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Microsoft Hardware Engineer Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

As Microsoft's cloud business continues to grow, the ability to deploy new offerings and hardware ... We are looking for seasoned engineers with a dedicated passion for customer focused solutions ...

Senior Hardware Engineer

Santa Clara, CA · On-site

$129K - $173K/yr

... developers rapidly integrate strong hardware authentication into any application ... Through close collaborations with technical partners like Google, Microsoft, and Amazon, as well as ...

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Microsoft Hardware Engineer information

See California salary details

$50.3K

$144.3K

$193.9K

How much do microsoft hardware engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 19, 2026, the average yearly pay for microsoft hardware engineer in California is $144,315.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $121,900.00 and $160,900.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What does a Microsoft hardware engineer do?

A Microsoft Hardware Engineer is responsible for designing, developing, testing, and improving the physical components of Microsoft’s devices, such as Surface computers, Xbox consoles, and accessories. They work closely with other engineers, designers, and product teams to ensure hardware meets performance, reliability, and quality standards. Their work includes PCB design, component selection, prototyping, and collaborating on firmware integration. These engineers play a key role in bringing innovative hardware products to market.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a Microsoft hardware engineer?

To thrive as a Microsoft Hardware Engineer, you need a strong background in electrical or computer engineering, experience in hardware design, and a relevant degree such as a BS or MS in engineering. Familiarity with CAD tools, PCB design software, and hardware testing equipment, as well as knowledge of industry standards and certifications, is essential. Strong problem-solving skills, attention to detail, and effective teamwork and communication abilities are vital soft skills. These skills ensure reliable hardware development, seamless collaboration, and innovation in creating cutting-edge Microsoft devices.

How does a Microsoft hardware engineer collaborate with software teams during product development?

As a Microsoft Hardware Engineer, you'll work closely with software development teams to ensure seamless integration between hardware components and software functionalities. This collaboration often involves joint design reviews, debugging sessions, and iterative testing to optimize system performance and user experience. Effective communication and a strong understanding of both hardware and software constraints are key to resolving compatibility issues and delivering high-quality products. This cross-functional teamwork provides valuable exposure to multiple disciplines and can enhance your problem-solving skills.

What is the difference between Microsoft Hardware Engineer vs Hardware Design Engineer?

AspectMicrosoft Hardware EngineerHardware Design Engineer
Required CredentialsBachelor's in Electrical/Computer Engineering, relevant certificationsBachelor's in Electrical Engineering, certifications vary
Work EnvironmentTech company, collaborative, product-focusedDesign firms, manufacturing, R&D labs
Employer & IndustryMicrosoft, consumer electronics, software/hardware integrationElectronics companies, hardware manufacturing
Common Search/ComparisonYesYes

Microsoft Hardware Engineers focus on developing and testing hardware products specifically for Microsoft devices, often working within a tech giant environment. Hardware Design Engineers design and develop new hardware components or systems, working across various companies and industries. Both roles require similar technical skills and certifications but differ mainly in employer and product focus.

What are popular job titles related to Microsoft Hardware Engineer jobs in California?

For Microsoft Hardware Engineer jobs in California, the most frequently searched job titles are:

What job categories do people searching Microsoft Hardware Engineer jobs in California look for?

The top searched job categories for Microsoft Hardware Engineer jobs in California are:

What cities in California are hiring for Microsoft Hardware Engineer jobs?

Cities in California with the most Microsoft Hardware Engineer job openings:

Infographic showing various Microsoft Hardware Engineer job openings in California as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 91% Full Time, 6% Part Time, 1% Temporary, and 2% Contract. Highlights an 88% Physical, 5% Hybrid, and 7% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $144,315 per year, or $69.4 per hour.

Senior Hardware Engineer (San Jose)

