Principal Software Engineer, AI Data Platform (CoreAI)

Job description

Join Microsoft’s CoreAI team to build the AI Data Platform, the foundation for secure, scalable, reusable datasets that power model development.

We seek Software Engineers passionate about large-scale data infrastructure, automation tools, and intelligence services to transform how Microsoft collects, generates, manages, and shares AI training data.

The AI Data Platform team's mission is to build a central AI data platform that breaks down Microsoft’s data silos and manages the full lifecycle of first-party, third-party, synthetic, and human-labeled data, accelerating AI model development with secure, reusable, and compliant datasets.

The AI Data Platform team is responsible for large-scale data infrastructure, automation tools, and intelligence services to transform how Microsoft collects, generates, manages, and shares AI training data.

**Responsibilities**

**Responsibilities:**

+ **L** **ead** **the design and development of large-scale data infrastructure** and intelligent services that transform how Microsoft collects, manages, and shares data for AI.
+ **Shape the platform’s technical direction** , drive architectural decisions, and partner with leaders across Microsoft to maximize impact.
+ **Own the technical vision and architecture**  for scalable, secure, and reusable AI data infrastructure.
+ **Design and lead development of intelligent agent-driven services**  to automate the dataset lifecycle (ingestion, registration, validation, PII handling, discovery, governance, lineage, feedback).
+ **Build user-facing tools and APIs**  that make datasets easily discoverable and reusable across Microsoft’s AI teams.
+ **Ensure platform security, compliance, and operational excellence** , including entitlement management, capacity planning, and escalation support.
+ **Collaborate with applied scientists**  to integrate ML-driven methods (synthetic data, evaluation, human-in-the-loop workflows) into production pipelines.
+ **Mentor engineers** , setting best practices in distributed systems, reliability, and large-scale data platform development.
+ **Influence cross-org strategy**  by aligning platform priorities with AI training and product teams to deliver company-wide impact.

**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.
+ 6+ years of experience in software engineering with a focus on distributed systems, large-scale data platforms, or cloud infrastructure.
+ Experience leading design and delivery of complex, scalable systems.
+ Proficiency in one or more programming languages (e.g., C#, Java, Python).
+ Experience with cloud services (Azure, AWS, or GCP), container orchestration (Kubernetes), and big data frameworks (e.g., Spark, Databricks).

**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

**Preferred Qualifications**

+ Expertise in data lifecycle management (ingestion, validation, discovery, governance).

+ Experience with PII detection/handling, compliance, and secure data management.

+ Familiarity with AI/ML workflows, training data pipelines, or synthetic data generation.

+ Strong cross-org collaboration skills and ability to influence at scale.

+ Experience mentoring teams and setting technical direction.

Software Engineering IC5 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $139,900 - $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.

Software Engineering IC6 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $163,000 - $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.

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

Microsoft posts positions for a minimum of 5 days, with applications accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.

##AIPLATFORM## #CoreAI

Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer.

Consistent with applicable law, 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 and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about requesting accommodations (https://careers.microsoft.com/v2/global/en/accessibility.html) .

Required Skill Profession

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