Overview
On the Microsoft Defender for Office (MDO) team, we deliver a cloud-based email and collaboration security service that protects customers from advanced threats such as malware, phishing, fraud, and spam across Microsoft’s email and Teams workloads. MDO also provides investigation, threat hunting, and remediation capabilities, enabling security teams to efficiently identify, prioritize, and respond to threats.
Security has never been more critical, and the MDO team operates at the forefront of Microsoft’s investments to safeguard customers in an ever-evolving threat landscape. Our mission is to detect malicious activity, respond rapidly, and neutralize threats—helping organizations stay secure and resilient.
Role Summary
We are seeking a Principal Software Engineering Manager within our Foundations organization, which owns the platform and runtime components powering the entire MDO product. In this role, you will:
- Lead and coach a diverse team of engineers across all levels.
- Shape the vision and strategy for foundational services that will scale and evolve MDO for the future.
- Drive execution of critical platform initiatives, ensuring reliability, performance, and security.
- Partner closely with Product Management and Customer Experience teams to deliver solutions that delight customers.
- Foster a culture of operational excellence and security rigor, ensuring high standards in engineering practices.
What We’re Looking For
- Proven experience managing engineering teams and coaching engineers
- Proven technical depth in distributed systems, cloud services, and security.
- Ability to influence cross-functional stakeholders and drive alignment on complex initiatives.
- Passion for building secure, scalable, and resilient platforms.
Responsibilities
As a Principal Software Engineering Manager you will:
Lead and Develop the Team - Manage and coach engineers across levels, foster collaboration and inclusion, and drive career growth through mentoring and feedback.
Own Platform and Runtime Components - Oversee design and maintenance of foundational services powering MDO. Ensure scalability, reliability, and security.
Drive Technical Strategy and Execution - Define and execute the vision for next-generation services. Align priorities with business goals and make sound architectural decisions.
Ensure Operational and Security Rigor - Implement secure coding and compliance best practices. Maintain high availability through robust monitoring and incident response.
Cross-Functional Collaboration - Partner with Product Management and Customer Experience to deliver impactful solutions. Influence stakeholders across MDO and Microsoft Security.
Deliver High-Quality Outcomes - Drive engineering excellence via code reviews, automated testing, and shift-left quality practices. Infuse AI into daily operations to boost productivity and accelerate workflows. Ensure timely delivery of features and improvements.
Qualifications
Required/minimum 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 C++, C#
- OR equivalent experience.
- 3+ years experience working with high scale distributed systems.
- 2+ years experience managing engineering teams of 8 - 12 engineers
Other Requirements:
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/Additional Qualifications:
- 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, JavaScript, or Python
- OR 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, C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, or Python
- OR equivalent experience.
- 4+ years of people management experience and technical leadership.
Software Engineering M5 - 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 is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations and ordinances. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with