end-to-end delivery of large-scale services. As a senior engineer on our team, you will own the technical design of key system components, define architectural patterns for scalability and reliability, mentor fellow engineers, lead design and code reviews, and collaborate across teams to shape the long-term technical direction of the service. You will also partner with customers to unblock adoption scenarios and drive operational excellence to keep the service running at the highest bar of availability. We do not just value differences or different perspectives. We seek them out and invite them in so we can tap into the collective power of everyone in the company. As a result, our customers are better served.
Requirements
- Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or related technical field AND 4+ 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 6+ years technical engineering experience with coding in languages including, but not limited to, C#/.NET or equivalent backend languages OR 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#/.NET or equivalent backend languages.
- Proven experience designing and delivering large scale backend or distributed systems
- Experience leading technical design for services or platforms
- Experience designing, implementing, deploying, and operating scalable cloud services
- Track record of owning critical systems with high reliability and operational excellence
- Experience collaborating across engineering, product, and operations teams
- Proficiency in C#, Java, Go, or similar backend languages
- Deep understanding of distributed systems, service reliability, and performance optimization
Responsibilities
- Drives requirements and design by partnering with stakeholders (e.g., program managers, technical leads, architects) to define and refine requirements for messaging system features. Proactively leverages telemetry, customer feedback channels, and usage patterns to inform architectural decisions and shape the product roadmap. Establishes continuous feedback loops that measure customer value, reliability metrics, and operational health to guide future design iterations.
- Owns design and implementation of highly available, distributed messaging components in the cloud. Architects extensible, maintainable solutions that prioritize diagnosability, reliability, and resilience at scale. Champions coding best practices, design patterns, and reusable frameworks across the team. Ensures code is production-ready with minimal defects and mentors other engineers on code quality standards through hands-on guidance and thorough code reviews.
- Defines the test strategy for messaging system components, establishing clear quality gates and success criteria across unit, integration, and end-to-end tests. Drives test coverage improvements, removes obsolete tests, and identifies gaps in the testing framework. Leads efforts to integrate automation into CI/CD pipelines, ensuring that messaging reliability and performance are continuously validated under realistic workloads.
- Elevates engineering productivity by identifying tooling gaps in the development lifecycle for cloud messaging systems. Designs and builds internal tools, frameworks, and libraries that accelerate development, debugging, and operational workflows. Evaluates and advocates for open-source solutions where appropriate. Mentors the team on adopting modern tooling practices and fosters a culture of continuous improvement in developer experience.
- Leads incident response and operational excellence as a Designated Responsible Individual (DRI), monitoring messaging systems for degradation, downtime, or service interruptions. Drives rapid root-cause analysis and resolution for complex distributed systems issues, coordinates with cross-functional teams, and communicates status to stakeholders. Ensures response within SLA timeframes, authors post-incident reviews, and drives systemic improvements to prevent recurrence.
- Embody our culture and values
Benefits
- Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here: https://careers.microsoft.com/us/en/us-corporate-pay
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
