Microsoft Azure is in the cloud race to win it! We are part of the Azure networking team responsible for designing, building, and operating critical network services that will help us differentiate from our fierce competitors and generate new revenue. We are responsible for connecting our world-wide cloud datacenters and enabling enterprises to connect their on-premises networks and devices to the cloud, in the most secure and performant way possible. Our team also builds application delivery services such as load balancing and firewalls. At the core of these services is a solid Software-Defined Networking (SDN) and Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) infrastructure, to autonomously manage the network with continuous innovation to improve agility, scalability, reliability, and cost effectiveness of our services. We are looking for a **Principal Software Engineer** who will serve as the subject matter expert (SME) and be responsible for defining the technical direction for the next level of scale and performance of the control plane. This role focuses on building and evolving high-impact network services that deliver reliable connectivity, security, and application delivery at cloud scale. 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. **Responsibilities** + Partner with stakeholders to deeply understand user requirements and translate them into scalable technical solutions. + Drive the design and architecture of complex systems, identifying dependencies and producing high-quality design documents for services and platforms. + Lead by example in producing extensible, maintainable, and high-performance code that is used across products. + Act as the technical lead across multiple teams, influencing project plans, release strategies, and engineering execution through deep cross-domain expertise. + Serve as a Designated Responsible Individual (DRI), owning the reliability and operational excellence of critical services, and mentoring others in on-call best practices. + Continuously explore and adopt new technologies, patterns, and practices to improve availability, reliability, observability, and performance at scale. + Champion consistency in monitoring, diagnostics, and operational tooling across services. + Other: + Embody our Culture (https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/about/corporate-values) and Values (https://careers.microsoft.com/us/en/culture) **Qualifications** **Required/Minimum Qualifications:** + Bachelor'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, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, or Python + OR equivalent experience. + Experience in cloud computing or building large scale backend services. **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. **Additional or Preferred Qualifications:** + Master'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 Bachelor'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 equivalent experience. Software Engineering 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 August 15, 2025. \#azurecorejobs Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. Consistent with applicable law, all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran or military status, race, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about requesting accommodations (https://careers.microsoft.com/v2/global/en/accessibility.html) .