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Microsoft Surface is a platform for innovation—where hardware and software converge to deliver premium, intelligent experiences that empower people to achieve more. The Surface Software Development team is at the heart of this mission, crafting intelligent software that defines how customers interact with Surface devices. The Surface team is looking for a Principal Software Engineer to drive the architecture, design, and delivery of software experiences that ship to millions of Surface customers worldwide. In this role you will set technical direction, mentor engineers across the team, and partner closely with product, design, and hardware teams to build delightful, high-quality applications that showcase the best of Surface hardware.
Job Responsibility:
Define and drive the technical vision and architecture for Surface App experiences, ensuring scalability, performance, and maintainability
Lead the design and implementation of complex, cross-cutting features from concept through production release
Serve as a technical anchor for the team — conduct design reviews, establish engineering best practices, and raise the quality bar
Collaborate with Product Management, Design, and Hardware Engineering to translate product requirements into sound technical plans
Mentor and grow engineers at all levels
foster a culture of engineering excellence, inclusion, and continuous improvement
Identify and resolve systemic technical debt, reliability issues, and performance bottlenecks
Represent the team in cross-org technical discussions and influence the broader Surface Software Dev engineering roadmap
Champion data-driven decision-making through instrumentation, experimentation, and customer telemetry
Requirements:
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
Ability to meet Microsoft, customer and/or government security screening requirements are required for this role
This position will be required to pass the Microsoft Cloud background check upon hire/transfer and every two years thereafter
Nice to have:
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
Experience shipping software that integrates tightly with hardware or firmware
Deep expertise in one or more of: C#, C++, TypeScript/JavaScript, or Rust
Experience building Windows desktop or cross-platform applications (WinUI, WPF, MAUI, Electron, or similar)
Strong system design skills — ability to decompose ambiguous problems into well-structured, maintainable solutions
Demonstrated ability to influence without authority and drive alignment across teams
Excellent communication skills — able to convey complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences
Familiarity with Surface devices, Windows platform APIs, or the Windows driver ecosystem
Experience with CI/CD pipelines, feature-flagging, and modern DevOps practices at scale
Contributions to open-source projects or developer communities
What we offer:
Competitive compensation, benefits, and career growth opportunities