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Agent guide: [/agents.md](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/agents.md). --- # Principal Group Software Engineering Manager - **Company:** Microsoft - **Location:** Redmond, WA, United States - **Experience:** Expert - **Salary:** $165,600.0 - $296,400.0 - **Contract:** Permanent contract - **Skills:** C (Programming Language), Java (Programming Language), JavaScript (Programming Language), Artificial Intelligence, Microsoft Azure, Microsoft Online Services, C Sharp (Programming Language), C++ (Programming Language), Cloud Computing, Distributed Systems, Python (Programming Language), Software Engineering, Office365, Kubernetes, Information Technology, Machine Learning Operations - **Published:** July 7, 2026 - **Apply:** https://www.jobmonkeyjobs.com/career/27827840/Principal-Group-Software-Engineering-Manager-Washington-Redmond-1210 ## About the Role * Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science 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 + OR equivalent experience. Other Requirements: 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., * Master's Degree in Computer Science or related technical field AND 12+ years technical engineering experience with coding in languages including, but not limited to, C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, or Python + OR Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or related technical field AND 15+ years technical engineering experience with coding in languages including, but not limited to, C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, or Python + OR equivalent experience. * 6+ years people management experience. * Experience as a manager of managers leading distributed-systems or platform engineering teams at scale. * Demonstrated success building and operating large-scale distributed systems, control planes, orchestration platforms, or cloud infrastructure. * Track record of taking a platform from concept to broad production adoption - design, staffing, execution, and live-site ownership. * Systems thinking; able to identify and remove bottlenecks across intake, planning, scheduling, deployment, and operations. * Experience driving multi-org programs and influencing partner teams without direct authority. * Ability to translate ambiguous business needs into clear engineering strategy, priorities, and execution plans. * Hiring, coaching, and people-development track record across multiple levels. * Experience with large capacity fleets, AI/ML infrastructure, or large-scale inference or training systems. * Experience with capacity planning, fleet management, or supply/demand optimization at hyperscale. * Familiarity with Azure, M365, and AI workloads; understanding of inference and training cost models (COGS, utilization, throughput per GPU). * Background building automation, control planes, or orchestration platforms from 0→1. Software Engineering M6 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $165,600 - $296,400 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 $220,800 - $331,200 per year. ## Description * Build and lead a high-performing organization of engineering managers and senior engineers across capacity buildouts/automation, capacity planning, and the control plane. * Set the strategy and roadmap for Copilot capacity management and the control plane. * Drive execution across existing teams today, with a clear plan to grow the org as control plane scope expands. * Partner deeply with Copilot, AI Core, Azure to align demand, supply, and COGs (cost of goods sold) for Copilot workloads. * Own live-site, reliability, and operational excellence for the capacity surface area. * Establish metrics and SLAs for intake latency, fleet utilization, automation coverage, and time-to-deploy; use them to guide investment decisions. * Coach and grow managers and senior ICs (individual contributor); raise the engineering bar; recruit experienced platform leaders into the team. * Represent capacity in executive reviews and cross-org leadership forums; communicate trade-offs between cost, speed, and reliability with clarity. ## Related Videos - [Shipping Faster with Less: Render on Cloud Hosting, AI Workloads, and the Future of DevOps](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1894-shipping-faster-with-less-render-on-cloud-hosting-ai-workloads-and-the-future-of-devops) - [Understanding Kubernetes in a visual way](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/100085-understanding-kubernetes-in-a-visual-way) - [Developer Tools for Microsoft Azure](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/450-developer-tools-for-microsoft-azure) - [Your next 10x engineer isn't in your city. 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