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Microsoft Principal Engineer Jobs (NOW HIRING)

The Principal Engineer serves as a technical authority on assigned products and projects, all while ... Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite or related software. ERP experience preferred.

The Principal Engineer serves as a technical authority on assigned products and projects, all while ... Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite or related software. ERP experience preferred.

Principal Engineer Location: North Cincinnati, Ohio Type: Direct Hire Compensation: $150k ... Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft Fabric, Snowflake, AWS, and various integration partners and ...

Principal Engineer Location: North Cincinnati, Ohio Type: Direct Hire Compensation: $150k ... Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft Fabric, Snowflake, AWS, and various integration partners and ...

Principal Engineer Location: North Cincinnati, Ohio Type: Direct Hire Compensation: $150k ... Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft Fabric, Snowflake, AWS, and various integration partners and ...

Principal Engineer Location: North Cincinnati, Ohio Type: Direct Hire Compensation: $150k ... Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft Fabric, Snowflake, AWS, and various integration partners and ...

Principal Engineer Location: North Cincinnati, Ohio Type: Direct Hire Compensation: $150k ... Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft Fabric, Snowflake, AWS, and various integration partners and ...

Principal Engineer Location: North Cincinnati, Ohio Type: Direct Hire Compensation: $150k ... Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft Fabric, Snowflake, AWS, and various integration partners and ...

Principal Engineer Location: North Cincinnati, Ohio Type: Direct Hire Compensation: $150k ... Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft Fabric, Snowflake, AWS, and various integration partners and ...

Showing results 21-40

Microsoft Principal Engineer information

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$74K

$147.2K

$212.5K

How much do microsoft principal engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 19, 2026, the average yearly pay for microsoft principal engineer in the United States is $147,220.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $118,500.00 and $173,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a Microsoft Principal Engineer?

Microsoft Principal Engineers are highly experienced technical leaders responsible for designing complex systems, providing architectural guidance, and driving innovation within the company. They often serve as technical mentors to other engineers, lead cross-functional projects, and help set technical direction for their teams or divisions. Principal Engineers have deep expertise in their fields and play a key role in shaping Microsoft's products and engineering culture. Their responsibilities also include collaborating with stakeholders across the organization and ensuring that solutions align with business goals.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a Microsoft Principal Engineer?

To thrive as a Microsoft Principal Engineer, you need advanced expertise in software engineering, architecture design, and a deep understanding of computer science principles, often supported by a relevant degree and extensive experience. Proficiency with Microsoft technologies such as Azure, .NET, Visual Studio, and familiarity with DevOps tools and cloud platforms is essential, and certifications like Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect are highly valued. Strong leadership, communication, and strategic thinking enable you to mentor teams and drive complex projects. These skills ensure you can deliver innovative solutions at scale, lead technical direction, and contribute to Microsoft's engineering excellence.

What are some common challenges faced by a Microsoft Principal Engineer when leading cross-functional projects?

As a Microsoft Principal Engineer, one common challenge is aligning diverse technical and business teams toward a shared vision, especially in large-scale, cross-functional projects. You’ll often need to balance immediate project needs with long-term architectural goals, while ensuring effective communication across teams with varying priorities and expertise. Navigating organizational complexity and influencing without direct authority are key aspects of the role. Success relies on strong leadership, stakeholder management, and the ability to drive consensus among senior engineers, product managers, and other stakeholders.

What is the difference between Microsoft Principal Engineer vs Microsoft Senior Engineer?

CriteriaMicrosoft Principal EngineerMicrosoft Senior Engineer
Required CredentialsBachelor's or higher in CS or related field; extensive experienceBachelor's or higher in CS or related field; significant experience
Work EnvironmentLeadership in technical projects, cross-team collaborationIndividual contributor, focused on project execution
Employer & Industry UsageUsed across Microsoft for senior technical leadership rolesCommonly used for experienced technical contributors
Search & Comparison IntentUnderstanding senior technical roles at MicrosoftDistinguishing levels of seniority within Microsoft engineering

The Microsoft Principal Engineer is a senior technical leadership role focused on guiding large projects and influencing technical strategy, often leading multiple teams. In contrast, the Microsoft Senior Engineer is an experienced individual contributor primarily responsible for executing complex technical tasks. Both roles require strong technical credentials, but the Principal Engineer emphasizes leadership and strategic impact, while the Senior Engineer concentrates on technical expertise and project delivery.

Is a Microsoft Principal Engineer a high position?

A Microsoft Principal Engineer is a senior technical leadership role within the company, often considered a high-level position that involves guiding technical strategy, mentoring teams, and contributing to complex projects. It typically requires extensive experience, advanced technical skills, and a strong track record of innovation and impact.

What does a Microsoft principal engineer do?

A Microsoft principal engineer is a senior technical leader responsible for designing, developing, and guiding complex software systems and solutions. They often lead technical projects, mentor engineering teams, and collaborate with stakeholders to ensure technical excellence and innovation. This role typically requires deep expertise in software engineering, strong problem-solving skills, and familiarity with Microsoft's tools and technologies.
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Cities with the most Microsoft Principal Engineer job openings:

What job categories do people searching Microsoft Principal Engineer jobs look for?

