{"id":1594233,"url":"https://alion.io/job/microsoft-seniorprincipal-product-systems-engineer","title":"Senior/Principal Product Systems 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":75,"open_postings":86,"ghost_share":0,"stale_share":1,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":null,"computed_at":"2026-10-12T06:55:09Z"}},"role":"Product","role_family":"Product","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":["Cambridge, United Kingdom"],"countries":["GB"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":{"min":74700,"max":122600,"currency":"GBP","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":162246},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":null,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"Azure","optional":false}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-08-12T16:38:58Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-10-01","last_verified_at":"2026-10-12T22:08:50Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":61,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":61},"description":"OverviewAt Microsoft Research, we are shaping the next generation of AI infrastructure through high-risk, high-reward programs spanning devices, systems, software, hardware, and AI infrastructure.\nAs a Senior/Principal Product Systems Engineer, you will own the system-level definition and technical integration of emerging optical interconnect technologies as they move from research prototypes toward deployable infrastructure. Working across research, Azure engineering, product teams, suppliers, and external partners, you will translate product scenarios into clear requirements, specifications, verification plans, and technical roadmaps, while driving trade-offs and risk management across optics, electronics, packaging, thermal, mechanical, firmware, networking, manufacturing, and qualification.\nMicrosoft’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.\nResponsibilities\nOwn the system-level product definition, including requirements, specifications, interfaces, acceptance criteria, and technical baselines.\nTranslate AI infrastructure and networking scenarios into measurable performance, reliability, cost, power, manufacturability, serviceability, and deployment requirements.\nLead multidisciplinary architecture, design, and trade-off reviews across optics, electronics, photonics, packaging, thermal, mechanical, firmware, networking, manufacturing, test, and qualification.\nAct as a primary technical interface with suppliers and development partners, ensuring deliverables are complete, testable, and aligned to specification.\nPartner with Microsoft Research, Azure engineering, product, supply-chain, and operations teams to maintain an integrated product and technology roadmap.\nOwn the system-level risk register, verification strategy, qualification plan, and stage-gate criteria from prototype through deployment readiness.\nCoordinate technical execution across workstreams by maintaining clear decisions, interfaces, dependencies, milestones, and escalation paths. Communicate product maturity, technical gaps, alternatives, and recommendations to technical and senior stakeholders.\nQualifications\nRequired/Minimum Qualifications\nDegree in electrical or electronic engineering, computer engineering, systems engineering, physics, applied physics, photonics, computer science, or a related field, and relevant experience in systems engineering, product development, hardware engineering, or technical product integration; or equivalent experience.\nBroad technical understanding across some of the following: optical links and photonics, mixed-signal electronics, ASICs, packaging, signal and power integrity, thermal and mechanical design, networking, reliability, and high-volume manufacturing.\nExperience defining requirements, specifications, interfaces, verification plans, or qualification criteria for a complex multidisciplinary hardware or infrastructure product.\nExperience leading system-level technical trade-offs and integrating contributions from multiple engineering disciplines.\nExperience working directly with external suppliers, technology partners, OEMs, ODMs, or component vendors on technical deliverables and design reviews.\nAbility to operate effectively in an ambiguous, fast-moving environment spanning research, product engineering, and commercialization.\nExcellent communication skills in English, both written and spoken, including the ability to explain assumptions, document decisions, and align diverse technical and non-technical stakeholders.\nPreferred Qualifications\nExperience taking a complex hardware, optical, semiconductor, networking, or cloud-infrastructure technology product through its full development cycle from concept or prototype through design validation, qualification, manufacturing readiness, or deployment.\nExperience building technical and product roadmaps that connect customer or internal product scenarios to architecture, supplier capability, validation evidence, and investment decisions.\nDemonstrated ability to provide strong execution leadership across teams while retaining ownership of product definition and system-level technical outcomes.\nFor appointment at the Principal level, demonstrated experience setting technical direction, leading across organizational boundaries, and influencing product or platform decisions for complex engineering programs.\nResearch Sciences IC4 - The typical base pay range for this role across United Kingdom is £ 74,700.00 - £ 122,600.00 per year. Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation.\nFind additional benefits and pay information here:\nhttps://careers.microsoft.com/v2/global/en/corporate-pay/united-kingdom-corporate-pay.html\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. 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.","description_format":"text","description_chars":5890,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":null,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":null,"security_clearance":false,"languages":[{"language":"English","level":"All levels","optional":false}]},"benefits":[],"hiring_locations":[{"name":"United Kingdom","iso":"GB","kind":"country"}],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Console Games","Cloud Platforms (IaaS & PaaS)","Gaming Consoles","Developer Tools"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-10-01T17:06:24Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":12,"band":"cold","label":"Long shot","p_open":1,"p_active":0.435,"p_room":0.28,"age_days":60,"expected_fill_days":19,"reasons":["conf:1","stale_co","velocity","win:tail","crowd:brand"],"computed_at":"2026-10-12T06:55:09Z"},"pay":{"stated_usd_annual":162246,"is_top_pay":false},"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/microsoft-seniorprincipal-product-systems-engineer","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/microsoft-seniorprincipal-product-systems-engineer.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-10-13T00:31:27Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":871,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-10-14T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":18},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=18"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fmicrosoft-seniorprincipal-product-systems-engineer"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":1,"usd":0.1},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Fmicrosoft-seniorprincipal-product-systems-engineer"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Fmicrosoft-seniorprincipal-product-systems-engineer"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/microsoft-seniorprincipal-product-systems-engineer\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fmicrosoft-seniorprincipal-product-systems-engineer"}]}