Microsoft
Principal Optical Engineer
$143K–$304K
Mountain View, CA +4 · On-site · Principal · Full-time · Posted Oct 21, 2026
- Location
- Mountain View, CA
Redmond, WA
Austin, TX
Hillsboro, OR
Raleigh, NC - Experience
- Required: 7+ years with a relevant master's degree, or 8+ years with a relevant bachelor's degree, or equivalent experience. Preferred qualifications include 10+ years of technical engineering experience and 10+ years developing and delivering optical interconnect products.
- Education
- Relevant master's degree or bachelor's degree as specified, or equivalent experience.
About the job
Leads productization, qualification, manufacturing readiness, and fleet-scale deployment of optical interconnect solutions for Microsoft cloud and AI infrastructure.
What you'll do
- Translate approved optical architectures into product requirements, interfaces, acceptance criteria, and implementation plans.
- Drive optical interconnects from product definition through integration, qualification, manufacturing ramp, and fleet deployment.
- Lead cross-functional and supplier efforts on validation, issue resolution, production readiness, and deployment risks.
What they ask for
- Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field and 7+ years of technical engineering experience; or bachelor's degree in one of these fields or related field and 8+ years; or equivalent experience.
- Ability to meet Microsoft, customer, and/or government security screening requirements, including the Microsoft Cloud Background Check.
Nice to have
- Bachelor’s degree in Optical Engineering, Photonics, Electrical Engineering, Physics, or a related field and 10+ years of technical engineering experience, or equivalent experience.
- Experience developing and deploying optical interconnect hardware, leading its productization and manufacturing, and working with internal and external partners.
Pay
USD $142,800 - $274,800 per year (base salary); USD $188,000 - $304,200 per year (base salary)
Tools
112G/224G-class electrical interfaces, PAM4, MPO, MMC, LC, DVT, DOE, FMEA
AI focus
Leads optical interconnect productization and deployment for cloud and AI infrastructure.
Model-written summary · the original posting is authoritative