The Principal Software Engineer role at Microsoft Ads focuses on the architectural and technical evolution of a high-throughput real-time bidding platform. This position requires expertise in low-latency distributed systems and emphasizes modernization, performance, and operational excellence. The engineer will drive initiatives that have a significant impact on the company's growth and collaborate closely with various stakeholders. The role also involves mentoring and providing technical leadership across teams.

• Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or related technical field AND 6+ years of technical engineering experience with coding in languages including C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, or Python, OR equivalent experience.
• Master's Degree in Computer Science or related technical field AND 8+ years of technical engineering experience with coding in languages including C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, or Python, OR Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or related technical field AND 12+ years of technical engineering experience with coding in languages including C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, or Python, OR equivalent experience.
• Experience working on high-throughput, production systems where scalability, latency, and stability are critical.
• Experience with performance and system optimization/tuning.
• Demonstrated ability to design, evolve, and maintain complex systems over time.
• Experience collaborating with cross-functional teams to deliver solutions aligned with business needs.
• Solid problem-solving skills and the ability to analyze and address performance or reliability issues in production environments.
• Experience with real-time bidding systems, ad tech, or high-frequency decision systems.
• Experience working with ML-driven decision systems or integrating models into production pipelines.
• Exposure to large-scale data processing or feature pipelines.
• Experience with cloud environments and modern deployment practices.

• Own technical direction and execution for core components of a high-scale, latency-sensitive real-time bidding service.
• Lead design and implementation of scalable, high-performance backend systems operating under strict latency and reliability requirements.
• Drive platform modernization and long-term sustainability of critical services, improving code quality, maintainability, and operational safety.
• Ensure performance, scalability, and stability of the service as traffic, data volume, and business requirements continue to grow.
• Define and evolve instrumentation, observability, and experimentation capabilities to support data-driven decision making and safe production changes.
• Collaborate closely with cross-functional partners to align technical solutions with business goals.
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship, influencing architecture decisions and engineering best practices across teams.

• 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.