Principal Software Engineering Lead

The Engineering Workforce Strategy and Operations team is seeking a Principal Software Engineering Lead to define and drive the engineering vision for RAMP (Resource Allocation Management Platform), Microsoft’s internal, AI-powered workforce resource management planning platform that is rapidly becoming the foundation for how engineering organizations understand, plan, and allocate talent at scale. 

This is a rare opportunity to shape a platform at the center of Microsoft’s transformation toward AI-driven business operations. As the system of record for workforce planning across core engineering divisions, RAMP sits at the intersection of engineering, HR, and Finance—powering decisions that directly impact how teams are built, funded, and executed. 

As the platform scales, this role is accountable for architecting a system that can move from traditional reporting to agentic, intelligent, predictive, and increasingly autonomous planning. You are a systems thinker who sees how data, AI, and workflows come together to enable real-time visibility, forward-looking insights, and streamlined decision-making across thousands of users and complex organizational structures. 

You are responsible for the technical foundation that makes this possible ensuring the platform is not only scalable and reliable, but also flexible enough to evolve as new AI capabilities, data sources, and business needs emerge. You will partner closely with product management as the technical counterpart, translating ambitious product direction into a durable, extensible architecture that can support both rapid innovation and long-term platform integrity. You are experienced in transforming teams to build products in agile ways, with pace and urgency. 

This role requires deep expertise in system architecture, data platforms, and distributed systems, along with the demonstrated ability to drive partnerships with engineering teams across Microsoft and influence technical direction across multiple teams and organizations. You report to the platform senior director and work closely with product management, engineering, and partner teams to build one of Microsoft’s most critical internal AI platforms.

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.  

Engineering Vision & Architecture Strategy 

• Define and own the technical vision and architectural strategy for RAMP platform. 

• Establish a long-term architectural roadmap aligned to product vision while ensuring near-term delivery feasibility. 

• Drive decisions on platform design, service boundaries, and system evolution to support scale across multiple engineering divisions. 

• Ensure the architecture supports high trust, data integrity, and auditability for sensitive workforce data. 

• Lead transformation in how the team builds products, introducing agile, fast-paced development approaches that accelerate delivery and innovation. 

Platform Design & Scalability 

• Lead design of distributed, scalable, and resilient systems supporting high-volume data integration and analytics. 

• Architect solutions that integrate with HR, Finance, and enterprise data platforms (e.g., Dataverse, Fabric). 

• Ensure the platform can scale across large user bases, complex org structures, and frequent data changes. 

• Balance performance, cost, and maintainability while enabling rapid iteration. 

Data & AI Architecture 

• Define the architecture for data pipelines, data models, and analytics layers supporting workforce planning scenarios. 

• Enable integration of AI/ML capabilities, including forecasting, anomaly detection, and intelligent workflows. 

• Establish patterns for data governance, lineage, and consistency across systems. 

• Partner with data engineering and analytics teams to ensure trusted, high-quality data foundations. 

Engineering Excellence & Standards 

• Set and enforce engineering standards, design principles, and best practices across the platform. 

• Lead architecture reviews, design reviews, and technical decision-making forums. 

• Drive improvements in system reliability, performance, observability, and cost efficiency. 

• Ensure the platform meets enterprise requirements for security, privacy, and compliance. 

Cross-Functional Technical Leadership 

• Partner closely with Product Management to translate business needs into robust technical solutions 

• Collaborate with Engineering, HR, Finance, and platform teams to align integration patterns and dependencies. 

• Act as the technical authority and escalation point for complex cross-system challenges. 

• Establish, drive and influence partner engineering teams without direct authority. 

• Leading/managing external engineering/dev resources.

Delivery Enablement & Execution 

• Guide engineering teams through implementation of architectural patterns and critical system components. 

• Ensure trade-offs are explicitly evaluated (speed vs. scale, customization vs. standardization). 

• Partner in planning cycles to align technical execution with roadmap priorities. 

• Remove technical blockers and drive clarity on feasible, incremental delivery paths. 

Platform Evolution & Innovation 

• Continuously evolve the platform to support new business scenarios, organizational models, and planning workflows. 

• Identify opportunities to simplify architecture, reduce tool fragmentation, and standardize capabilities. 

• Champion adoption of new Microsoft technologies while maintaining platform stability. 

• Ensure the platform is positioned as the long-term system of record and orchestration layer for resource management. 

Mentorship & Technical Leadership 

• Mentor and develop senior engineers and emerging architects. 

• Raise the technical bar across the team through design rigor and knowledge sharing. 

• Foster a culture of ownership, accountability, and engineering excellence. 

• Proficiency in AI-native development — working within Agent Harnesses (GitHub Copilot CLI, Coding Agents), authoring Markdown specs/ADRs and YAML configs as Agent-consumable inputs, orchestrating multi-step Agentic workflows across the SDLC, and reviewing Agent-generated code and PRs with production-grade rigor.
• Experience with data platforms, analytics systems, or BI tools including Fabric, Power BI, Dataverse. 
• Proven track record designing and delivering large-scale, enterprise-grade platforms.
• Deep expertise in distributed systems, data architecture, and cloud-native design.
• Experience integrating complex enterprise systems (e.g., HR, Finance, or similar domains).
• Demonstrated ability to lead architecture across multiple teams and organizations.
• Strong judgment in making trade-offs between scalability, reliability, and speed.
• Communication skills; able to explain complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders.
• Experience building or scaling internal business platforms or operational systems. 
• Understanding of workforce planning, headcount systems, or financial planning processes. 
• Experience operating in highly sensitive data environments (privacy/compliance-heavy systems).