Principal Software Engineer

Overview

The Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) team is building a world-class managed Kubernetes platform for Linux and Windows workloads across cloud and edge environments. Our mission is to deliver secure, reliable, and scalable cloud-native infrastructure on Azure.

We are looking for a Principal Software Engineer to help drive the design, development, and operation of critical services within the AKS Resource Provider (RP) and control plane.

In this role, you will work on large-scale distributed systems responsible for cluster lifecycle management, upgrades, networking, security, scalability, and platform reliability.You will lead the design of complex technical solutions, collaborate across Azure engineering teams, and help improve the availability, performance, and operational excellence of services powering millions of Kubernetes workloads worldwide, including rapidly growing AI and GPU-enabled deployments.

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

• Lead the design and implementation of highly available, secure, and scalable services within the AKS Resource Provider and control plane.• Drive technical solutions for cluster lifecycle management, upgrades, node pools, networking, security, and fleet-scale service operations.
• Improve platform reliability through observability, performance analysis, capacity planning, resiliency testing, and incident prevention.
• Investigate complex production issues and drive long-term engineering improvements that reduce operational risk and customer impact.
• Partner across AKS, Azure Core, Compute, Networking, and Security teams to deliver integrated platform capabilities.
• Contribute to technical strategy and architectural decisions for key AKS platform investments.
• Improve engineering productivity through tooling, automation, testing infrastructure, and operational excellence practices.
• Mentor engineers and provide technical leadership through design reviews, code reviews, and incident investigations.
• Leverage AI-assisted engineering tools to improve development velocity, diagnostics, testing, and operational workflows.

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#, Java, Go, 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

• 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#, Java, Go, 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#, Java, Go, Python
• OR equivalent experience.
• Experience building and operating large-scale distributed systems or cloud services.
• Experience with Kubernetes, containers, and cloud-native infrastructure.
• Experience designing reliable production systems using observability, telemetry, automated recovery, and safe deployment practices.
• Experience troubleshooting networking issues involving DNS, TCP/IP, TLS, load balancing, routing, and service connectivity.
• Experience driving technical initiatives across multiple engineering teams.
• Experience using GitHub Copilot or other AI-assisted engineering tools.

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Pay and benefits

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:

This position will be open for a minimum of 5 days, with applications accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.