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Core AI is at the forefront of Microsoft’s mission to redefine how software is built and experienced. We are responsible for building the foundational platforms, services, programming models, and developer experiences that power the next generation of applications using Generative AI. Our work enables developers and enterprises to harness the full potential of AI to create intelligent, adaptive, and transformative software.

APIs are the backbone of our connected digital world. Azure API Management, part of the Developer Division at Core AI, offers a comprehensive solution for managing the full API lifecycle—securing, governing, and controlling APIs. The platform empowers thousands of developers globally to build and manage Agentic, Web, Mobile, Event-Driven, and IoT applications. It also underpins key Microsoft services like Azure AI Foundry, Logic Apps, Copilot Studio, Power Platform, Bing, and more—enabling rich developer and consumer experiences.

Bringing simplicity to customers, creates challenging engineering opportunities in areas like scalability, high-density, multi-tenancy, high availability, user experience and developer tools.

The rise of generative AI opens new frontiers—join Azure API Management platform to help shape the future of AI developer and application workloads.

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.

In alignment with our Microsoft values, we are committed to cultivating an inclusive work environment for all employees to positively impact our culture every day.

Responsibilities

We’re looking for a Principal Software Engineer - CoreAI who is passionate about building new products in a fast-paced AI-driven world while managing a globally distributed service. The ideal candidate delivers high-quality solutions independently and thrives in a collaborative, diverse team. Versatility, quick learning, and adaptability are essential.

In this role, you’ll design and deliver the next generation of services, features, and developer tools that shape how AI applications are built and operated. You’ll work across open-source and platform components in multiple programming languages. This is a unique opportunity to contribute to large-scale distributed systems and drive initiatives central to Microsoft’s Core AI strategy.

Key Responsibilities:

+ Lead System Design & Architecture: Drive architecture discussions, author design documents, and ensure systems meet security, compliance, and scalability requirements while balancing long-term sustainability with short-term delivery.

+ Deliver High-Quality Code: Write extensible, maintainable, and performant code; debug and optimize complex systems; and uphold engineering standards through rigorous code reviews.

+ Drive Implementation & Deployment: Lead project planning and experimentation, validate the impact of changes, and ensure safe, reliable deployments across distributed environments.

+ Ensure Reliability & Operational Excellence: Maintain live site health, develop incident response playbooks, lead root cause analyses (RCAs), and implement systemic improvements to reduce incident volume and improve SLAs.

+ Advance Engineering Tools & Practices: Identify and build developer tools, apply automation in production workflows, and stay current with emerging technologies and industry trends.

+ Shape Product Strategy: Influence the product roadmap by aligning technical direction with business goals, leveraging customer feedback, data insights, and competitive analysis.

+ Foster Cross-Team Alignment: Collaborate with partner teams to deliver cohesive end-to-end experiences and ensure shared ownership of technical direction.

+ Build Core Capabilities: Design and develop foundational platform components and reusable building blocks that accelerate innovation and team velocity.

+ Other: Embody our culture and values

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 designing, building, and operating production-grade software and services at scale, with a proven track record of delivering high-impact solutions.

+ 1+ year of experience developing in AI-enhanced environments using tools like GitHub Copilot or similar.

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.

+ Experience in designing and building distributed systems and cloud-based services.

+ Deep understanding of cloud platforms such as Azure, AWS, or GCP.

+ Hands-on experience with generative AI API platforms such as Azure AI Foundry, OpenAI, Claude, or similar.

+ Familiarity with agentic protocols such as MCP or A2A is a plus.

Software Engineering IC5 - 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 posts positions for a minimum of 5 days, with applications accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.

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Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. Consistent with applicable law, 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 and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about requesting accommodations (https://careers.microsoft.com/v2/global/en/accessibility.html) .