Principal Software Engineering Manager
Microsoft
Principal Software Engineering Manager
Multiple Locations, United States
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Overview
As a Principal Software Engineering Manager, you will play a pivotal role in transforming how Copilot features are developed and evaluated. Your team will deliver end-to-end experimentation, evaluation, and validation capabilities to empower Copilot engineers, product managers, and data scientists. You’ll lead the development of the platform that orchestrates the offline evaluation lifecycle—including tenant and resource management, user activity data generation, data hydration and injection, and chaos engineering. This role offers a unique opportunity to dive deep into Copilot technologies, build critical skills for the AI era, and accelerate your career growth.
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
Required 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.
- 6+ years of experience in Software Engineering, DevOps, Site Reliability engineering or similar roles directly supporting development and quality in a product engineering team environment.
- 4+ years of experience leading and managing technical teams.
- 3+ years of experience owning and delivering large-scale projects involving multiple engineers.
- Strong communication and collaboration skills, with a commitment to fostering inclusive team environments.
- Enthusiasm for learning new technologies and solving complex challenges.
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.
- Demonstrated ability to lead with empathy, support team growth, and foster well-being.
- Strong analytical and data-driven problem-solving skills with a high standard for engineering excellence.
- Proven success collaborating across disciplines and driving alignment in cross-functional teams.
- Adaptable, self-motivated, and comfortable navigating ambiguity in dynamic environments.
Software Engineering M5 - 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 for the role until October 15, 2025.
Responsibilities
- Lead platform development and scaling to meet customer requirements, applying best practices to ensure performance and reliability. Take accountability for products that do not meet expectations.
- Collaborate with cross-functional stakeholders (e.g., Product Management, Data Science, Engineering Leadership) to define and prioritize user requirements across teams.
- Guide the team in identifying dependencies and developing design documents for products, applications, services, or platforms.
- Drive planning and execution of multiple group projects, including release planning and coordination of work items with relevant stakeholders.
- Serve as a subject matter expert and Designated Responsible Individual (DRI); be available on-call to mitigate system or service degradation and minimize downtime or interruptions.