Principal Software Engineering Manager

Microsoft Viva is revolutionizing the modern workplace by enabling businesses to deliver intelligent, seamless, and AI-driven employee experiences. We are seeking a highly skilled Principal Software Engineering Manager to lead a team of engineers in building an Employee Self-Service Agent, extending Microsoft Copilot to help employees efficiently resolve business function-related queries and issues (e.g., HR, IT, finance). 

This role requires a deep understanding in AI, LLMs, Power Platform, and enterprise solutions —building on top of Microsoft Copilot Studio, integrating with Bizchat/Teams, and developing Power Platform/Graph connectors to access data from third-party services. You will collaborate closely with Microsoft’s AI teams (Sydney/Avalon), core platform teams (CPS/Dataverse), and external service providers (like Atlassian, Workday, etc.), ensuring the best user experience for both end-users (employees) and administrators (business function managers).  

Why Join Us? 

• Work on the cutting edge of AI-powered employee experiences and automation. 
• Collaborate with some of the best minds in Microsoft’s AI ecosystem. 
• Lead and grow a talented engineering team while driving impactful innovation. 
• Shape the future of how employees interact with AI-driven self-service solutions in Microsoft Viva. 

If you are a technical leader with a passion for AI, automation, and enterprise solutions, we encourage you to apply and be part of a team that is transforming the future of work. 

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

• Lead and mentor a team of engineers to design, build, and scale an AI-powered Employee Self-Service Agent. 
• Develop and integrate with Microsoft Copilot Studio, improving and optimizing the maker experience for the agents. 
• Design and build Power Platform/Graph connectors to enable access to grounding data from third-party HCM/IT service providers. 
• Experiment with and optimize LLMs, including prompt engineering, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), and fine-tuning. 
• Collaborate closely with Microsoft’s AI teams (Sydney/Avalon) and co-develop capabilities in the AI platform. 
• Establish and maintain relationships with external HCM and IT service providers, ensuring robust integrations. 
• Drive user experience improvements in Bizchat, Teams and AI Hub. 
• Build frameworks for long-term sustenance of the project through proactive performance improvements, health monitoring, and enhancements in response quality. 

Qualifications

Required Qualifications: 

• 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 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 equivalent experience.
• 4+ years people management experience.
• Experience in AI, machine learning, and LLMs, including prompt engineering and integration with enterprise systems. 
• Experience working with Microsoft Power Platform. 
• Strong leadership and collaboration skills, with experience managing teams and working cross-functionally with platform teams. 
• Ability to drive innovation in AI-driven employee experiences while ensuring data security and compliance. 

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.

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. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application or the recruiting process, please send a request via the Accommodation request form.

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