Microsoft

Principal Software Engineering Manager

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 in languages like C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, or Python.
  • 10+ years of experience in designing and delivering large-scale software products or cloud services.
  • 4+ years of people management experience leading engineering teams.
  • Demonstrated technical leadership in defining architecture and platform capabilities at scale.
  • Experience with AI technologies to enhance engineering productivity and customer experiences.

Responsibilities

  • Lead and develop a diverse team of engineers, fostering an inclusive and high-performing culture.
  • Define and execute the technical vision and roadmap for service-to-service authentication at cloud scale.
  • Establish clear priorities and frameworks for predictable engineering execution and impact.
  • Collaborate with Azure, Security, and Entra teams to deliver secure and scalable identity solutions.
  • Promote a security-first engineering culture focused on reliability, privacy, and compliance.
  • Adopt AI-powered engineering practices while maintaining software quality fundamentals.
  • Drive operational excellence through service ownership and continuous improvement.

Benefits

  • Comprehensive health and wellness programs.
  • Opportunities for professional development and career growth.
  • Flexible work arrangements to support work-life balance.
  • Access to cutting-edge technology and resources.
  • Engagement in impactful projects that shape the future of digital security.
Full Job Description
Overview

The Service-to-Service Authentication Team builds and operates the foundation that secures non-human identity and communication across Microsoft and customer environments. Our services authenticate and authorize billions of transactions every hour, protecting critical Azure infrastructure, Microsoft services, customer workloads, and the next generation of AI-powered agents. As a core component of Microsoft's security and cloud platform, our systems operate at global scale and are essential to the trust, reliability, and resilience of the world's most important digital experiences.

Security threats continue to evolve rapidly, and service identities have become one of the most critical security boundaries in modern computing. As a highly strategic and security-sensitive area of investment, our team is shaping the future of how services, applications, and AI agents establish trust and communicate securely across the Microsoft ecosystem.

We are seeking a Principal Software Engineering Manager to drive the next phase of our transformation. In this role, you will lead a team of talented engineers, define technical and organizational strategy, improve engineering excellence and operational effectiveness, and partner across Microsoft Security, Entra, and Azure to deliver secure, resilient, and scalable identity solutions. This is an opportunity to influence authentication systems that underpin Microsoft's cloud platform while helping define the future of service identity for the AI era.

Responsibilities

  • Lead, coach, and grow a diverse team of engineers, cultivating an inclusive, high-performing culture that attracts and develops world-class talent.
  • Define and execute the technical vision, architecture, and roadmap for service-to-service authentication capabilities that operate at cloud scale.
  • Drive engineering execution by establishing clear priorities, decision-making frameworks, and operating rhythms that enable predictable delivery and measurable impact.
  • Partner across Azure, Security, Entra, and platform teams to deliver secure, scalable, and resilient identity solutions that address evolving customer and business needs.
  • Champion a security-first engineering culture, ensuring systems are designed and operated with a focus on defense-in-depth, reliability, privacy, and compliance.
  • Lead the team's adoption of AI-powered and AI-assisted engineering practices while maintaining a great foundation in software engineering fundamentals and quality.
  • Drive operational excellence through clear service ownership, live-site health management, incident response readiness, and continuous improvement of reliability and resiliency.
  • Foster customer obsession by leveraging customer, developer, and partner feedback to influence strategy and deliver impactful platform innovations.
  • Build and scale engineering systems, processes, and talent pipelines that enable long-term organizational growth and sustainable execution.
  • Serve as a technical and organizational leader, influencing strategy, engineering culture, and cross-company initiatives that shape the future of service identity at Microsoft.


Qualifications

Required Qualifications:
  • Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, or related technical discipline 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.

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.

Additional or Preferred Qualifications:
  • Bachelor'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 Master'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.
  • 10+ years of experience designing, building, and delivering large-scale software products, cloud services, or distributed systems, with a track record of solving complex customer and business challenges.
  • 4+ years of people management experience leading high-performing engineering teams, developing talent, driving execution, and delivering results through cross-functional collaboration.
  • Demonstrated technical leadership in defining architecture, developer experiences, and platform capabilities that operate at scale, including influencing strategy across multiple teams and organizations.
  • Experience leveraging AI technologies to build intelligent systems, improve engineering productivity, and deliver innovative customer experiences, with a passion for making AI accessible and impactful.

#MSFTSecurity #Security #Identity #Authentication #SDKs

Software Engineering M5 - 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
NASDAQ

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