Principal Software Engineer--M365 Storage Team

AI-Native Systems, Storage & Data Platform Architecture

We are seeking a highly technical Principal Software Engineer to drive the next generation of AI-native architecture across critical storage, database, and distributed system components. This role will lead the modernization and transformation of foundational platform technologies that power large-scale cloud services and AI workloads.

The ideal candidate possesses deep expertise in systems programming, storage architecture, distributed databases, and high-performance service design. They combine strong critical thinking with an AI-native mindset, leveraging AI not only as a productivity tool, but as a catalyst to fundamentally rethink system architecture, engineering workflows, performance optimization, reliability, and operational excellence.

This role requires both hands-on technical depth and strategic influence, shaping technologies that operate at hyperscale while delivering industry-leading reliability, scalability, efficiency, and latency characteristics.

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.

System Architecture & Platform Leadership

• Lead the architecture, design, and evolution of large-scale distributed storage, database, and data platform systems.

• Drive modernization of critical platform components to support next-generation AI and Copilot workloads.

• Re-architect legacy services and infrastructure using AI-native design principles.

• Define long-term technical strategy and architectural direction across multiple services and teams.

• Identify and eliminate architectural bottlenecks impacting scalability, reliability, performance, and operational efficiency.

Systems Programming & Performance Engineering

• Design and implement highly efficient systems-level software in languages such as C++, Rust, C#, Go, or similar.

• Drive end-to-end performance optimization across storage engines, networking, caching, concurrency control, and data access layers.

• Solve complex challenges involving high concurrency, low latency, throughput optimization, and resource efficiency.

• Lead root-cause analysis and resolution of difficult production issues involving distributed systems and storage infrastructure.

• Establish engineering standards and best practices for performance-critical software development.

Storage & Database Innovation

• Design and optimize storage engines, database architectures, replication technologies, indexing systems, and data management frameworks.

• Lead innovation in areas such as:

  • High availability and disaster recovery

  • Data durability and consistency

  • Replication and synchronization

  • Metadata management

  • Query optimization

  • Storage efficiency and cost optimization

  • Intelligent caching and tiering

• Drive architectural improvements that enable large-scale AI and retrieval-driven workloads.

AI-Native Transformation

• Champion AI-native engineering practices across architecture, development, testing, and operations.

• Apply AI-assisted approaches to system design, performance analysis, reliability engineering, and operational automation.

• Identify opportunities to redesign products and platforms around emerging AI capabilities instead of incrementally enhancing legacy models.

• Build frameworks and workflows that integrate AI into engineering decision-making and operational management.

• Influence the organization's AI transformation strategy through thought leadership and technical innovation.

• 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.
• Extensive industry experience building large-scale cloud services, distributed systems, storage platforms, or database systems.
• Solid understanding of operating systems, memory management, threading, synchronization, networking, and I/O subsystems.
• Expert knowledge of distributed system design and architecture.
• Proven experience designing or operating large-scale storage and database platforms.
• Solid understanding of storage engines, database internals, replication mechanisms, transaction processing, consistency models, fault tolerance, high availability architectures, and data durability strategies.
• Experience with large-scale data platforms supporting mission-critical workloads.
• Demonstrated success building systems that operate at hyperscale.
• Experience designing and supporting high-concurrency architectures, low-latency services, and high-throughput systems, with expertise in service resiliency, performance tuning, capacity management, and production operations.
• Ability to diagnose and resolve problems across complex distributed environments.
• Solid interest and demonstrated experience applying AI to engineering workflows and product architectures.
• Ability to critically evaluate emerging AI technologies and identify transformational opportunities.
• Experience using AI-assisted development, design, diagnostics, automation, or operational workflows.
• Passion for reimagining platforms and engineering systems through AI-driven innovation.
• Exceptional analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to navigate ambiguity and drive clarity in highly complex technical domains.
• Solid architecture review and design evaluation skills.
• Proven influence across organizations without direct authority.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills with engineers, architects, product leaders, and executives.

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.