Principal Software Engineering Manager

Microsoft is a company where passionate innovators come to collaborate, envision what can be and take their careers further. This is a world of more possibilities, more innovation, more openness, and the sky is the limit thinking in a cloud-enabled world. 
 
Microsoft’s Azure Data engineering team is leading the transformation of analytics in the world of data with products like databases, data integration, big data analytics, messaging & real-time analytics, and business intelligence. The products our portfolio include Microsoft Fabric, Azure SQL DB, Azure Cosmos DB, Azure PostgreSQL, Azure Data Factory, Azure Synapse Analytics, Azure Service Bus, Azure Event Grid, and Power BI. Our mission is to build the data platform for the age of AI, powering a new class of data-first applications and driving a data culture.

​​Within Azure Data, the databases team builds and maintains Microsoft's operational Database systems. We store and manage data in a structured way to enable multitude of applications across various industries. We are on a journey to enable developer friendly, mission-critical, AI enabled operational Databases across relational, non-relational and OSS offerings.

​​Azure SQL Database is one of Microsoft’s flagship cloud data services, powering mission critical workloads globally with enterprise grade reliability, performance, and security. The Azure SQL Database Security team is responsible for protecting customer data at massive scale by building secure-by-design platform capabilities, advanced threat detection, and resilient, cloud native security architecture. We are seeking a highly experienced Principal Software Engineering Manager to lead engineers who develop foundational security components, safeguard the SQL control and data planes, and continuously evolve the platform to stay ahead of emerging threats. This role requires deep technical expertise across distributed systems, SQL internals, and OS-level programming, combined with the leadership to cultivate a high performing, security driven engineering organization.

We do not just value differences or different perspectives. We seek them out and invite them in so we can tap into the collective power of everyone in the company. As a result, our customers are better served.

Technical Leadership

• Lead design and development of secure, scalable components in C++ and C#, ensuring hardened implementations across SQL engine surface areas and cloud orchestration layers.
• Oversee architectural reviews, penetration test integration, fuzzing pipelines, static analysis, and continuous validation systems to maintain industry leading security posture.

People & Team Leadership

• Lead a team of software engineers focused on building highly secure, resilient, and performant SQL platform services.
• Foster a culture of security excellence, accountability, inclusion, and innovation—where engineers proactively identify and address security weaknesses.
• Mentor engineers in both technical and leadership dimensions, providing clear growth paths, coaching, and actionable feedback.
• Recruit and develop top engineering talent with strong security thinking and deep systems knowledge.

Execution & Delivery

• Drive the secure development lifecycle (SDL) across all SQL Security initiatives, ensuring threat models, analysis, and mitigations are completed with rigor.
• Deliver high impact security features and infrastructure that support enterprise compliance needs, zero trust principles, and cloud scale defense-in-depth strategies.
• Strengthen operational processes—including monitoring, alerting, incident triage automation, and rapid vulnerability response—ensuring Azure SQL Database meets the highest availability and trust standards.
• Implement engineering automation that reduces manual work, prevents regressions, and improves reliability and security of critical paths.

Cross Functional Collaboration

• Partner with PM, Security Research, Compliance, Networking, Identity, and Cross Azure engineering groups to deliver cohesive and resilient security solutions.
• Communicate technical strategy, risks, dependencies, and long term vision to engineering leadership, executives, and partner teams with clarity and influence.
• Translate evolving threat intelligence, compliance standards, and customer needs into engineering priorities and actionable roadmaps.​

Embody our culture and values

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++, C#, Java, JavaScript, or Python OR equivalent experience.
• 10+ years of hands on experience building and operating distributed systems, cloud services, or system-level components.
• Expert level proficiency in C++ and C#, with clear understanding of safe systems design, debugging, and performance tuning.
• Deep knowledge of Linux OS internals, including memory management, process scheduling, threading, networking, and low level diagnostics.
• Expertise in SQL systems, including query execution behavior, engine internals, storage layers, and performance optimization.
• 3+ years of engineering management experience, leading high performing teams delivering secure, reliable, and scalable software.
• Demonstrated experience with secure development lifecycle (SDL), vulnerability remediation, threat modeling, and defensive engineering practices.

Job Requirements: Other & Additional  

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

• Experience with database access control, encryption, key management, identity systems, or audit/compliance pipelines.
• Familiarity with cloud security fundamentals: network isolation, secrets/certificate management, managed identities, confidential computing, or attestation. 

#azdat #azuredata 

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.