Principal Software Engineering Manager

Overview

Imagine being part of a thriving team that builds much talked about AI-powered features for planet’s most impactful Microsoft products – you can turn that imagination into reality now!

Microsoft Copilot is an AI companion that leverages deep learning and natural language processing to enhance the productivity and creativity of users in various domains. Office AI is a suite of intelligent features that enable users to interact with Office applications using natural language and voice. These features are driven by cutting-edge research and engineering in the fields of artificial intelligence, natural language understanding, speech recognition, computer vision, and human-computer interaction.

Copilot is redefining productivity through AI, and we’re looking for a passionate Principal Software Engineer Manager to lead the charge. This role blends technical excellence, people leadership, and strategic stakeholder engagement to deliver cutting-edge cloud-native solutions powered by Large Language Models (LLMs) and Generative AI (GenAI).

Why Join Us?

This is your opportunity to shape the future of productivity through AI. If you’re a passionate engineering leader with deep technical roots and a passion for empowering engineers, we invite you to be part of our journey.

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

Engineering Leadership & People Management:

• Lead and grow a high-performing engineering team, fostering a culture of innovation, accountability, and continuous learning.
• Provide mentorship, career development, and performance management for engineering ICs.
• Drive team alignment with organizational goals and ensure delivery excellence across owned workstreams.
  
  

Strategic Stakeholder Engagement

• Partner with product managers, designers and data scientists to shape product vision and execution strategy.
• Communicate technical decisions and architectural trade-offs clearly to senior leaders/stakeholders and cross-functional teams.
• Influence roadmap priorities through data-driven insights and technical feasibility assessments.
  
  

Architectural Design & Technical Oversight

• Own the end-to-end architecture of scalable, secure, and resilient cloud-native systems.
• Translate business requirements into robust technical designs that support long-term growth and agility.
• Ensure architectural consistency and technical quality across teams and projects.
  
  

Hands-On Development & Technical Depth

• Stay hands-on with code and architecture reviews, especially for critical components.
• Guide teams through complex technical challenges and foster engineering best practices.
  
  

Cloud Systems & Emerging Technologies

• Leverage deep expertise in Cloud solutions like Azure, AWS, or GCP to build and optimize cloud-native applications.
• Stay ahead of industry trends in LLMs, GenAI, and other emerging technologies, integrating them into product strategies where relevant.
  
  

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelors 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 software development experience, including leading engineering teams.
• Proven track record as a Software Architect and Engineering Manager delivering complex, scalable solutions.
• Expertise in cloud platforms and distributed systems.
• Effective communication, stakeholder management, and leadership skills.
• Proficiency in multiple programming languages and frameworks.
  

Preferred Qualifications

• Masters 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 Bachelors 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.
• 4+ years people management experience.
• Solid understanding of LLMs and GenAI (preferred).
  

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.

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