Principal Data Scientist

Do you thrive on solving complex problems, uncovering insights, and shaping innovative solutions that make a real impact? Are you excited by the challenge of turning data into actionable strategies for some of the world’s most influential organizations? At Microsoft, we believe in empowering every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.

Our team embraces a growth mindset, values authenticity, and encourages diverse perspectives. We combine technical excellence with creativity to deliver life-changing innovations that impact billions globally. If you’re passionate about machine learning, AI, and driving business transformation through data, this is your opportunity to lead and inspire.

As a Principal Data Scientist, you will own end-to-end delivery of strategic data science projects and partner with customers and internal teams to design and implement advanced analytics and AI solutions that create measurable business impact. This role blends deep, hands on technical knowledge with consulting and stakeholder engagement, enabling you to influence decisions and guide adoption of data-driven strategies.

At Microsoft, our mission to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more guides how we partner with customers to deliver trusted, impactful solutions. With a growth mindset culture, we innovate responsibly and measure success by shared progress people, teams, and customers. Join us to do meaningful work that changes the world and helps shape what’s next for everyone.

• Leverage data science and business domain knowledge to improve business performance, evaluate project plans, communicate business goals, and share insights with business stakeholders
• Lead the design and development of Data Science and broader AI solutions of a team of data scientists and engineers.
• Engage with business stakeholders to bring them along with business performance improvement with data and AI
• Apprentice and generate the next generation of data scientists and actively participate and lead their mentoring
• Acquire, prepare, and explore data through querying, visualisation, reporting techniques, and collaboration with other teams, ensuring data integrity.
• Apply machine learning and statistical analysis to develop models, train, optimise, and evaluate them, and communicate findings to stakeholders.
• Test, review, and improve models by analysing performance, incorporating feedback, and contributing to the review process.
• Write and debug efficient and scalable code while collaborating with engineering teams and integrate data models into customer systems.
• Collaborate with customers and Microsoft teams to define business needs, create roadmaps for performance improvements, and influence stakeholders using storytelling and visual tools to drive solution value.
• Uphold ethical standards by emphasizing Responsible AI principles in guiding stakeholders throughout the process.
• Focus on customer needs and perspectives to promote adoption and build trust.
• Develop and execute tailored solutions by overcoming obstacles and leveraging in-depth knowledge of Microsoft products.
• Maintain transparency about data limitations to set realistic expectations and ensure accountability.
• Proactively seeks new knowledge and adapts to new trends, technical solutions, and patterns that will improve the availability, reliability, efficiency, observability, and performance of products while also driving consistency in monitoring and operations at scale and shares knowledge with other cross functional team members.
• As a demonstrated industry thought leader in data science, you will build an in-depth understanding of industry problems domain and apply both technical and domain knowledge to drive novel customer experiences. You’ll also write extensible code that solves complex business problems spanning the entire software development lifecycle.
• You will define business, customer, and solution strategy goals, and partner with other teams to identify and explore new opportunities. You’ll also commit to a customer-oriented focus by acknowledging their needs and offer pragmatic customer solutions that align with their data capabilities.
• You will embody our culture and values. 

Required/minimum qualifications

• Doctorate in Data Science, Mathematics, Statistics, Econometrics, Economics, Operations Research, Computer Science, or related field AND 5+ years data-science experience (e.g., managing structured and unstructured data, applying statistical techniques and reporting results)
  • OR Master's Degree in Data Science, Mathematics, Statistics, Econometrics, Economics, Operations Research, Computer Science, or related field AND 7+ years data-science experience (e.g., managing structured and unstructured data, applying statistical techniques and reporting results)
  • OR Bachelor's Degree in Data Science, Mathematics, Statistics, Econometrics, Economics, Operations Research, Computer Science, or related field AND 10+ years data science experience (e.g., managing structured and unstructured data, applying statistical techniques and reporting results)
  • OR equivalent experience.

Additional or preferred qualifications

• Doctorate in Data Science, Mathematics, Statistics, Econometrics, Economics, Operations Research, Computer Science, or related field AND 8+ years data-science experience (e.g., managing structured and unstructured data, applying statistical techniques and reporting results)
  • OR Master's Degree in Data Science, Mathematics, Statistics, Econometrics, Economics, Operations Research, Computer Science, or related field AND 10+ years data-science experience (e.g., managing structured and unstructured data, applying statistical techniques and reporting results)
  • OR Bachelor's Degree in Data Science, Mathematics, Statistics, Econometrics, Economics, Operations Research, Computer Science, or related field AND 12+ years data-science experience (e.g., managing structured and unstructured data, applying statistical techniques and reporting results)
  • OR equivalent experience. 

• 3 to 5 years of Consulting (including System Integrator, Technical Consulting or Management Consulting) experience.
• Experience developing and deploying Agentic AI solutions

Data Science IC5 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $142,800 - $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.