Principal Software Engineering Manager - Search
Overview Join the Windows Platform and Developer (WPD) division's Search and AI Platform team as a Principal Software Engineering Manager. Lead a team of 7-10 engineers in delivering platform-level search and AI Platform capabilities. The team focuses on building next-generation search for File Explorer, Universal Search, Copilot, and future MCP/LLM integrations, as well as Windows AI Platform, which enables developers to integrate advanced AI capabilities into applications. Responsibilities Own the technical direction and architecture for the Windows Search Platform from design through retail delivery. Drive the evolution of Search Platform into an AI-native infrastructure layer, enabling Copilot, MCP/LLM integrations, and future agentic discovery patterns. Lead cross-functional partnerships with Products, File Explorer, Windows Search Box, and other external partners. Establish and enforce release discipline and observability as first-class requirements. Define and drive data-backed engineering decisions across the platform. Lead, mentor, and grow a team of 7-10 engineers. Recruit and retain top systems engineering talent. Represent the team's work to senior leadership. Drive program execution across multiple concurrent tracks. Champion AI-assisted engineering practices. Qualifications Required Qualifications: Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science or related technical field AND 6+ years technical engineering experience. 4+ years of people management experience leading engineering teams. Solid systems programming background with experience in platform/infrastructure-level software development. Experience with search/indexing systems, database internals, file systems, or information retrieval at scale. Preferred Qualifications: Master’s Degree in Computer Science or related technical field AND 8+ years technical engineering experience. 6+ years of people management experience with a demonstrated track record of growing senior/principal-level engineers. Deep understanding of Windows internals, NT kernel, file systems, and OS-level search infrastructure. Experience driving multi-track programs with solid release governance and retail delivery discipline. Proven ability to drive architectural decisions across organizational boundaries. Track record of defining and enforcing quality gates, telemetry pipelines, observability frameworks, and data-backed engineering decisions. Experience with AI/ML integration in systems software.
platform/infrastructure-level software development