Full-Time

Principal Architect

Azure Management Solutions

Updated on 8/18/2026

Microsoft

Microsoft

10,001+ employees

Develops software, OS, and cloud services

Compensation Overview

$142.8k - $304.2k/yr

Company Historically Provides H1B Sponsorship

Austin, TX, USA + 4 more

More locations: Raleigh, NC, USA | Redmond, WA, USA | Hillsboro, OR, USA | Mountain View, CA, USA

In Person

Bachelor's, Master's

Category
DevOps & Infrastructure (1)
Required Skills
Microsoft Azure
Computer Networking

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Requirements
  • Master's Degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field AND 7+ years technical engineering experience
  • Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field AND 8+ years technical engineering experience
  • or equivalent experience
  • Ability to meet Microsoft, customer and/or government security screening requirements including passing the Microsoft Cloud Background Check upon hire/transfer and every two years thereafter
Responsibilities
  • Define the long-term architectural vision for Azure solution management spanning node, rack, cluster and fleet-level management domains across AI infrastructure, Compute, and Storage.
  • Lead development of management architectures across server platforms, accelerated AI systems, storage systems, networking equipment, power systems, cooling infrastructure and heterogeneous vendor platforms.
  • Partner with hardware, firmware, software, datacenter operations and cloud platform teams to establish common management frameworks, architecture principles and requirements across Microsoft's cloud infrastructure portfolio.
  • Drive architectural strategy for management processors and programmable devices, DC-SCM (Baseboard Management Controllers), Rack-SCM, Rack Management Controllers, management functions for telemetry and diagnostics, firmware lifecycle management, security and attestation systems, and fleet/control-plane and fabric integration.
  • Develop management abstractions and interoperability models that enable consistent deployment, monitoring, diagnostics, update, recovery and operational behavior across diverse hardware platforms and suppliers.
  • Shape the transition from device-level management toward rack, cluster and fleet-level orchestration models required for multi-rack AI infrastructure and next-generation cloud platforms.
  • Influence external technology providers, OEMs, ODMs, silicon partners, standards organizations and industry consortia to drive alignment with Azure infrastructure requirements.
  • Lead technical engagement with organizations such as OCP, DMTF, Redfish, OpenRMC and other industry bodies associated with infrastructure management standards.
  • Evaluate emerging industry trends and define Microsoft's strategy for next-generation management architectures, including multi-rack AI infrastructure, clusters, disaggregated infrastructure, rack-scale systems, autonomous datacenter operations and future management control planes.
  • Communicate architectural strategy, tradeoffs and roadmap decisions to executive leadership while building alignment across multiple engineering organizations.
Desired Qualifications
  • Deep knowledge of hardware and firmware management technologies, including BMCs, system controllers, service processors, firmware lifecycle management, telemetry, diagnostics and security architecture.
  • Experience defining architecture for one or more of the following: server management systems, data center infrastructure management, rack management systems, fleet management platforms or hyperscale cloud infrastructure.
  • Demonstrated ability to influence strategy and drive technical alignment across multiple engineering organizations.
  • Experience working with hyperscale cloud providers, major OEMs, infrastructure vendors or industry standards organizations.
  • Experience with OCP, OpenRMC, Redfish, DMTF, OpenBMC or related management standards.
  • Experience architecting multi-rack AI, accelerated computing, rack-scale infrastructure or hyperscale cloud deployments.
  • Experience integrating heterogeneous vendor platforms into common management, operational and fleet orchestration frameworks.
  • Understanding of cloud control planes, fleet orchestration systems, infrastructure automation, telemetry, diagnostics, firmware lifecycle management and datacenter operations.
  • Experience collaborating with industry partners, standards bodies or technology ecosystems to influence future directions and standards.
  • Demonstrated ability to create long-term technology strategy and translate architectural vision into executable roadmaps

Microsoft develops software, devices, and cloud services. Windows is an operating system that runs on personal computers, Office provides productivity apps, and Azure offers cloud computing and developer tools. The company differentiates itself with a large, integrated ecosystem of software, devices, and services, plus long-standing partnerships with PC makers and a broad enterprise footprint. Its goal is to put a computer on every desk and in every home, and to extend that reach through cloud services, professional networking (LinkedIn), and gaming.

Company Size

10,001+

Company Stage

IPO

Headquarters

Redmond, Washington

Founded

1975

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Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • Fiscal 2026 revenue reached $331.8 billion, up 18%, with strong operating leverage.
  • Azure crossed $100 billion annual revenue in fiscal 2026, while growing 43% year over year.
  • Microsoft 365 Copilot passed 30 million paid seats, proving enterprise willingness to pay.

What critics are saying

  • July 23, 2026 Azure maintenance bug broke Copilot, Teams, Graph, and Microsoft 365 globally.
  • July 6, 2026 Microsoft cut 4,800 jobs, including 3,200 Xbox roles, signaling internal strain.
  • OpenAI supplies roughly 70% of Microsoft AI revenue, creating concentration and dependency risk.

What makes Microsoft unique

  • July 29, 2026: Microsoft commercial backlog hit $678 billion, locking in future revenue.
  • Office, Windows, and Azure create unmatched distribution across work, devices, and cloud.
  • Microsoft Foundry and Copilot bundle models, apps, and commerce into one enterprise platform.

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Benefits

Health Insurance

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

401(k) Company Match

Professional Development Budget

Conference Attendance Budget

Flexible Work Hours

Remote Work Options

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

0%

1 year growth

-1%

2 year growth

0%
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