Senior & Principal Software Engineer - Systems & Infrastructure

Overview Team Purpose The Artificial Intelligence (AI) Infrastructure Engineering Systems team at Microsoft builds the cloud platform, engineering infrastructure, and developer systems that enable teams to develop, deploy, and operate AI services at scale. You will help create foundational capabilities spanning data infrastructure, storage systems, streaming platforms, traffic and network infrastructure, observability, security, and service lifecycle management. Working with AI researchers, product engineers, and hardware teams, you will help provide reliable and consistent paths from development to production within a multidisciplinary, collaborative, and inclusive engineering team. We are tackling complex, open-ended infrastructure challenges, evolving existing production systems while building the next generation of infrastructure for AI workloads, where engineers have the opportunity to help shape both the technical direction and the solutions. Role Summary As a Senior or Principal Software Engineer, Systems and Infrastructure in the AI Infrastructure Engineering Systems team, you will own technical strategy and solution architecture for broad or complex infrastructure requirements. You will design and improve large-scale distributed systems, drive observability and production automation, and guide secure, reliable, and cost-effective solutions across data, storage, streaming, traffic, network, and other foundational platforms. You will collaborate across teams, influence relevant open-source projects, mentor engineers, and iteratively deliver software that supports Microsoft's products and AI services at scale. You will navigate ambiguous problem spaces, independently identify and prioritize technical challenges, and translate loosely defined requirements into pragmatic architectures and working systems. This opportunity will allow you to lead complex distributed-system designs, advance engineering practices across foundational infrastructure, and grow your technical influence across teams and open-source communities. 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 Own technical strategy and lead architecture discussions for broad or complex infrastructure requirements, evaluating design hypotheses, trade-offs, dependencies, and long-term system needs. Design, implement, and optimize large-scale distributed systems for performance, scalability, resiliency, security, privacy, compliance, and cost efficiency. Improve system observability and understandability through metrics, logging, telemetry, and tools that support developer productivity and reliable operation. Independently create test strategies, incorporate security testing, improve test coverage, and address difficult-to-test areas through design or rearchitecture. Diagnose production issues, conduct incident retrospectives, implement preventive actions, and drive automation across production deployment and routine operations. Participate in and influence relevant open-source projects, and identify or build reusable internal and open-source tools that improve engineering effectiveness. Communicate with stakeholders and partner teams, resolve cross-team dependencies, mentor engineers, and iteratively deliver software at scale. Collaborate across infrastructure and AI teams to improve the performance, efficiency, and reliability of large-scale AI workloads, including model inference. Drive complex, ambiguous infrastructure initiatives from problem discovery through architecture, implementation, and production, making sound technical decisions and navigating trade-offs with incomplete information. Qualifications Required 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, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, or Python OR equivalent experience. 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. Preferred Qualifications Master'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 Bachelor'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 equivalent experience. Experience architecting, building, and operating large-scale distributed systems. Experience developing backend services, databases, data infrastructure, storage systems, streaming platforms, or network infrastructure. Experience with cloud platforms, container orchestration, or distributed data-processing technologies. Experience influencing open-source projects or participating in open-source project management and governance. Demonstrated ability to independently navigate ambiguous technical challenges, define problems, evaluate architectural trade-offs, and deliver solutions in complex, evolving environments. Familiarity with AI/ML infrastructure concepts, such as model inference, GPU computing, model serving, or distributed training. Software Engineering IC4 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $119,800 - $234,700 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 $160,200 - $261,000 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 Software Engineering IC5 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $142,800 - $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.