The Principal Software Engineer role focuses on leading the architecture and development of next-generation table and metadata systems for Azure Storage. The team is responsible for managing metadata for trillions of objects and exabyte-scale storage. This position requires deep expertise in distributed storage and metadata services to solve complex challenges related to scale, latency, and efficiency. The role emphasizes collaboration and innovation to enhance the foundational technologies that support Azure's cloud services.

• 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, Rust, or Python.
• Ability to meet Microsoft, customer and/or government security screening requirements.
• 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, Rust, or Python is preferred.
• 5+ years of experience designing or developing distributed storage, database, or large-scale distributed systems is preferred.
• 3+ years of experience diagnosing and optimizing performance, scalability, concurrency, or reliability of production systems is preferred.

• Lead the architecture and development of next-generation table, metadata, and indexing systems that form a foundational layer of Azure Storage.
• Design and evolve core table and metadata primitives, including partitioning, indexing, transactions, consistency, logging, replication, caching, and high-performance read and write paths.
• Solve complex distributed-systems challenges required to manage metadata for trillions of objects and exabyte-scale storage.
• Drive architectural decisions across multiple components and system boundaries, taking foundational technologies from design and prototyping through production at cloud scale.
• Identify and deliver significant improvements in performance, scalability, reliability, and cost efficiency through deep analysis of system architecture and critical data paths.

• Employees at Microsoft are often offered comprehensive, “world-class” benefits—including health and mental-wellness programs, competitive pay with bonuses and stock awards, and retirement/savings options. Time-off and flexibility are common, with generous vacation and holidays, parental and caregiver leave, and flexible work schedules, alongside learning support, employee resource groups, product discounts, and matching-gifts/volunteering programs. Specific benefits can vary by region.