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The Microsoft Federal organization was established to address the unique mission, legal/regulatory requirements, and procurement rules and processes of the United States Government (USG). Microsoft Federal is committed to ensuring its resources – including appropriately qualified, experienced, and certified personnel (with necessary security clearances or otherwise) are available as needed to meet USG evolving needs. To that end, Microsoft embraces, as a mission-critical philosophy, flexibility in the recruiting, hiring, and workforce assignment of Microsoft Federal personnel. Microsoft Federal personnel can expect to serve in various roles in the Microsoft Federal organization during the course of their career to meet evolving USG needs, regardless of segment – Civilian, Defense, or intelligence community.

We are seeking an experienced Principal Network Solutions Architect to lead the design, implementation, and governance of complex networking projects. This role involves collaborating with internal teams and external stakeholders to deliver secure, scalable, and cost-effective solutions that meet customer requirements.

Microsoft is on a mission to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. Our culture is centered on embracing a growth mindset, a theme of inspiring excellence, and encouraging teams and leaders to bring their best each day. Growth mindset encourages each of us to lean in and learn what matters most to our customers, to create the foundational knowledge that enables us to make customer-first decisions in everything we do. In doing so, we create life-changing innovations that impact billions of lives around the world. You can help us achieve our mission.

Responsibilities

+ Gather and validate customer and partner requirements to shape networking solutions and project plans.

+ Define and document solution architecture, ensuring clear communication of value propositions and technical approach.

+ Collaborate with Project Managers, technical leads, and account teams to drive governance, design, build, and deployment of proofs of concept and pilots.

+ Identify and mitigate business and technical risks throughout the project lifecycle.

+ Lead adoption of Microsoft technologies, differentiating solutions against competitors and demonstrating business value.

+ Build strong relationships with senior stakeholders to influence decisions and resolve blockers.

+ Mentor junior team members and share best practices across internal communities.

+ Participate in industry events and represent Microsoft through presentations and thought leadership.

+ Ensure quality standards, cost-effectiveness, and adherence to agreed methodologies (Agile, Waterfall, etc.).

+ Oversee delivery of consulting engagements and manage complex, ambiguous scenarios with innovative solutions.

Other

+ Embody our Culture (https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/about/corporate-values) and Values (https://careers.microsoft.com/us/en/culture)

Qualifications

Required/minimum qualifications

Master's Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, or related field AND 6+ years experience in technology solutions, practice development, architecture, consulting, and/or technology domain (e.g., Security) OR Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, or related field AND 8+ years experience in technology solutions, practice development, architecture, consulting, and/or technology domain (e.g., Security) OR equivalent experience.

2+ years managing multiple projects or portfolios.

1+ year(s) experience leading blended, multidisciplinary teams.

6+ years as a network engineer or technical program manager.

2+ years in architecture, deployment, or operations of government-classified networks.

6+ years in engineering or technical program management.

4+ years with government-classified network architecture and operations.

Other Requirements

Security Clearance Requirements:

Candidates must be able 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:

+ The successful candidate must have an **active U.S. Government Top Secret/SCI Security Clearance** . Ability to meet Microsoft, customer and/or government security screening requirements are required for this role. Failure to maintain or obtain the appropriate clearance and/or customer screening requirements may result in employment action up to and including termination.

+ **Clearance Verification** : This position requires successful verification of the stated security clearance to meet federal government customer requirements. You will be asked to provide clearance verification information prior to an offer of employment.

+ **Microsoft Cloud Background Check:** This position will be required to pass the Microsoft Cloud background check upon hire/transfer and every two years thereafter.

+ **Citizenship & Citizenship Verification:**  This position requires verification of U.S. citizenship due to citizenship-based legal restrictions. Specifically, this position supports United States federal, state, and/or local United States government agency customer and is subject to certain citizenship-based restrictions where required or permitted by applicable law. To meet this legal requirement, citizenship will be verified via a valid passport, or other approved documents, or verified US government Clearance

Preferred Qualifications

BS in Computer Science or related STEM field, or equivalent experience.

Experience with cloud networking (Azure Networking, Kubernetes, YAML, ARM templates).

Certifications:

CCNP or higher, CompTIA Security+.

Experience communicating, collaborating, and decision-making in fast-paced environments.

Programming experience (C#, C++, Java, Python).

Technical Skills:

Proficiency with L2/L3 switching/routing, protocols (BGP, OSPF, VRRP, LACP).

Hands-on experience with Ansible, Splunk, SolarWinds.

Familiarity with firewall and network security solutions (Palo Alto, Cisco ASA/Firepower, Juniper SRX).

Applied experience with VPN, IPSec, TLS, and network automation using Python.

**Technology Consulting IC5** - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $122,500 - $214,600 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 $154,500 - $231,700 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 will accept applications for the role until November 7, 2025.

\#MCAPSA

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) .