Principal Software Engineer

Microsoft's Azure Data engineering team is seeking a Principal Software Engineer to join their databases team, specifically working on Azure Database for PostgreSQL. This role involves leading coding, design and architectural activities across different layers of the product's offerings. The position is part of Microsoft's broader Azure Data portfolio, which includes products like Microsoft Fabric, Azure SQL DB, Azure Cosmos DB, and more.

The ideal candidate will manage projects focused on improving availability, scalability, query performance, storage and networking optimizations, and operating systems integration. They will collaborate with partner teams to create innovative first-party integrations for Open-Source Databases on Azure.

Key responsibilities include leading coding and architectural activities, optimizing and debugging code, partnering with stakeholders to determine user requirements, mentoring other engineers, and driving services from inception to delivery. The role requires deep systems background with solid fundamentals in OS and databases, along with experience in cloud computing platforms.

The position offers competitive compensation with a base pay range of $137,600 - $267,000 per year (higher in SF Bay Area and NYC), comprehensive benefits including healthcare, educational resources, and parental leave. This is an opportunity to work at the forefront of database technology while contributing to Microsoft's mission of building the data platform for the age of AI.

The role combines technical leadership with hands-on engineering, requiring both deep technical expertise and the ability to mentor and guide other engineers. The successful candidate will be responsible for maintaining system reliability through on-call rotations and driving continuous improvement in code quality and system performance.