Principal Software Engineer
Content + Source + Freshness • 14 Dec 2025 • 95% confidence
Offer value
The role presents a unique opportunity to influence security technology at scale, featuring competitive compensation and significant project visibility.
- Compensation: $139,900–$274,800/year
- Leadership in critical security platform projects
- High exposure to innovative security challenges
- Requires substantive experience (6+ years)
Pros
- Cutting-edge projects aimed at improving security for organizations
- High salary range with comprehensive benefits
- Opportunity to lead in complex, impactful security initiatives
Cons
- Potential for high-pressure environment with critical responsibilities
- Requires advanced experience which may limit candidates
- Limited work-life balance due to project demands
Who it's for
Senior to Principal • Hybrid/office with no travel
Good fit
- Experienced engineers focused on security solutions
- Leaders eager to influence organizational security practices
- Professionals committed to enhancing data governance
Not recommended for
- Entry-level candidates or those new to security roles
- Individuals who prefer minimal responsibility
- Candidates without strong problem-solving skills
Motivation fit
Key skills
About the job
Principal Software Engineer
Redmond, Washington, United States
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Overview
Security represents the most critical priorities for our customers in a world awash in digital threats, regulatory scrutiny, and estate complexity. Microsoft Security aspires to make the world a safer place for all. We want to reshape security and empower every user, customer, and developer with a security cloud that protects them with end to end, simplified solutions. The Microsoft Security organization accelerates Microsoft’s mission and bold ambitions to ensure that our company and industry is securing digital technology platforms, devices, and clouds in our customers’ heterogeneous environments, as well as ensuring the security of our own internal estate. Our culture is centered on embracing a growth mindset, a theme of inspiring excellence, and encouraging teams and leaders to bring their best each day. In doing so, we create life-changing innovations that impact billions of lives around the world.
We are building a platform to process, store, and analyze large volumes of data. The platform enables organizations of all sizes to manage and govern their on-premises, multi-cloud, and software as a service (SaaS) data. The platform provides a more holistic understanding of the hybrid data estate, which is always kept up to date with automated data discovery and sensitive data classification.
In addition to empowering knowledge workers, this understanding, along with insights from sensitivity, business context, and relationships between data assets is also being used by teams working under the Chief Data Officers (CDO), the Chief Information and Security Officers (CIO and CISO) and the Chief Risk and Compliance Officers (CRO and CCO) to govern, protect, and manage data more effectively.
We are looking for a Principal Software Engineer to build next generation security data platform and partner with several teams in Microsoft Security and Azure organization to make architectural decisions in an ambiguous space. Join the transformative journey, where we are revolutionizing security, governance, and compliance solutions across Microsoft and other cloud environments. As an engineer on our team, you will develop of core services that form the foundation of the platform. This platform empowers applications focused on security, governance, and compliance, providing unified experience for managing data across multiple clouds.
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
Qualifications - 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.
- 5+ years of experience with distributed systems delivering large-scale, secure, and resilient cloud services
- 5+ years of experience as a software engineer/leader designing, implementing, and shipping cloud services or software products.
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 background and Microsoft Cloud background check upon hire/transfer and every two years thereafter.
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 and processes offers for these roles on an ongoing basis.
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Responsibilities
We are looking for a Principal Software Engineer who have a track record of success, who deliver results, and who have a background in developing scalable and secure services. Your role encompasses critical responsibilities such as provisioning, flighting, billing, security, redundancy, and other fundamental capabilities of the platform. This presents an opportunity to leverage your expertise in building and operating high-scale distributed services in the cloud. You will prototype solutions, provide alternatives, and make calls in ambiguous situations. Collaboration with stakeholders, disciplines, and architects will be key to delivering an exceptional platform/product to our partners and customers. Embrace this significant challenge and join us in creating a remarkable impact.
