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, and security for some of the world’s most demanding workloads.
We are seeking a Principal Site Reliability Engineering Manager to lead a team responsible for building and operating Substrate services in highly regulated environments In these environments, success depends not only on operational excellence, but also on strong software engineering fundamentals—clean, maintainable code; sound design decisions; robust telemetry; and disciplined engineering lifecycle practices that make systems reliable by design.
This role requires deep appreciation for software engineering as a reliability lever You will lead teams that write and maintain production code, build automation and self-healing systems, and partner closely with feature engineering teams to ensure reliability, diagnosability, security, and compliance are embedded early in design and sustained throughout the service lifecycle. As a Principal-level manager, you will scale impact through others—developing senior and principal engineers, shaping reliability and engineering strategy, and influencing how Substrate services are designed, implemented, and operated across organizational boundaries.
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:
Candidates must be able to meet Microsoft, customer and/or government security screening requirements required 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 maintain the 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:
Site Reliability 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
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.
Every company has a mission. What's ours? To empower every person and every organization to achieve more. We believe technology can and should be a force for good and that meaningful innovation contributes to a brighter world in the future and today. Our culture doesn’t just encourage curiosity; it embraces it. Each day we make progress together by showing up as our authentic selves. We show up with a learn-it-all mentality. We show up cheering on others, knowing their success doesn't diminish our own. We show up every day open to learning our own biases, changing our behavior, and inviting in differences. Because impact matters.
Microsoft operates in 190 countries and is made up of approximately 228,000 passionate employees worldwide.
