Principal Software Engineer

Overview We are the team responsible for delivering efficient and innovative Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) techniques for Microsoft's online advertising platforms. The team's mission is to leverage advances in large language models (LLMs) and deep learning to improve efficiency and monetization of Microsoft's advertising business.

To this end, we are responsible for adapting algorithms for retrieval, selection, ranking and classification for execution on GPUs under tight latency and throughput constraints. We are looking for a Principal Software Engineer who is excited to work on the end-to-end for stack with an emphasis on using GPUs for LLM use cases and beyond.

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.

Starting January 26, 2026, Microsoft AI (MAI) employees who live within a 50- mile commute of a designated Microsoft office in the U.S. or 25-mile commute of a non-U.S., country-specific location are expected to work from the office at least four days per week. This expectation is subject to local law and may vary by jurisdiction.

Responsibilities

• Engage directly with key partners to understand, design, and implement complex inferencing capabilities for state-of-the-art deep learning models, driving innovations in AI infrastructure.
• Design and build robust, extensible and reusable frameworks that can support experimentation as well as production use-cases seamlessly.
• Work with cutting-edge hardware and software stacks to deliver best-in-class inference performance while optimizing for cost, leveraging open-source projects to advance deep learning applications.
• Collaborate with external and internal teams to identify new areas for improvement and contribute to innovations that enhance model performance and deployment. Discover/solve impactful technical problems, advance state-of-the-art technologies, and translate ideas into production.
• Developing internal tools to support the AI lifecycle, including experiment tracking, model versioning, and performance monitoring.
• Create deep connections within our communities, focus on increasing representation, retaining, and growing our current team members, while fostering awareness and growth through an inclusive environment.

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.

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.
• 2+ years of experience working with deep learning frameworks (e.g., PyTorch, OnnxRuntime, Tensorflow, vLLM, TensorRT-LLM).
• Experience in end-to-end system design and development, with some familiarity with MLOps.
• Experience with low-level GPU architecture, optimizations, kernel programming, model quantization.
• Knowledge and experience with Docker, Kubernetes, High-performance application development.
• Technical leadership skills and ability to mentor early-in-profession engineers.

#MicrosoftAI

Software Engineering IC5 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $142,800 - $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

This position will be open for a minimum of 5 days, with applications accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.

Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer.

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 with religious accommodations and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about requesting accommodations.