Senior AI Software Engineer - Microsoft Security OCTO

Microsoft

Microsoft

Software Engineering, Data Science
Illinois, USA
Posted on Jan 7, 2026
Overview

We are looking for a Senior AI Software Engineer to help build and evolve AI-powered cybersecurity products that protect customers at global scale. In this role, you will design and implement intelligent systems leveraging AI agents and large language models (LLMs), partnering across engineering, security, and product teams to deliver secure, reliable, and responsible solutions.

This role requires strong software engineering fundamentals, hands-on experience building AI-driven systems, and a passion for applying cutting-edge AI technologies to solve complex security challenges.

Why Join Us

You’ll be part of the Office of the CTO of Microsoft Security, working on innovative, high-impact security products powered by AI that shape the future of cybersecurity. We foster a collaborative and inclusive culture that values a growth mindset, technical excellence, and continuous innovation.



Responsibilities

  • Design, develop, and maintain cutting-edge AI technologies and products within the Office of the CTO, from early prototypes to production-grade systems.

  • Build and evolve AI agent-based architectures, including multi-agent workflows and tool-using agents.

  • Apply advanced LLM design patterns to improve accuracy, robustness, and safety of LLM-powered systems, including prompt engineering, flow engineering, Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), self-review, ReAct, and guardrails.

  • Write high-quality, secure, and maintainable code primarily in Python, following modern software engineering best practices.

  • Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including product, research, and security, to define requirements and deliver end-to-end AI solutions.

  • Identify and resolve reliability, performance, and security issues in AI-enabled services.

  • Contribute to architecture and design reviews, ensuring solutions meet security, privacy, compliance, and responsible AI requirements.

  • Mentor other engineers and contribute to a culture of engineering excellence and continuous learning.



Qualifications

Required

  • Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.

  • At least 5 years of professional experience as a software engineer building and operating production systems.

  • Experience in designing and deploying end-to-end GenAI solutions.

  • Solid understanding of software engineering fundamentals, including data structures, algorithms, testing, and version control.

  • Ability to collaborate effectively across teams and communicate complex technical concepts clearly.

  • Experience building cloud-based services on platforms such as Azure, AWS, or GCP.

Preferred

  • Master'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

  • Hands-on experience designing and building solutions using AI/LLM frameworks and tooling (e.g., Semantic Kernel, LangChain, vector databases).

  • Knowledge of secure software development practices and threat modeling.

  • Experience applying responsible AI principles, including safety, evaluation, and governance.

  • Knowledge of the cybersecurity domain is a plus, including familiarity with security threats, attack vectors, detection and response concepts, and modern security solutions.


This position will be open for a minimum of 5 days, with applications accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.




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