{"id":3038884,"url":"https://alion.io/job/microsoft-principal-optical-engineer-3","title":"Principal Optical Engineer","company":{"id":18,"name":"Microsoft","domain":"microsoft.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/microsoft","size_band":"5000+","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Eightfold","truth_index":{"grade":"B","score":80,"open_postings":292,"ghost_share":0,"stale_share":0.791,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":28,"computed_at":"2026-10-23T05:54:15Z"}},"role":"Semiconductors","role_family":"Semiconductors","seniority":"lead","employment_type":null,"work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Mountain View, United States","Washington, United States","Austin, United States","Hillsboro, United States","Raleigh, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":{"min":142800,"max":274800,"currency":"USD","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":274800},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":10,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"Azure","optional":false},{"name":"CAPA","optional":false},{"name":"OneDrive","optional":false},{"name":"FMEA","optional":true}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-10-19T22:23:53Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-10-21","last_verified_at":"2026-10-23T19:17:13Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":3,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":3},"description":"OverviewMicrosoft Silicon, Cloud Hardware, and Infrastructure Engineering (SCHIE) is the team behind Microsoft’s expanding Cloud Infrastructure and responsible for powering Microsoft’s “Intelligent Cloud” mission. SCHIE delivers the core infrastructure and foundational technologies for Microsoft's over 200 online businesses including Bing, MSN, Office 365, Xbox Live, Teams, OneDrive, and the Microsoft Azure platform globally with our server and data center infrastructure, security and compliance, operations, globalization, and manageability solutions. Our focus is on smart growth, high efficiency, and delivering a trusted experience to customers and partners worldwide and we are looking for passionate engineers to help achieve that mission.\nAs Microsoft's cloud business continues to grow the ability to deploy new offerings and hardware infrastructure on time, in high volume with high quality and lowest cost is of paramount importance. To achieve this goal, the Cloud Hardware Systems Engineering (CHSE) team is instrumental in defining and delivering operational measures of success for hardware manufacturing, improving the planning process, quality, delivery, scale and sustainability related to Microsoft cloud hardware. We are looking for engineers with a dedicated passion for customer focused solutions, insight and industry knowledge to envision and implement future technical solutions that will manage and optimize the Cloud infrastructure.\nWe are seeking a Principal Optical Engineer to lead the implementation, integration, qualification, and high-volume deployment of optical interconnect solutions for Microsoft cloud and AI infrastructure. Working in partnership with platform and optical architecture teams, this role translates approved architectures and technology selections into module, fiber, connector, rack-integration, supplier, validation, and manufacturing requirements and drives them from product definition through fleet deployment.\n#SCHIE\nResponsibilities\nPartner with platform and optical architecture teams to translate approved optical architectures and technology selections into deployable product requirements, interfaces, acceptance criteria, and implementation plans. \nOwn product-level requirements and tradeoffs for optical modules and engines, fiber assemblies, connectors, fiber-management systems, and rack-level optical paths across performance, power, thermal constraints, reliability, serviceability, manufacturability, cost, schedule, and supply continuity. \nDrive optical interconnect productization from product definition through design maturity, prototype integration, interoperability, qualification, production release, manufacturing ramp, and fleet deployment. \nLead cross-functional implementation and design reviews spanning optics, electrical interfaces, SI/PI, mechanical tolerances, thermal integration, firmware and telemetry, rack integration, validation, reliability, manufacturing, and serviceability. \nDefine and drive component-, module-, assembly-, rack-, and system-level validation, qualification, reliability, inspection, and production-test strategies with evidence-based coverage and exit criteria. \nLead resolution of complex module-, fiber-, connector-, rack-, manufacturing-, and field-level issues by organizing cross-team debug, correlating supplier and system data, and driving verified corrective and preventive actions. \nProvide technical direction to optical-module, fiber, cable, connector, ODM, contract-manufacturing, and test-equipment partners; establish deliverables, design-review criteria, quality expectations, yield targets, escalation paths, and readiness gates. \nDrive supplier selection and production readiness across design maturity, DFM/DFT/DFR, process capability, yield, quality, cost, capacity, continuity of supply, and change control. \nIdentify productization and deployment risks early, communicate options and consequences to senior stakeholders, and drive decisions that balance performance, reliability, serviceability, schedule, cost, and fleet-scale operability. \nMentor engineers and create reusable implementation specifications, qualification methods, manufacturing controls, supplier scorecards, design guides, and lessons learned across optical-interconnect programs. \nQualifications\nRequired Qualifications\nMaster's Degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field AND 7+ years technical engineering experience OR Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field AND 8+ years technical engineering experience \nOR equivalent experience\n\nOther Requirements:\nAbility 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.\n\nPreferred Qualifications:\nBachelor’s degree in Optical Engineering, Photonics, Electrical Engineering, Physics, or a related field and 10+ years of technical engineering experience, or equivalent experience. \n10+ years of experience developing and delivering optical modules, fiber assemblies, connectors, fiber-management systems, or rack-level optical interconnects across the hardware product lifecycle. \nExperience leading optical hardware implementation, integration, validation, qualification, manufacturing readiness, and production deployment for complex cloud, networking, or AI infrastructure. \nExperience providing technical leadership across internal organizations and external module, cable, connector, ODM, contract-manufacturing, or test partners. \nExperience productizing high-speed optical modules, optical engines, fiber assemblies, connector systems, or rack-scale optical interconnects for cloud, networking, or AI infrastructure. \nKnowledge of pluggable, near-packaged, or co-packaged optical solutions sufficient to translate architecture interfaces into implementable module, fiber, connector, thermal, mechanical, telemetry, and serviceability requirements. \nExperience with 112G/224G-class electrical interfaces, PAM4 optical links, link budgets, FEC considerations, interoperability, and end-to-end system margin analysis. \nDeep knowledge of fiber-optic connector and fiber-management technologies, including MPO, MMC, LC, lensed or expanded-beam interfaces, blind-mate designs, routing, cleaning, inspection, and high-density rack integration. \nHands-on experience with optical and high-speed electrical characterization, system bring-up, margin analysis, and correlation of supplier data, laboratory measurements, and production results. \nExperience defining DVT, qualification, reliability, inspection, production-test, DOE, FMEA, process-capability, yield, and quality-control plans for high-volume optical hardware. \nExperience directing optical-module, fiber, cable, connector, ODM, contract-manufacturing, and test-equipment partners across design maturity, cost, quality, capacity, supply continuity, change control, and ramp. \nHardware Engineering 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.\nCertain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here:\nhttps://careers.microsoft.com/us/en/us-corporate-pay\nThis position will be open for a minimum of 5 days, with applications accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.\nMicrosoft 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. 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