Microsoft

San Jose, CA • On-site

$119K - $234K/yr

Full-time

Re-posted 17 days ago


Microsoft rating

8.5

Company rating: 8.5 out of 10

Based on 132 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

78th of 245 rated software companies


Job description

Join to apply for the Senior Hardware Engineer role at Microsoft

2 days ago Be among the first 25 applicants

Join to apply for the Senior Hardware Engineer role at Microsoft

Microsoft Silicon, Cloud Hardware, and Infrastructure Engineering (SCHIE) is the team behind Microsoft’s expanding Cloud Infrastructure and responsible for powering Microsoft’s “Intelligent Cloud” mission. SCHIE delivers the core infrastructure and foundational technologies for Microsoft's over 200 online businesses including Bing, MSN, Office 365, Xbox Live, Teams, OneDrive, and the Microsoft Azure platform globally with our server and data center infrastructure, security and compliance, operations, globalization, and manageability solutions. Our focus is on smart growth, high efficiency, and delivering trusted experiences to customers and partners worldwide and we are looking for passionate, high-energy engineers to help achieve that mission.
As Microsoft's cloud business continues to grow, the ability to deploy new offerings and hardware infrastructure on time, at high volume with high quality and lowest cost is of paramount importance. To achieve this goal, the Cloud Hardware Systems Engineering (CHSE) team is instrumental in defining, delivering and maintaining cutting edge cloud server hardware across all of Azures business groups. CHSE works closely with internal and external partners to deliver best-in class cost and quality to our customers.
We are looking for seasoned engineers with a dedicated passion for customer focused solutions, insight and industry knowledge to envision and implement future technical solutions that will manage and optimize the Cloud infrastructure to maintain the highest hardware availability for our customers.
We are looking for a Senior Hardware Engineer to join the team.
#azurehwjobs #CHSE #SCHIE
Responsibilities

  • Work with internal and external partner teams to debug complex hardware failures on Azure Cloud production fleet.
  • Represent electrical and power engineering in cross functional debug teams driving for root cause analysis of live production hardware failures.
  • Be a power subject matter expert to internal and external CHSE partners to resolve issues and obstacles as they arise in development and production from the rack to the processor.
  • Work with Data Center Engineering and management to support/suggest infrastructure changes and improvements.
  • Position requires working with and developing relationships with Microsoft internal quality, reliability, Agency, supply chain and Data center teams to ensure a smooth product delivery from concept to end of life.
  • Position also requires support of PDUs, PSUs, UPSs, power conditioners, circuit breakers, bus bars, battery backup, ATS’s.
  • Position requires ability to create specifications,and ability to test and support testing of all solutions in all stages of development.
  • Develops and tracks KPIs for time from failure notification to fix implementation.
  • Driving hardware failure lessons learned back into the development teams for product improvement.
Qualifications
Required/Minimum Qualifications
  • Master's Degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field AND 3+ years technical engineering experience OR Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field AND 5+ years technical engineering experience OR equivalent experience.
  • 5+ years combined experience working in the server/storage/data center industry.
  • 5+ Years working in the power industry developing/testing/qualifying AC-DC power supplies and power solutions.
  • 5+ Years working with DC-DC power converters.
  • Experience in specifying, designing, and qualifying server power delivery solutions.
  • Experience in troubleshooting and resolving power supply or power delivery issues.
  • Experience using query tools like Kusto.
  • Experience with scripting languages and analyzing large data sets.
  • Experience with serial debuggers at the node and rack level.
  • Understanding of power management and BMC functionality.
  • Familiarity with EMI, Safety, and general agency requirements.
  • Ability to create specifications and requirements.
  • Excellent writing skills and use of Microsoft Office products.
Preferred
  • Ability to instrument and test power supplies and converters in the lab including use of oscilloscopes, power meters, electronic loads, DMM’s and electronic sources.
  • Knowledge of data center power infrastructure and delivery.
  • Familiarity with PCB layout for low loss and low noise power conversion and analyze and view PCB layout from a power perspective.
  • Ability to rework Power supply and server PCB’s including good soldering skills.
Hardware Engineering IC4 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $119,800 - $234,700 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 $158,400 - $258,000 per year.
Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here: https://careers.microsoft.com/us/en/us-corporate-pay
Microsoft will accept applications for the role until August 15th, 2025.
Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. Consistent with applicable law, 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 and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about requesting accommodations. Seniority level
  • Seniority levelNot Applicable
Employment type
  • Employment typeFull-time
Job function
  • IndustriesSoftware Development

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About Microsoft

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Our infrastructure is comprised of a large global portfolio of more than 100 datacenters and 1 million servers. Our foundation is built upon and managed by a team of subject matter experts working to support services for more than 1 billion customers and 20 million businesses in over 90 countries worldwide. With environmental sustainability and optimization at the forefront of our datacenter design and operations, we continue to grow and evolve as we meet the ever-changing business demands that hold Microsoft as a world-class cloud provider.

Industry

Computer and computer peripheral equipment and software wholesalers

Company size

10,000+ Employees

Headquarters location

Redmond, WA, US

Year founded

1975

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