Microsoft
Principal Software Engineer
$143K–$331K
Redmond, WA +1 · On-site · Principal · Full-time · Posted Feb 24, 2026
- Location
- Redmond, WA
United States - Experience
- 6+ years technical engineering experience; preferred: 4+ years in system-level enterprise backend features and 2+ years in distributed cloud services.
- Education
- Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or related technical discipline, or equivalent experience.
About the job
Leads architecture and engineering innovation for Azure PostgreSQL database systems, including core database engine areas and live-service operations.
What you'll do
- Oversee and document system architecture and create strategic architecture roadmaps.
- Set and uphold engineering practices for maintainable code, reviews, and quality; write proof-of-concept or production code as needed.
- Maintain the live service through rotational on-call support.
What they ask for
- Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or a related technical discipline and 6+ years of technical engineering experience coding in languages including C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, or Python, or equivalent experience.
- Ability to pass the Microsoft Cloud Background Check upon hire or transfer and every two years thereafter.
Nice to have
- 4+ years developing and shipping system-level features in enterprise production backend servers; 2+ years building and supporting production-grade distributed cloud services.
- Experience with PostgreSQL or similar database internals, distributed systems, and strong guarantees; understanding of data structures and algorithms.
Pay
USD $142,800 - $274,800 per year (base pay); USD $188,000 - $304,200 per year (base pay); USD $165,600 - $296,400 per year (base pay); USD $220,800 - $331,200 per year (base pay)
Tools
C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, Python, PostgreSQL, Linux
AI focus
The team builds AI-enabled operational databases and a data platform for AI; this role focuses on PostgreSQL engine innovation, with no specific AI development duties stated.
Model-written summary · the original posting is authoritative