Software Engineer II

With the rapid advancement of new artificial intelligence (AI) models, the Azure Core team is expanding to build the foundational platform that will support the next generation of AI workloads. We are hiring experienced engineers to join agile and inclusive teams within the Host Networking and Hardware Acceleration group. This is a unique opportunity to contribute to the infrastructure that powers Microsoft Azure, one of the world’s leading cloud platforms.

As a Software Engineer II on this team, you will help design and deploy agents into Azure that integrate hardware and software components to deliver reliable and high-performance networking for current and future Azure hosts. You will also be responsible for developing Network Interface Card (NIC) servicing software that supports AI and other Azure-based workloads.

This role is well-suited for individuals who are passionate about service-oriented architecture, distributed systems, low-level programming, operating system (OS) internals, virtualization, scalable systems, performance optimization, hardware offloading, and robust testing methodologies. The team supports flexible work arrangements, including hybrid and remote options, and values collaboration, innovation, and technical excellence.

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.

Required Qualifications: 

• Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or related technical field AND 2+ years technical engineering experience with coding in languages including, but not limited to, C, Rust, C++, or Python
  • OR equivalent experience. 

• 2+ years of experience in low-level systems development

  • Examples include work related to networking, device drivers, or similar foundational technologies

• 1+ year(s) of technical experience with computer networking

  • Includes familiarity with network protocols, configurations, or infrastructure

• 1+ year(s) of experience with general cloud technologies

  • May involve working with cloud platforms, services, or deployment models

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:              

• 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, Rust, C++, or Python
  • OR Master's Degree in Computer Science or related technical field AND 2+ years technical engineering experience with coding in languages including, but not limited to, C, Rust, C++, or Python
  • OR equivalent experience. 
  • Experience with virtualization technology (Hyper-V, KVM, VMware), microservices, service-oriented architecture, distributed systems, DPDK, CI/CD, and NIC hardware offloads is a plus.

#azurecorejobs

• Contributes to the identification of dependencies, and the development of design documents for a product area with little oversight.
• Creates and implements code for a product, service, or feature, reusing code as applicable.
• Contributes to efforts to break down larger work items into smaller work items and provides estimation.
• Acts as a Designated Responsible Individual (DRI) working on-call to monitor system/product feature/service for degradation, downtime, or interruptions and gains approval to restore system/product/service for simple problems.
• Remains current in skills by investing time and effort into staying abreast of current developments that will improve the availability, reliability, efficiency, observability, and performance of products while also driving consistency in monitoring and operations at scale.