Principal Software Engineer - CoreAI

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Join our team within CoreAI, where we are building the AI data-plane that powers all LLM inferencing workloads across Microsoft and Azure customers—from cutting-edge startups to Fortune 500 enterprises. Our converged AI fabric delivers inference capabilities for all LLMs in Microsoft catalog, including OpenAI, Mistral, Cohere, Llama, and more.

As a Principal Software Engineer - CoreAI, you will shape the future of one of the largest and fastest-growing services in Azure, foundational to Microsoft’s AI strategy. Our mission is to serve models at scale—reliably, efficiently, and with ultra-low latency—enabling a rich set of AI-powered product experiences.

This is a rapidly evolving space with immense opportunities to learn, innovate, and drive industry-wide impact.

In this role, you will:

• Drive innovation and deliver impact on a critical Azure service that underpins Microsoft’s AI vision.

• Collaborate with a world-class team of engineers, architects, and leaders committed to technical excellence and career growth.

• Innovate on product shape and offers to define how developers leverage cutting edge AI technologies and build world class applications.

• Ship new product features and improvements at a high velocity where ideas to production is a matter of week(s)

At Microsoft, our mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. We embrace a growth mindset, foster innovation, and work together to realize our shared goals. Every day, we build on our values of respect, integrity, and accountability to create a culture where everyone can thrive.

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
• 4+ years of design and problem-solving experience, with a deep understanding of system performance, scalability, and engineering best practices

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/Additional Qualifications

• Deep understanding of distributed systems specifically in request serving at scale, including high-performance storage, distributed databases, and networking across global-scale infrastructures
• Ship with high velocity and iterative approach to track north star
• Demonstrated experience in building high-quality, reliable systems at scale
• Proven ability to lead complex technical initiatives that span multiple teams and disciplines
• Customer-obsessed approach to problem solving, with empathy and a drive to deliver impactful solutions

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 posts positions for a minimum of 5 days, with applications accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.

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• Design, implement and deliver AI services to support product offerings for large-scale LLM serving.
• Collaborate closely with product management and partner teams to align technical direction with business goals.
• Coach and grow team members with design, code reviews, and mentorship serving as a role model leading product quality and velocity.
• Engage with customers to gather feedback and resolve complex issues.
• Innovate on technical solutions, and patterns that will improve the availability, reliability, efficiency, observability, and performance of products.
• Embody our culture and values