Overview

The Edge AI group drives play a major role in Microsoft specialized clouds strategy by delivering AI to customers managed hardware for both connected and disconnected operations. Working on the edge appliances requires the team to work across various hardware configurations, optimize AI for different hardware categories, connect AI to data sources to provide the right context for the AI to the customers’ business needs and more.

Responsibilities

We are seeking a mature Principal Software Engineer who serves as a senior technical leader and architect within the organization. This role is responsible for driving architecture and system design across one or more major product areas or multiple teams, tackling highly ambiguous technical problems, and raising the engineering bar through technical leadership and mentorship.

Principal Software Engineer is a recognized technical authority within their domain, trusted to lead critical architectural decisions, partner closely with engineering and product leadership, and deliver sustained, high impact technical outcomes. The role emphasizes deep architectural ownership, cross‑team influence, and scaling impact through other

In addition, you will be required to act as AI Thought Leadership and Technical Foresight

• Serve as a trusted source of technical insight into AI trends, technologies, and architectural patterns relevant to Edge AI.

• Actively track and evaluate developments in AI systems, model architectures, tooling, hardware acceleration, and industry direction, with an emphasis on practical impact and applicability.

• Synthesize external and internal signals into clear technical perspectives that help the team make informed architectural and investment decisions.

• Proactively share insights with engineering and product leadership to improve the organization’s visibility into future directions and emerging opportunities.

Qualifications

Required qualifications

• At least 10 years of professional software engineering experience, with demonstrated ownership of complex systems

• Proven expertise in software architecture, system design, and distributed systems.

• Proven ability to lead complex technical initiatives across teams without direct authority.

• 3-5 years of experience with K8S

Other Qualifications:

• B.Sc. in Computer Science or equivalent

• High profession level of technical judgment and ability to operate effectively in high‑ambiguity environments.

• Ability to write professional, comprehensive technical documents.

• Proven understanding of the AI stack from Hardware to software.

• Relevant experience in corporates.

• Skills to leverage AI in coding, testing, building automation, and day-to-day work.

• Experience with developing and operating code in the cloud on Azure / AWS / GCP

• Able to build tools and infrastructure to improve shipping and ensure software quality

• Proven presentation skills, ability to work across organizations, present to leadership

• Proven problem solving & coding skills

#MSCIL

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.