Principal Applied Scientist

Senior • On-site

$139,900 - $274,800/yr

Redmond, WA

Overview

Microsoft Teams is the hub for teamwork that integrates the people, content, and tools your team needs to be more engaged and effective. It is at the core of Microsoft’s modern work, life, and education value proposition. We are reinventing the way people communicate and work together across the globe. We are looking for a Principal Applied Scientist for the Microsoft Teams Calling, Meeting & Devices group.

This person will collaborate with a multi-functional group to deliver next generation innovations and experiences leveraging, fine tuning, and prompting engineering foundation models. Partner with product and engineering teams to invent and deliver the future for Microsoft CoPilot and other generative AI products.

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.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

Bachelor's Degree in Statistics, Econometrics, Computer Science, Electrical or Computer Engineering, or related field AND 6+ years related experience (e.g., statistics, predictive analytics, research)
- OR Master's Degree in Statistics, Econometrics, Computer Science, Electrical or Computer Engineering, or related field AND 4+ years related experience (e.g., statistics, predictive analytics, research)
- OR Doctorate in Statistics, Econometrics, Computer Science, Electrical or Computer Engineering, or related field AND 3+ years related experience (e.g., statistics, predictive analytics, research)
- OR equivalent experience.
Experience conducting applied science experiments, creating and validating metrics, and working with ML pipeline and modeling algorithms in the area of Large Language Models, Natural Language Processing, Information Retrieval, and Machine Learning. 
Experience developing and deploying conversational and language understanding models at scale. 
Experience with commercial product development and a commitment to improving user experiences.

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 Qualifications:

5+ years of experience in software development, preferred hands-on experience on developing AI Applications.
Experience with Systems Design and Development in AI.
Experience following and advancing best practices for Responsible AI and Privacy Preserving Machine Learning.

Applied Sciences IC5 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $139,900 - $274,800 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 $188,000 - $304,200 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 October 10, 2025.

Embody our culture and values

Responsibilities

Design, implement, validate, and ship AI-powered features end-to-end for Microsoft Teams across desktop, web, and mobile clients.
Collaborate with Program Managers, Designers, and Researchers to define product requirements, timelines, and measurable success criteria.
Maintain and improve system performance, reliability, latency, and scalability of AI-powered features in production.
Participate in code reviews, debugging, telemetry reviews, and continuous delivery processes.
Champion a culture of scientific rigor, ethical AI, and innovation across the team.
Communicate scientific findings and technical designs clearly to product and engineering leadership.
Drive exploration of hybrid AI experiences (cloud + edge + LLM) for responsiveness, privacy, and enterprise value.
Collaborate closely with Microsoft Research, Microsoft AI groups, Microsoft Azure, AI platform teams, and product teams to create the next generation of AI innovation in our products and services.
Prompt tuning, fine tuning, and RAG system development.
Evaluation, A/B testing, and experimentation.
Embody our culture and values.

Microsoft

Microsoft is a global technology company that focuses on empowering every person and organization to achieve more. With a mission to deliver the core infrastructure and foundational technologies for Microsoft's online businesses, including Bing, MSN, Office 365, Xbox Live, Teams, OneDrive, and the Microsoft Azure platform, the company is dedicated to powering the 'Intelligent Cloud' mission. Microsoft values respect, integrity, and accountability, and fosters a culture of inclusion where employees can thrive. The company is committed to continuous improvement and collaboration to drive innovation and provide high-quality results to customers. With a diverse and inclusive workforce, Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer.