Principal Software Engineering Manager
Job details
- Pay
- $142,800 – $274,800 a year
- Level
- Staff / principal
- Experience
- 6+ years
- Education
- Bachelor's degree
- Posted
- Aug 25, 2026
- Last confirmed open
- Sep 29, 2026
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About this role
Overview Security represents the most critical priorities for our customers in a world awash in digital threats, regulatory scrutiny, and estate complexity. Microsoft Security aspires to make the world a safer place for all. We want to reshape security and empower every user, customer, and developer with a security cloud that protects them with end to end, simplified solutions.
The Microsoft Security organization accelerates Microsoft’s mission and bold ambitions to ensure that our company and industry is securing digital technology platforms, devices, and clouds in our customers’ heterogeneous environments, as well as ensuring the security of our own internal estate.
The Security Intelligence & AI Platform team is responsible for building the foundational services, data platforms, search and retrieval systems, and agentic experiences that power next-generation security products.
The team develops highly scalable, secure, and reliable cloud services that enable security analysts, SOC teams, and AI agents to reason over security data, generate insights, and accelerate threat detection and response.
As a Principal Software Engineering Manager, you will lead a team of engineers responsible for delivering platform capabilities that serve millions of security signals and support advanced AI-driven security experiences. You will define technical strategy, influence product direction, drive execution across multiple engineering teams, and foster a culture of engineering excellence, reliability, and innovation.
This role requires a combination of deep technical leadership, organizational influence, customer focus, and people management to shape the future of Microsoft's security platform investments.
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
- Define and drive the technical vision, architecture, and long-term roadmap for strategic security platform investments.
- Lead and grow a high-performing engineering team through coaching, talent development, performance management, and succession planning.
- Deliver reliable, scalable, and secure cloud services while maintaining high standards for engineering excellence, quality, and operational rigor.
- Partner closely with Product Management, Data Science, Security Research, and partner engineering teams to align priorities and execute on customer-focused outcomes.
- Drive service health, incident management, root cause analysis, and continuous improvements in reliability, availability, and compliance.
- Influence cross-organization strategy, build stakeholder alignment, and ensure successful execution of complex, multi-team initiatives from conception through release.
- 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.
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 background and 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.
- 4+ years people management experience.
- Experience building and operating online services and fault-tolerant distributed systems.
- Experience creating and shipping V1 products using modern development practices.
- Experience using agile methodologies or test-driven development (TDD).
#MSFTSecurity #AgenticSecurity #AgenticPlatform
Software Engineering M5 - 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.