Microsoft

Principal Software Engineer - AI Experiences, Copilot Engineering

Microsoft$142K — $274K *
Information Technology
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or related field AND 6+ years of technical engineering experience with coding in languages like C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, or Python, or equivalent experience.
  • Master's Degree in Computer Science or related field AND 12+ years of technical engineering experience with coding in C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, or Python, or Bachelor's Degree with 15+ years, or equivalent experience.
  • Extensive hands-on experience with modern AI coding agents (e.g., Claude Code, Codex, GitHub Copilot).
  • Proven expertise in AI-assisted and agentic development workflows.
  • Experience in establishing best practices for prompt design and human-in-the-loop systems.

Responsibilities

  • Design and develop next generation products and features for Copilot experiences across platforms.
  • Create secure and efficient platform services for Copilot on Windows, Mac, and mobile devices.
  • Collaborate with engineers and researchers to build advanced AI products and services.
  • Deliver high-quality, tested, secure, and maintainable code.
  • Quickly overcome obstacles to deliver work iteratively to users.
  • Engage in a fast-paced, design-driven product development cycle.
  • Embody and promote the company's culture and values.

Benefits

  • Comprehensive health benefits package.
  • Retirement savings plans with company matching.
  • Employee discounts on company products and services.
  • Generous paid time off and holiday schedules.
Full Job Description
Overview

As a Principal Software Engineer on the team, you will work at the intersection of distributed systems, AI, and agent-driven development to build systems that can reason, plan, and execute tasks-powering the next generation of AI-assisted and agentic computing experiences.

Starting January 26, 2026, AI Experiences employees who live within a 50- mile commute of a designated Microsoft office in the U.S. or 25-mile commute of a non-U.S., country-specific location are expected to work from the office at least four days per week. This expectation is subject to local law and may vary by jurisdiction.

By applying to this U.S. Redmond, WA position, you are required to be local to the greater Seattle area and in office 4 days a week.

Responsibilities

Responsibilities
  • Design and develop next generation products and features for Copilot experiences on Windows, Mac, and mobile.
  • Design and develop secure and performant platform services that support Copilot experiences on Windows, Mac, and mobile.
  • Work collaboratively with platform, infrastructure, application engineers and researchers to build next generation AI products and services.
  • Ship high-quality, well-tested, secure, and maintainable code.
  • Overcome obstacles to deliver work quickly and iteratively to users
  • Enjoy working in a fast-paced, design-driven, product development cycle.
  • Embody our Culture and Values.


Qualifications

Required Qualifications
  • 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.


Preferred Qualifications
  • 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.
  • Extensive hands-on experience using modern AI coding agents (e.g., Claude Code, Codex, Github Copilot, or similar tools), with a track record of:
  • Acting as a team expert or go-to resource for AI-assisted/agentic development workflows
  • Driving adoption of agentic coding tools to improve engineering velocity and code quality
  • Defining best practices for prompt design, tool usage, and human-in-the-loop systems


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.

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.

About Microsoft

Microsoft is an American multinational corporation that develops, manufactures, licenses, supports, and sells a range of software products and services. Microsoft’s devices and consumer (D&C) licensing segment licenses the Windows operating system and related software, Microsoft Office for consumers, and the Windows Phone operating system. The company’s computing and gaming hardware segment provides Xbox gaming and entertainment consoles and accessories, second-party and third-party video games, and Xbox Live subscriptions; surface devices and accessories; and Microsoft PC accessories. Its phone hardware segment offers Lumia smartphones and other non-Lumia phones. Its D&C segment provides Windows Store, Xbox Live transactions, and Windows phone store; search advertising; display advertising; Office 365 Home and Office 365 Personal; first-party video games; and other consumer products and services as well as operating retail stores. Microsoft’s commercial licensing segments license server products, including Windows Server, Microsoft SQL Server, Visual Studio, System Center, and related Client Access Licenses (CALs); Windows Embedded; Windows operating system; Microsoft Office for business, including Office, Exchange, SharePoint, Lync, and related CALs; Microsoft Dynamics business solutions; and Skype. Its commercial segment offers enterprise services, including premier support services and Microsoft consulting services; commercial cloud comprising Office 365 Commercial, other Microsoft Office online offerings, Dynamics CRM Online, and Microsoft Azure; and other commercial products and online services. The company markets and distributes its products through original equipment manufacturers, distributors, and resellers, as well as online.

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Learn more about Microsoft
Size
181,000 employees
Market Cap
$1,762.4 billion
Industry
Net Income
$51.3 billion
Founded
1975
5 Year Trend
+15.5%
Revenue
$153.2 billion
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