The top searched job categories for Microsoft Principal Engineer jobs are:

Infographic showing various Microsoft Principal Engineer job openings in the United States as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 89% Full Time, 7% Part Time, 1% Temporary, and 3% Contract. Highlights an 88% Physical, 5% Hybrid, and 7% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $147,220 per year, or $70.8 per hour.

Principal Engineer - Analog and Mixed-Signal Physical Design

Microsoft

Austin, TX • On-site

Full-time

Posted 26 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

Overview
Microsoft Silicon, Cloud Hardware, and Infrastructure Engineering (SCHIE) is the team behind Microsoft's expanding Cloud Infrastructure and is responsible for powering Microsoft's Intelligent Cloud mission. SCHIE delivers the core infrastructure and foundational technologies for Microsoft's online businesses, including Azure, Microsoft 365, Teams, OneDrive, Xbox, and other global services.
As Microsoft's cloud and silicon investments continue to grow, the ability to deliver advanced analog and mixed-signal silicon IP on schedule, at high quality, and with strong execution discipline is critical. We are looking for a Principal Engineer - Analog and Mixed-Signal Physical Design to serve as a hands-on technical contributor who can drive physical implementation, timing closure, physical design verification, and custom IP integration for analog and mixed-signal designs.
This is a hands-on Principal role, not a planning-only or coordination-only position. The ideal candidate brings deep Fusion Compiler-based physical implementation expertise, strong timing closure and physical verification experience, and sufficient custom layout understanding to partner effectively with analog design and layout teams while directly executing critical implementation and debug work.
#SCHIE
Responsibilities
  • Owner of 1st party analog assembly for critical Die-to-Die and custom interface IP assembly, driving hands-on physical design implementation for analog and mixed-signal IP blocks, including floorplanning, placement, routing, optimization, ECO implementation, and closure debug.
  • Execute and guide Fusion Compiler-based APR flows, with direct ownership of implementation quality, timing convergence, physical design verification readiness, and signoff closure.
  • Serve as the technical bridge between analog design, custom layout, physical design, timing, physical verification, CAD/methodology, and silicon integration teams.
  • Perform timing analysis and closure activities across analog and mixed-signal-adjacent IP, including constraint review, timing debug, implementation tradeoffs, and signoff readiness.
  • Partner with custom layout engineers to ensure layout feasibility, integration quality, physical verification closure, and timing/implementation convergence without positioning this role as a pure custom layout owner.
  • Lead internal and external/V-team execution through hands-on technical direction, deliverable review, quality expectations, and schedule alignment.
  • Debug and resolve complex implementation issues related to physical design, timing closure, extraction, physical verification, layout integration, reliability, and release readiness.
  • Coordinate implementation activities across architecture, circuit design, layout, CAD/methodology, verification, product engineering, and silicon integration stakeholders.
  • Contribute to design reviews, implementation quality improvements, signoff planning, and broader execution strategy for analog, mixed-signal, and custom IP physical design deliverables.
  • Mentor engineers and provide Principal-level technical leadership while remaining directly engaged as a doer in critical implementation and closure work

Qualifications
Required Qualifications
  • Doctorate in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field AND 3+ years technical engineering experience OR Master's Degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field AND 6+ years technical engineering experience OR Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field AND 8+ years technical engineering experience OR equivalent experience.

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.
This role will require access to information that is controlled for export under export control regulations, potentially under the U.S. International Traffic in Arms Regulations or Export Administration Regulations, the EU Dual Use Regulation, and/or other export control regulations. As a condition of employment, the successful candidate will be required to provide either proof of their country of citizenship or proof of their US. residency or other protected status (e.g., under 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3)) for assessment of eligibility to access the export-controlled information. To meet this legal requirement, and as a condition of employment, the successful candidate's citizenship will be verified with a valid passport. Lawful permanent residents, refugees, and asylees may verify status using other documents, where applicable.
Preferred
  • Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related technical field AND 10+ years of technical engineering experience in silicon development, physical design, timing closure, or related disciplines.
  • Experience with analog and mixed-signal IP physical implementation, custom IP integration, or mixed-signal-adjacent implementation flows.
  • Knowledge of PrimeTime timing analysis, constraint debug, timing ECO strategy, and timing closure methodologies.
  • Working understanding of custom analog layout, Virtuoso-based layout methodologies, physical verification, extraction, and layout integration considerations.
  • Familiarity with advanced-node implementation challenges and cross-functional integration across architecture, circuit design, layout, CAD/methodology, product engineering, and silicon integration teams.
  • Strong debugging, analytical, problem-solving, communication, and cross-functional collaboration skills.
  • Proven Principal-level technical leadership across large-scale, cross-functional engineering efforts while remaining hands-on in execution.
  • Experience with Fusion Compiler-based APR and physical implementation flows, including floorplanning, placement, clock tree synthesis, routing, optimization, ECO implementation, and closure debug.
  • Experience with physical design verification, implementation signoff, and silicon quality methodologies.
  • Experience performing hands-on physical implementation and timing closure for complex silicon IP from concept through tapeout or equivalent silicon development milestones.
  • Experience leading or coordinating distributed engineering teams, including vendor or external/V-team resources, while remaining directly involved in technical execution.

Silicon 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:
https://careers.microsoft.com/us/en/us-corporate-pay
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.

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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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