Microsoft
Principal Data Engineer
$166K–$331K
Redmond, WA · On-site · Principal · Full-time · Posted Sep 30, 2026
- Experience
- 8+ years required; preferred alternatives are 12+ years with a Master's Degree, or 15+ years with a Bachelor's Degree, or equivalent experience.
- Education
- Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or related technical field, or equivalent experience.
About the job
Leads the design, implementation, and operation of scalable data platforms, while guiding engineering quality and responsible AI-assisted development.
What you'll do
- Architect and build ETL workflows, data pipelines, data models, APIs, and production deployments.
- Own system design, reliability, security, cost, monitoring, incident resolution, and operational improvements.
- Apply and validate AI across engineering work, and mentor engineers and align partner teams.
What they ask for
- 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.
- Hands-on expertise in ETL, data pipelines, data modeling, and distributed systems.
- Proficiency in Apache Spark, Python, and SQL.
Nice to have
- Master's Degree in Computer Science or related technical field AND 12+ years technical engineering experience, or Bachelor's Degree in the field AND 15+ years, or equivalent experience.
- Experience building data platforms for experimentation, metrics, and scorecards; experience in Databricks like platforms.
Pay
USD $165,600 - $296,400 per year (base salary); USD $220,800 - $331,200 per year (base salary)
Tools
Apache Spark, Python, SQL, Delta Lake, Parquet, Infrastructure as Code, CI/CD, RBAC
AI focus
Apply AI across design, coding, testing, and troubleshooting; validate AI-generated work and advance effective, responsible AI-assisted engineering practices.
Model-written summary · the original posting is authoritative