Principal Software Engineer - M365 Enterprise Search Platform

Overview

As a Principal Software Engineer on the M365 Enterprise Search Platform team, you will play a key role in shaping the retrieval and grounding technologies that power the Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) behind Microsoft 365 Copilot. You will design, build, and operate large-scale distributed systems that enable intelligent access to organizational knowledge across files, emails, meetings, chats, and other enterprise data sources.This role sits at the intersection of Search, AI, and Platform engineering. You will drive the architecture and delivery of highly scalable, reliable, and performant services that power next-generation Copilot experiences for millions of users. You will work closely with engineers, data scientists, researchers, and product leaders to solve complex challenges in information retrieval, ranking, grounding, relevance, performance, and agentic reasoning.We are investing heavily in modern Agentic Engineering practices, and you will help define how AI agents participate across the software development lifecycle. You will develop systems that leverage autonomous and semi-autonomous agents for design, coding, testing, deployment, reliability engineering, and operational excellence. You will contribute to building the platforms, workflows, and engineering standards that enable teams to develop, evaluate, and safely operate AI-powered systems at scale.As a technical leader, you will be expected to bring deep expertise in software engineering fundamentals, distributed systems, and cloud-scale architecture. You will influence technical strategy, mentor engineers across the organization, and drive engineering excellence through data-driven decision making, automation, and innovation.This is an opportunity to work on some of Microsoft's most strategic AI investments, help define the future of enterprise search and grounding, and advance the state of the art in agentic software engineering. If you are passionate about building intelligent platforms, solving technically challenging problems at massive scale, and shaping the future of Microsoft 365 Copilot, we would love to hear from you.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.

Responsibilities

• Design and build innovative search, retrieval, and RAG solutions for Microsoft 365 Copilot.
• Develop, debug, test, and troubleshoot large-scale distributed systems.
• Collaborate across engineering and product teams to deliver high-quality software.
• Apply modern Agentic Engineering practices to improve development efficiency.
  
• Drive reliability, performance, scalability, and operational excellence.
  
• Continuously learn new technologies and contribute to a culture of innovation and collaboration.

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 Cloud background check upon hire/transfer and every two years thereafter.

Preferred Qualifications:

• 8+ years of software engineering experience building large-scale cloud services and distributed systems.
• Solid technical expertise in software design, development, debugging, testing, and operational excellence.
• Experience building search, retrieval, AI, or RAG-based platforms and services.
• Excellent communication, collaboration, and cross-functional leadership skills.
• Experience with modern AI and Agentic Engineering practices, including workflow automation and AI-assisted development.
• Proven ability to drive technical strategy, architecture reviews, and engineering best practices.
• Experience working in agile environments with a passion for continuous learning and continuous improvement.
• Strong customer focus and a track record of delivering high-quality, scalable software solutions. 

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.

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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.