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Agent guide: [/agents.md](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/agents.md). --- # Principal Software Engineer - **Company:** Microsoft - **Location:** Redmond, WA, United States - **Experience:** Expert - **Salary:** $142,800.0 - $274,800.0 - **Contract:** Permanent contract - **Skills:** C (Programming Language), Java (Programming Language), JavaScript (Programming Language), Artificial Intelligence, C Sharp (Programming Language), C++ (Programming Language), Software as a Service, Cloud Computing, Information Engineering, Data Security, Software Debugging, Distributed Systems, Identity and Access Management, Python (Programming Language), Key Management, Software Architecture, Software Engineering, Enterprise Search, Data Processing, ReactJS, System Availability, Large Language Models, Generative AI, Backend, Event Driven Architecture, Information Technology, Machine Learning Operations, Front End Software Development, Software Coding - **Published:** July 18, 2026 - **Apply:** https://www.jobmonkeyjobs.com/career/27862110/Principal-Software-Engineer-Washington-Redmond-1210 ## About the Role Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or related technical field AND 6+ years technical engineering experience with coding in languages including, but not limited to, C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, or Python OR equivalent experience., * Master's degree in computer science, Engineering or related technical field AND 8+ years technical engineering experience with coding in languages including, but not limited to, C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, or Python * 10+ experience in software engineering or solution architecture, with demonstrable success building and operating complex systems. * 10 + years of full-stack development across frontend, backend, and cloud infrastructure, with a proficient command of data engineering, AI/ML systems, and deployment architectures. * Proficient coding skills in C#, Python, JavaScript, and React. * Experience designing and shipping AI/ML GenAI solutions, including one or more of: * Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), enterprise search, vector retrieval * LLM orchestration and agentic workflows * AI evaluation/monitoring, safety and quality measurement Experience architecting and delivering cloud-native, distributed systems at scale (multi-service systems, reliability, performance, and operability). Proficient engineering fundamentals and ability to work "hands-on when needed" (prototyping/reference implementations, architectural spike investigations, debugging complex issues). Experience with cross-team influence - driving alignment and execution across multiple disciplines and stakeholders. Experience communicating clearly with technical and non-technical audiences; comfort presenting senior leadership. Software 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. ## Description The Principal AI Architect is responsible for the following: Architecture Strategy & Roadmap (Cloud + AI + Agentic) * Own the reference architecture and technical roadmap for AI/Agentic platform capabilities (e.g., orchestration, skills, tools/plugins, memory, retrieval, evaluation, observability, governance). * Translate Customer Success business objectives into platform investments and architectural decisions, balancing speed-to-value with security, compliance, cost, and long-term maintainability. * Establish clear architectural guardrails and decision frameworks (e.g., "build vs. buy," "Copilot Studio vs. Foundry," "RAG vs. fine-tune," "central vs. federated patterns"). Technical Leadership & Architectural Governance * Lead architecture/design reviews for major initiatives; drive alignment on system boundaries, contracts, dependency management, and resiliency. * Define and standardize architecture patterns (multi-tenant SaaS, event-driven architectures, secure data access, model routing, agent safety controls). * Create reusable templates, "golden paths," and reference implementations to accelerate engineering delivery across teams and reduce fragmentation. Responsible AI, Security, Privacy, and Compliance by Design * Embed Responsible AI principles into agentic solution design (human-in-the-loop, safety mitigations, evaluation, transparency, and auditability). * Partner with security and compliance stakeholders to ensure services meet required controls and operational standards, and to drive alignment between policy intent and implementation. * Define secure patterns for prompt/data handling, secrets management, identity, and access governance for AI systems. Platform Reliability, Operability & Cost Management * Drive architecture that improves reliability, observability, incident response readiness, and cost efficiency across AI-enabled services. * Establish telemetry standards (quality, safety, latency, cost, success metrics) and ensure teams instrument consistently to enable operational excellence at scale. * Design for production: rollout/rollback strategies, evaluation gates, and operational playbooks for AI/agent releases. Cross-Org Influence & Coalition Building * Build coalitions across broader Microsoft engineering/product groups to deliver complex, large-scale initiatives; resolve long-standing misalignments; and hold stakeholders accountable for commitments. * Act as a trusted technical advisor to senior stakeholders, creating clarity, driving alignment, and enabling execution across multiple teams and disciplines. Mentorship, Technical Community, and Talent Scaling * Mentor engineers; enhance architecture quality, engineering discipline, and Responsible AI rigor. * Contribute to internal technical communities through documentation, brown bags, and reusable engineering guidance-amplifying impact through others. ## Related Videos - [Your imaginations is (no longer) the limit: how Generative AI empowers people to be creative](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/741-your-imaginations-is-no-longer-the-limit-how-generative-ai-empowers-people-to-be-creative) - [Watch Tests Go Brrrr! : Getting Started with Cypress in ReactJS](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/282-watch-tests-go-brrrr-getting-started-with-cypress-in-reactjs) - [Developing the Backend with Stefan Lingler, CTO at Shpock](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/100360-developing-the-backend-with-stefan-lingler-cto-at-shpock) - [The Software Engineer 2030: From Coder To AI Orchestrator? - Patrick Schnell](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1825-the-software-engineer-2030-from-coder-to-ai-orchestrator-patrick-schnell) - [The shadows that follow the AI generative models](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/624-the-shadows-that-follow-the-ai-generative-models) - [Are We All Prompt Engineers? 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