Principal Software Engineer

Do you enjoy solving complex technical problems on a global scale? Microsoft AI Monetization is building the next generation of privacypreserving measurement and data collaboration systems. As digital advertising evolves, advertisers need accurate, privacysafe ways to understand performance and optimize spend. The Measurement & Data Collaboration Engineering team delivers secure, compliant technology that enables data collaboration without compromising user trust. As Principal Software Engineer, Microsoft AI Monetization, you will architect and build the most impactful systems to achieve this mission while demonstrating excellence to elevate your team as a technical leader.

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.

Starting January 26, 2026, Microsoft AI (MAI) employees who live within a 50- mile commute of a designated Microsoft office in the U.S. or 25-mile commute of a non-U.S., country-specific location are expected to work from the office at least four days per week. This expectation is subject to local law and may vary by jurisdiction.

• Architect and build highly scalable backend services and data pipelines that support privacypreserving measurement and analytics scenarios using C# or Java.
• Design secure data collaboration workflows across multiple parties using modern privacy technologies, governance controls, and minimumaggregation protections.
• Lead engineering direction for highreliability ingestion and processing systems with clear SLOs, solid resiliency, and toptier operational excellence.
• Drive integrations with external data and measurement partners, designing stable interfaces, schema governance patterns, and robust validation.
• Champion engineering quality: design reviews, automated testing, monitoring/alerting, and production readiness.
• Mentor and guide engineers across the team, strengthening system design depth, architectural thinking, and execution rigor.
• Collaborate closely with product, data science, privacy, and security teams to translate measurement needs into scalable platform capabilities.
• Guide the ENG team with best practices leveraging AI dev tools across the software development lifecycle (SDLC).

Required:

• 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.
• 6+ years of experience building and operating largescale distributed systems, backend services, or data platforms.
• Expertise in cloud infrastructure (Azure, AWS, or GCP), including service design, storage, compute, networking, application and network security, and CI/CD pipelines.
• Demonstrated leadership driving technical architecture, crossteam execution, and mentoring senior engineers.
• Experience with secure data processing, privacypreserving techniques, access control, or data governance.

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:

• 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 12+ years technical engineering experience with coding in languages including, but not limited to, C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, or Python
  • OR equivalent experience.
• 7+ years of experience building andoperatinglargescale distributed systems, backend services, or data platforms.
• Background in advertising, marketing technology, attribution, or largescale analytics.
• Familiarity with privacyenhancing technologies such as differential privacy, minimum aggregation, or secure computation patterns.
• Experience integrating thirdparty (vendor/partner) platforms, identity systems, or data collaboration technologies.

#MicrosoftAI

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

This position will be open for a minimum of 5 days, with applications accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.

Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. 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 with religious accommodations and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about requesting accommodations.