Principal Software Engineer - Web Platform Privacy

Overview

Software engineers on the Edge Web Platform team build foundational technologies that shape how hundreds of millions of people experience the web and AI-powered computing. Edge operates at a massive scale and extends beyond a traditional browser as a gateway to Microsoft’s products and AI ecosystem. This role offers the opportunity to shape a widely used web platform by advancing user privacy, security, and trust on the web.

As a principal engineer on the Web Platform Privacy team, you will help define how privacy and identity work on the modern web. Our team owns the browser capabilities that protect people from unwanted cross-site tracking and that enable safe, user-controlled sharing of identity – spanning areas such as tracking prevention, federated identity (FedCM), and digital credentials. You will help drive web standards, collaborate with the broader standards community, and deliver interoperable implementations that improve privacy and trust across Microsoft Edge and Chromium.

We are seeking engineers with solid systems thinking and a deep interest in user privacy, identity, and browser architecture. In this role, you will design and own core platform features that balance robust privacy protections with web compatibility and a great user and developer experience - with a focus on correctness, performance, and trust at web scale. You will thrive on ambiguous, cross-cutting problems where privacy, security, usability, and ecosystem impact intersect.

You will work on initiatives central to Edge’s web platform strategy, collaborating with standards bodies (W3C / WHATWG / IETF), community and working groups (such as those focused on privacy and federated identity), other browser vendors, and internal teams to bring new capabilities to the platform. Success in this role requires depth in browser or runtime systems and end-to-end ownership from exploration and prototyping to shipping.

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.

Starting January 26, 2026, Microsoft AI (MAI) employees who live within a 50- mile commute of a designated Microsoft office in the U.S. or 25-mile commute of a non-U.S., country-specific location are expected to work from the office at least four days per week. This expectation is subject to local law and may vary by jurisdiction.

Responsibilities

• Set technical direction and drive high-quality API design for privacy and identity capabilities across Microsoft and the broader web ecosystem, including through standards forums, to improve interoperability.
• Deliver web platform innovations across privacy and identity – such as tracking prevention, federated identity (FedCM), and digital credentials – grounded in customer, developer, and ecosystem needs.
• Contribute directly to Chromium in areas that can be shared across Chromium-based browsers, prioritizing correctness, performance, and broad web compatibility.
• Partner with standards bodies, community groups, browser vendors, and internal teams to advance a privacy-respecting web without breaking the existing ecosystem.
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship, raising the bar for engineering quality, design, and cross-team execution on complex, ambiguous problems.

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

• 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.
• Experience contributing to large-scale software engineering projects.
• Experience with the Chromium codebase and web standards.
• Experience with web privacy, security, or identity technologies – for example tracking prevention, cookies and storage/state partitioning, permissions and consent, federated identity (FedCM), credential management, or digital / verifiable credentials.
• Experience engaging with web standards bodies (W3C, WHATWG, IETF) or open-source communities.

#MicrosoftAI #MicrosoftEdge #WebPlatform

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.