Principal Software Engineer

Define the technical strategy and architecture for Windows Fundamentals backend services, telemetry systems, data pipelines, metrics, cohort frameworks, and diagnostic capabilities. Lead the design of scalable systems for telemetry ingestion, transformation, orchestration, storage, health monitoring, analytics, diagnostics, and automated engineering workflows. Set technical standards for service reliability, security, compliance, privacy, observability, data quality, schema evolution, deployment safety, incident response, and operational excellence. Lead the most complex cross-system investigations involving large-scale telemetry, statistical analysis, systems debugging, service behavior, and Windows product-health signals. Create architectural simplifications, automation, and AI-assisted capabilities that detect issues earlier, reduce operational toil, and increase engineering leverage across Windows. Use data, customer insights, and business priorities to frame ambiguous problems, evaluate portfolio tradeoffs, manage technical risk, and drive measurable outcomes. Serve as a technical authority and hands-on contributor; mentor senior engineers, lead design reviews, build alignment across teams, and influence Windows engineering, data science, security, silicon, OEM, and service partners. 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. Extensive experience architecting and delivering backend services, distributed systems, data pipelines, telemetry platforms, large-scale analytics, or engineering infrastructure. Demonstrated success leading complex, multi-team technical initiatives and delivering highly reliable production systems or platforms at scale. Deep technical judgment in service architecture, systems design, data engineering, security, reliability, debugging, and engineering tradeoffs. Solid programming and hands-on problem-solving skills, with the ability to move between architecture, implementation, investigation, and operational response. Ability to set technical strategy, navigate ambiguity, prioritize investments using data, and influence decisions across organizational boundaries without direct authority. Deep experience with cloud services, distributed systems, data engineering, telemetry platforms, developer infrastructure, or business-critical production operations. Solid knowledge of Windows Fundamentals, Windows internals, reliability engineering, performance analysis, power efficiency, or system-level diagnostics. Experience designing secure and compliant services with solid observability, deployment controls, data-quality practices, live-site response, and operational accountability. Experience defining organizational metrics, cohorts, baselines, and measurement strategies using large-scale telemetry, experimentation, statistical analysis, or Azure data platforms. Track record of influencing architecture and product strategy, applying automation or AI to engineering workflows, mentoring senior engineers, and collaborating with executive and senior technical stakeholders.