Principal Software Engineer
Technology, Data & Digital · Software & Web Development · Software Engineering · DevOps
In short
Principal Software Engineer for Microsoft Ads' high-throughput real-time bidding platform, focusing on architectural evolution, modernization, and performance. Requires deep expertise in low-latency distributed systems and leadership in large-scale refactoring. Collaborate across teams to drive company-level impact and ensure platform scalability for future growth.
Responsibilities
- Own technical direction and execution for core components of a high-scale, latency-sensitive real-time bidding service.
- Lead design and implementation of scalable, high-performance backend systems under strict latency and reliability requirements.
- Drive platform modernization and long-term sustainability of critical services.
- Ensure performance, scalability, and stability of the service as traffic and data volume grow.
- Define and evolve instrumentation, observability, and experimentation capabilities.
- Collaborate with cross-functional partners to align technical solutions with business goals.
- Provide technical leadership and mentorship, influencing architecture decisions and engineering best practices.
Requirements
- Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or related technical field AND 6+ years technical engineering experience with coding in languages including C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, or Python.
- OR equivalent experience.
Desired Qualifications
- Master's Degree in Computer Science or related technical field AND 8+ years technical engineering experience with coding in languages including 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 C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, or Python.
- OR equivalent experience.
- Experience working on high-throughput, production systems where scalability, latency, and stability are critical.
- Experience with performance and system optimization/tuning.
- Demonstrated ability to design, evolve, and maintain complex systems over time.
- Experience collaborating with cross-functional teams to deliver solutions aligned with business needs.
- Solid problem-solving skills and the ability to analyze and address performance or reliability issues in production environments.
- Experience with real-time bidding systems, ad tech, or high-frequency decision systems.
- Experience working with ML-driven decision systems or integrating models into production pipelines.
- Exposure to large-scale data processing or feature pipelines.
- Experience with cloud environments and modern deployment practices.
Benefits
- USD $142,800 - $274,800 per year base pay range across the U.S.
- USD $188,000 - $304,200 per year base pay range for San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area.
- Eligible for benefits and other compensation.
- Opportunity to work on a mission-critical, high-throughput real-time bidding platform.
- Work within a growth mindset culture that innovates and empowers others.
- 4 days/week in-office expectation at designated Microsoft Hubs in the U.S. (within 50-mile commute).
Skills
C++C#JavaJavaScriptPythonC
#Software Engineering#Real-time bidding#High-throughput#Low-latency#Distributed systems#Scalability#Performance#Modernization#Experimentation#Cloud#ML
About Microsoft
Empowering every person and organization on the planet to achieve more
Every company has a mission. What's ours? To empower every person and every organization to achieve more. We believe technology can and should be a force for good and that meaningful innovation contributes to a brighter world in the future and today. Our culture doesn’t just encourage curiosity; it embraces it. Each day we make progress together by showing up as our authentic selves. We show up with a learn-it-all mentality. We show up cheering on others, knowing their success doesn't diminish our own. We show up every day open to learning our own biases, changing our behavior, and inviting…
Company
MicrosoftJob Posted
1 day ago
Employment Type
Full Time
Work mode
Hybrid
Salary
US$142,800–274,800 · Negotiable
Hours per week
32
Experience Level
Senior
Locations
United States
Qualification
Bachelor
Applicants
Be an early applicant
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