Principal Software Engineering Manager - Substrate- CTJ- Secret (Cleared Environments)
 Microsoft | |
$139,900.00 - $274,800.00 / yr
| |
 United States, Washington, Redmond | |
 Mar 31, 2026 | |
|
Overview
Microsoft Substrate is the foundational cloud platform that powers many of Microsoft's most critical services including Exchange Online and M365 Copilot, providing shared infrastructure, identity, messaging, storage, and service-to-service capabilities used across Microsoft 365 and related cloud offerings. Substrate services operate at global scale and are designed to deliver high availability, reliability, security, and compliance for some of the world's most demanding workloads. We are seeking a Principal Software Engineering Manager to lead a mixed organization of Site Reliability Engineers and Software Engineers responsible for building and operating Substrate services across highly regulated and enterprise-critical environments. This role requires strong technical depth, operational judgment, and people leadership, with the ability to scale impact through managers while remaining deeply connected to engineering fundamentals and service health. As a principal-level manager, you will define and drive technical and organizational strategy, grow senior engineering leaders, and partner across engineering, security, compliance, and operations to ensure Substrate services are reliable by design. You will be accountable for delivering durable engineering systems, strong operational posture, and a healthy, high-performing organization that can sustain long-term business growth. 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 realize our shared goals. Each day we build on our values of respect, integrity, and accountability to create a culture of inclusion where everyone can thrive at work and beyond. Responsibilities
Qualifications Required Qualifications:
Other Requirements: Security Clearance Requirements
Candidates must be able to meet
Microsoft, customer and/or government security screening requirementsrequired for this role. These requirements include, but are not limited to, the following specialized security screenings:
This role requires access to
Microsoft Government cloud environments, including
GCC Moderate (GCCM), GCC High (GCCH), and Department of Defense (DoD)environments. As a result, the successful candidate must be able to
obtain and maintainthe appropriate background investigations and customer screenings required for access to these environments.
For
manager-level roles, a
Tier 5 (T5) background investigation is preferred, as certain approval authorities and operational responsibilities require this level of screening.
Candidates
may be considered without currently holding these background investigations, provided they are
eligible for and able to successfully obtain them. Candidates may begin work while required background investigations are in progress; however,
failure to obtain or maintain the appropriate clearance and/or customer screening requirements may result in employment action up to and including termination.
In addition, this position will be required to
pass the Microsoft Cloud Background Check upon hire/transfer and every two years thereafter. Preferred Qualifications:
Software Engineering IC5 - 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: 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. | |