Principal Software Engineer

Microsoft's Azure Data engineering team is seeking a Principal Software Engineer to join their PostgreSQL team. This role involves working on large-scale cloud database services, focusing on areas like continuous availability, transaction logging and recovery, clustering, and scalable storage systems. The position offers opportunities to contribute to open-source PostgreSQL and Linux development.

The role is part of Microsoft's broader mission to transform analytics in the cloud-enabled world, working on products like Microsoft Fabric, Azure SQL DB, Azure Cosmos DB, Azure PostgreSQL, and other data services. The team is building the data platform for the AI age, enabling data-first applications and driving data culture.

As a Principal SDE, you'll oversee system architecture for critical high-impact areas, create strategic roadmaps, establish development policies, and ensure code quality. The position requires deep technical expertise in distributed systems and database internals, with a focus on building enterprise-grade cloud services.

The team culture emphasizes diversity, inclusion, and collaboration, bringing together world-class engineers who learn from each other daily. Microsoft offers comprehensive benefits including healthcare, educational resources, savings plans, parental leave, and opportunities for professional growth.

The base salary range is $117,200 - $229,200 USD annually (higher for SF Bay Area and NYC: $153,600 - $250,200), plus additional benefits and compensation. This role requires a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or equivalent experience, with 8+ years developing system-level features and 4+ years building distributed cloud services.