Principal Software Engineer(Microsoft Start Network) Principal Software Engineer(Microsoft Start Network)

MSN (Microsoft Start Network) service is responsible for delivering personalized content to global users of various Microsoft products (e.g. Edge browser home page, Windows Widgets, MSN.com website, etc.). We are a team full of talented, experienced, and passionate developers from different regions around the world. To provide the best experience to users around the world, we built a large-scale distributed system to power the innovation, and to solve the challenges of high concurrency and high volume of user requests.

Now we are looking for an experienced Principal Software Engineer to join our fun and challenging journey. As a member of the team, you’ll have the opportunity to shape the design of homepages and have a direct impact on various products that hundreds of millions of users use every day. You will face the challenges of availability, scalability and efficiency of large-scale distributed systems, and work in a fast-paced environment with our talents around the world.

Microsoft’s mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. As employees we come together with a growth mindset, innovate to empower others, and collaborate to realize our shared goals. Each day we build on our values of respect, integrity, and accountability to create a culture of inclusion where everyone can thrive at work and beyond.  

Starting January 26, 2026, Microsoft AI (MAI) 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.

• Drive the design and implementation of the system to ensure availability, scalability, and efficiency.
• Work with Devs and PMs in different countries to achieve fast collaboration and agile development.
• Monitor and optimize system performance, troubleshoot issues to improve system stability.
• Practice engineering excellence in the whole development cycle of design, code review, unit testing, etc.

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.
• Solid problem-solving skills and the ability to think creatively and outside the box.
• Familiarity with modern web technologies such as message queues, distributed cache systems, and experience in developing large-scale web applications.
• Motivated and able to work independently as well as in a collaborative team setting to resolve challenging problems.

Preferred Qualifications:

• 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 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 equivalent experience.

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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.