Come build secure, cutting-edge cloud services that empower government and sovereign customers to achieve more. The International Sovereign Cloud Security Fundamentals team drives Microsoft’s mission to deliver trusted cloud platforms by developing core security and compliance capabilities for Azure’s sovereign clouds. You will be part of a passionate engineering team that builds foundational security tools and services, ensuring that Microsoft’s cloud offerings meet the strict requirements of government and highly regulated industries. In this cleared role, you’ll apply your expertise in large-scale distributed Cloud systems and AI assisted Cloud security to protect critical data and infrastructure. You will design and operate planet scale distributed systems, work deeply with streaming and batch data platforms, and apply AI techniques to improve security signal quality, detection accuracy, and operational efficiency in sovereign cloud environments.

Successful candidates bring systems thinking, comfort with ambiguity at scale, and the ability to evolve distributed and AI‑assisted platforms in highly regulated environments. By joining our team, you will play a pivotal role in securing Microsoft’s sovereign cloud offerings and enabling our most sensitive customers to leverage the power of Azure with confidence. This role offers a unique chance to innovate at the intersection of cloud engineering and cybersecurity, making a broad impact on our platform and customers’ success.

This opportunity will allow you to deepen your skills in cloud engineering and cybersecurity, contribute to large-scale systems that have global impact, and work closely with cross-functional teams to shape the secure future of Microsoft’s cloud.

Please Note: U.S. citizenship and the ability to meet federal security clearance requirements are required for this role.

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 achieve our shared goals. We build on a foundation of respect, integrity, and accountability to foster a culture of inclusivity where everyone can thrive at work and beyond.

• Our Senior Software Engineer will Design and develop secure distributed cloud services: Lead the nd-to-end design, coding, and deployment of highly secure, low-latency, scalable distributed Cloud software solutions for Azure sovereign cloud environments, applying best practices in secure coding and cloud architecture.
• Build and integrate ML driven and AI assisted capabilities (e.g., signal enrichment, anomaly detection, prioritization, automation) into security platforms. Partner with data science and platform teams to productionize models, features, and evaluation pipelines that operate reliably at cloud scale.
• Implement security fundamentals: Build and integrate core security features (such as authentication, encryption, monitoring, and compliance automation) into cloud platforms, ensuring our services meet government security standards and regulatory requirements for classified or sensitive workloads.
• Drive engineering excellence: Champion modern engineering practices – including Test-Driven Development, DevSecOps, code reviews, and live-site monitoring – to improve code quality, reliability, and compliance. You will proactively identify optimizations and implement improvements that enhance the performance and security of our systems.
• Collaborate across teams: Work closely with program managers, security engineers, and partner teams to translate high-level security requirements into concrete engineering plans. Influence architectural decisions and cross-team design reviews, making sure that security and privacy considerations are built into every stage of the software development lifecycle.
• Mentor and guide engineers: Serve as a technical leader and mentor for junior developers on the team. Share your expertise in cloud security and software development, guiding others in best practices for building secure, compliant services. Help foster an inclusive, high-performing team environment focused on continuous improvement and growth.
• Ensure compliance and readiness: Work with compliance and government security stakeholders to ensure our solutions adhere to required certifications and policies (e.g. FedRAMP, DoD SRG). Participate in security reviews, audits, and incident response drills, and drive timely remediation of any findings to uphold the highest standards of cloud trust.
  
  

Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or related technical field AND 4+ years technical engineering experience with coding in languages including, but not limited to, C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, or Python OR equivalent experience.

Other requirements

• Security Clearance Requirements: Candidates must be able 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:
• The successful candidate must have an active U.S. Government Top Secret Security Clearance. Ability to meet Microsoft, customer and/or government security screening requirements are required for this role. Failure to maintain or obtain the appropriate clearance and/or customer screening requirements may result in employment action up to and including termination.
• Clearance Verification: This position requires successful verification of the stated security clearance to meet federal government customer requirements. You will be asked to provide clearance verification information prior to an offer of employment.
• Microsoft Cloud Background Check: This position will be required to pass the Microsoft Cloud background check upon hire/transfer and every two years thereafter.
• Citizenship & Citizenship Verification: This position requires verification of U.S. citizenship due to citizenship-based legal restrictions. Specifically, this position supports United States federal, state, and/or local United States government agency customer and is subject to certain citizenship-based restrictions where required or permitted by applicable law. To meet this legal requirement, citizenship will be verified via a valid passport, or other approved documents, or verified US government Clearance
  
  Preferred Qualifications:
• 5+ years’ experience building distributed Cloud applications (Azure/AWS/GCP).
• Proven experience designing, building, and operating large‑scale distributed systems (e.g., control planes, data pipelines, or platform services) with strong understanding of fault tolerance, scalability, and reliability.
• Ability to partner with PMs and business partners to understand business requirements and translate them into technical designs while driving innovation.
• Proficient in Test Driven Development using C#/C++/Java or other object-oriented programing language.
• Ability to work in a culture of continuous improvement, adaptation, reflection, and growth.
• Experience building or integrating AI/ML‑powered systems, including working with data pipelines, feature generation, model inference, or intelligent automation in production environments.
• Candidates living in or are willing to relocate to Redmond, WA or Reston, VA

Software Engineering IC4 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $119,800 - $234,700 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 $158,400 - $258,000 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

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.