Principal Software Engineer - Azure Kubernetes Service

Microsoft

Microsoft

Software Engineering
USD 139,900-274,800 / year
Posted on Oct 11, 2025

Principal Software Engineer - Azure Kubernetes Service

Multiple Locations, United States

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Date posted
Oct 10, 2025
Job number
1878058
Work site
0 days / week in-office - remote
Travel
0-25 %
Role type
Individual Contributor
Profession
Software Engineering
Discipline
Software Engineering
Employment type
Full-Time

Overview

The Azure Kubernetes Service team is focused on building high-quality container management and orchestration services for cloud environments and beyond. Our work spans both Linux and Windows platforms, delivering scalable and reliable container solutions within Microsoft Azure.


Our mission is to shape the future of cloud-native infrastructure on Azure. We welcome software engineers who are enthusiastic about containers and orchestration technologies such as Kubernetes. We also value individuals who are passionate about developing tools that support development and operations (DevOps), making it easier for teams to build, deploy, and scale applications in the cloud.


We strive to foster a collaborative and inclusive engineering culture where diverse perspectives are encouraged and respected. Our team is committed to continuous learning and innovation, ensuring that our solutions meet the evolving needs of developers and organizations worldwide.


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.

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, Go, C#, Rust, or C/C++
    • OR equivalent experience.
  • 4+ year(s) experience building, shipping, and operating reliable distributed solutions (Demonstrated ability to design and maintain scalable systems across diverse environments)

  • 4+ years of experience working with Kubernetes and Linux
  • 2+ year(s) experience applying site-reliability engineering practices (Ability to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) tools to enhance coding efficiency and system reliability)

Other Qualifications:

  • 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 thereafter.

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science OR related technical field AND 10+ years technical engineering experience with coding in languages including, but not limited to, Go, C#, Rust, or C/C++
    • OR 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, Go, C#, Rust, or C/C++
    • OR equivalent experience.
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.
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 will accept applications for the role until October 21, 2025.

#azurecorejobs

Responsibilities

  • Advance the capabilities of Kubernetes and auxiliary components on Azure
  • Improve quality of service for Microsoft Azure Kubernetes Service
  • Accelerate development velocity for all engineers
  • Balance pragmatism with vision; deliver continuous improvements to the team’s process and codebase
  • Build automation to prevent and/or remediate service problems from becoming production incidents

Benefits/perks listed below may vary depending on the nature of your employment with Microsoft and the country where you work.
Industry leading healthcare
Educational resources
Discounts on products and services
Savings and investments
Maternity and paternity leave
Generous time away
Giving programs
Opportunities to network and connect

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 and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about requesting accommodations.