Principal Software Engineer

Microsoft is a company where passionate innovators come to collaborate, envision what can be and take their careers further. This is a world of more possibilities, more innovation, more openness, and the sky is the limit thinking in a cloud-enabled world.

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 databases team builds and maintains Microsoft's operational Database systems. We store and manage data in a structured way to enable multitude of applications across various industries. We are on a journey to enable developer friendly, mission-critical, AI enabled operational Databases across relational, non-relational and OSS offerings.

The Cosmos DB High Availability (HA) team is hiring a Principal Software Engineer to lead efforts across scalability, reliability, and service resiliency. In this role, you will work on cutting-edge distributed systems that power globally available, low-latency data platforms.

The Principal Software Engineer will lead the design and development of features that improve Cosmos DB’s availability and operational posture while driving engineering standards and leading complex Livesite investigations. You will also work closely with enterprise customers, engaging directly with their engineering leadership and troubleshooting deeply technical issues including networking, performance, and service integration challenges.

This is a hands-on role that spans architecture, implementation, and operational excellence. If you are passionate about distributed systems, cloud-scale reliability, and engineering craftsmanship, we’d love to meet you.

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.

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. 

In alignment with our Microsoft values, we are committed to cultivating an inclusive work environment for all employees to positively impact our culture every day. 

Required/Minimum Qualifications

• 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.
  
• 5+ years' expertise in diagnosing and mitigating complex Livesite issues in production environments.
• 2+ years' of proven track record interfacing with enterprise customers and representing engineering in high-stakes technical discussions.
• Leadership experience in engineering excellence and driving initiatives around quality, observability, and security.

Other Requirements

• 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.

Preferred/Additional Qualifications

• Master's Degree in Computer Science or related technical field AND 10+ 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.
• Proficient in networking stack (e.g., DNS, TCP/IP, TLS, load balancing) with experience debugging network-level failures.
• Hands-on experience with NoSQL systems (e.g., Cosmos DB, DynamoDB, Cassandra) and distributed data models.
• Experience leading engineering efforts in high-availability, mission-critical environments.

Software Engineering IC6 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $163,000 - $296,400 per year. There is a different range applicable to specific work locations, within the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area, and the base pay range for this role in those locations is USD $220,800 - $331,200 per year.

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

Microsoft will accept applications for the role until June 6, 2025

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• Architect, design, and build scalable and distributed systems to improve availability and resilience of Cosmos DB.
• Drive complex Livesite investigations, coordinating across teams to resolve incidents and implement long-term fixes.
• Lead adoption of engineering best practices ensuring code quality, security, telemetry, and operational readiness.
• Establish and track key metrics for availability, quality, and performance; use data to drive continuous improvement.
• Troubleshoot deeply technical issues including networking, failover, data replication, and traffic routing.
• Engage directly with customers and their engineering leadership to provide technical guidance and build confidence.
• Partner with other teams across Azure to align on architecture, roadmap, and incident response.
• Mentor engineers, promote a growth mindset, and foster a collaborative and inclusive team culture.
• Influence the long-term technical strategy and evolution of the Cosmos DB platform.
• Other
  • Embody our culture and values