Overview

Windows Search is undergoing a fundamental transformation — evolving from a traditional desktop file indexer into an intelligent, AI-powered Search Platform that underpins how users, applications, and AI agents discover, retrieve, and reason over information across the Windows ecosystem. We’re also making strides in the development of Windows AI Platform equipping developers with robust tools to build AI-powered applications. Through offerings such as Windows ML, WebNN, and Foundry, the team simplifies the processes of model conversion, optimisation, and hardware acceleration, making it easier for developers to integrate advanced AI capabilities into their applications.

Come join our frontier engineering organization in the Windows Platform and Developer (WPD) division — specifically the Search and AI Platform team — focused on building the next-generation search that powers File Explorer, Universal Search, Copilot, and future MCP/LLM integrations and Windows AI Platform which powers developers to integration advanced AI capabilities into applications. We are looking for an experienced Senior Software Engineer to design and deliver platform-level search and AI Platform capabilities.

We are excited by candidates who live at the intersection of systems-level programming and platform architecture, are actively leveraging AI-assisted software development in their daily workflow, and thrive on solving complex technical challenges with engineering rigor and craftsmanship.

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

As a Senior Software Engineer within the Windows Search Platform Engineering team, you will be responsible for:

Designing and implementing core components of the Windows Search Platform.
Driving technical deep-dives and authoring design specifications for complex features, establishing yourself as a technical authority on the search platform stack.
Owning end-to-end delivery of features from design through coding, testing, self-host validation, and retail rollout — with a strong focus on quality, reliability, and performance.
Collaborating cross-functionally with Products and Data teams to drive technical alignment and resolve architectural trade-offs.
Building and maintaining observability infrastructure.
Driving Reliability and Quality through bug triage leadership, root-cause analysis, and proactive quality engineering.
Contributing to release.
Mentoring junior engineers through code reviews, design discussions, and technical guidance — raising the overall engineering bar across the team.
Championing AI-assisted engineering practices — leveraging agentic workflows, automation, and AI tooling to accelerate development and improve code quality.
Proactively identifying technical debt, performance bottlenecks, and reliability risks — proposing and executing improvements with minimal oversight.
Representing technical decisions and progress in engineering forums, sprint reviews, and cross-team syncs with clarity and confidence.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or related technical field AND 8+ years technical engineering experience with coding in languages including, but not limited to, C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, or Python.
- OR equivalent experience.
Solid proficiency in C/C++ with experience in systems-level or platform software development.
Experience with multi-threaded programming, memory management, and performance optimization in native code.
Demonstrated ability to own and deliver complex features end-to-end with minimal guidance.

Preferred Qualifications:

Master's Degree in Computer Science or related technical field AND 7+ years technical engineering experience.
- OR Bachelor's Degree AND 8+ years technical engineering experience.
- OR equivalent experience.
Deep understanding of Windows internals, NT kernel, file systems (NTFS/ReFS), or OS-level services and infrastructure.
Experience with search/indexing systems, database internals, query processing, or information retrieval at scale.
Track record of authoring design specifications and driving technical consensus across multiple stakeholders.
Experience with telemetry frameworks, observability pipelines, and data-driven quality engineering.
Familiarity with AI/ML integration patterns — embedding-based retrieval, LLM consumption APIs, or AI-native platform design.
• Solid debugging and root-cause analysis skills across user-mode and kernel-mode components.
Methodical analytical skills with a systematic approach to software design, testing, and performance analysis.
Confident communicator who can articulate technical decisions and trade-offs to both engineering peers and leadership.
Self-motivated with a strong sense of ownership, accountability, and a bias toward action and speed.

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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.