Principal Software Engineer - Office Suite Shared Experiences (OSSE)

Overview

Microsoft is a company where passionate innovators come together to collaborate, envision what can be, and build what’s next. Within the Office Suite Shared Experiences (OSSE) organization, we build largescale data platforms, experimentation systems, and shared service infrastructure that power critical Office and Copilot experiences used by hundreds of millions of users every day. 

We are seeking a Principal Software Engineer to provide technical leadership and architectural direction for our experimentation and insights platform. This role is responsible for designing, evolving, and scaling experimentation infrastructure and data systems that enable rapid, trustworthy decision making across Office and Copilot and requires specialized skills and experience for both architecting and designing experimentation systems, working with large data systems, and driving cross-organization initiatives.   

This is a senior technical leadership role with broad organizational impact. You will partner closely with engineering, product management, data science, applied science, and leadership teams to define long term architecture, influence cross organizational investments, and raise the technical bar for experimentation, reliability, and data driven engineering across Microsoft. 

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

As a Principal Software Engineer, you will: 

Technical Leadership & Architecture 

• Provide end-to-end architectural leadership for largescale experimentation and experimentation infrastructure used across Office and Copilot.
• Define and evolve long term technical strategy for experimentation platforms, data pipelines, and shared services, balancing innovation, reliability, cost, and developer productivity.
• Act as a technical authority and advisor across multiple teams, guiding system design decisions and resolving complex, ambiguous technical challenges. 

Experimentation & Data Platforms 

• Lead the design and scaling of experimentation systems, including assignment, metrics, analysis, and insight generation.
• Drive best practices for trustworthy experimentation, including data quality, metric definitions, statistical rigor, and observability.
• Design and operate largescale data systems leveraging ECS, Kusto, Cosmos DB, and SCOPE to support both real time and batch analytics. 

Build, Operate & Evolve Shared Services 

• Build and evolve high reliability, multitenant services that are foundational to experimentation, insights, and decision making.
• Ensure systems meet Microsoft level expectations for availability, performance, security, and operational excellence.
• Serve as a Designated Responsible Individual (DRI) when needed, setting standards for incident response, post incident learning, and operational maturity. 

Cross Organizational Impact 

• Partner across Office, Copilot, and adjacent organizations to align experimentation strategy and infrastructure, reducing fragmentation and duplicative investments.
• Influence and drive cross organizational technical change, aligning teams around shared architecture, tooling, and standards.
• Mentor senior engineers and raise the overall technical bar through design reviews, technical deep dives, and coaching. 

AI, Insights & Innovation 

• Shape how AI/LLM driven insights are integrated into experimentation workflows to accelerate learning and improve engineering efficiency.
• Partner with PM, Applied Science, and Data Science teams to translate ambiguous business problems into scalable technical solutions. 

Culture & Values 

• Model Microsoft’s culture and values, including inclusion, accountability, and a growth mindset.
• Lead through influence, technical credibility, and collaboration rather than direct authority. 

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.
• 4+ years experience in experimentation infrastructure, including system design, metrics, analysis, and operational considerations. 

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.
• Proven experience designing and operating largescale distributed systems and data platforms.
• Strong hands-on experience with Experimentation and Configuration Service (ECS), Kusto, Cosmos DB, and SCOPE in production environments.
• Demonstrated ability to provide technical leadership across multiple teams and influence architectural direction at scale.
• Experience driving cross organizational technical initiatives and influencing change beyond a single team.
• Experience with Azure Data Factory (ADF) or similar orchestration frameworks.
• Experience designing or integrating AI/LLM powered workflows into data or experimentation platforms.
• Track record of mentoring engineers and shaping engineering culture at scale. 

Software Engineering IC5 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $139,900 - $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.