Software Engineering II

Microsoft

About The Position

The Virtual Machines and Containers team is seeking a Software Engineer II to contribute to advanced live migration capabilities for Azure and on‑premises environments. The team’s codebase enables customers to adopt new Azure features such as Boost accelerators and Confidential Virtual Machines (VMs) with minimal disruption, ensuring smooth transitions as new technologies are introduced. Within Base Operating System (OS), the team is responsible for the operating systems that support Azure, Microsoft’s Linux OS, Windows Client, Xbox platforms, and the Windows Server ecosystem. These systems form the foundation for all Microsoft cloud services and support billions of customers worldwide. In an era defined by widespread computing, excellence in systems software is essential. High‑quality and efficient operating systems and platform components strengthen reliability, improve competitiveness by reducing cost of goods sold (COGS), and enable the delivery of new features and capabilities across Microsoft’s products and services. This work plays a central role in ensuring that Microsoft’s systems remain robust, efficient, and capable of supporting the next generation of cloud and platform innovation. The team’s efforts directly influence customer experience, operational efficiency, and the evolution of Microsoft’s cloud technologies. 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.

Requirements

Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or related technical field AND 2+ years technical engineering experience with coding in languages including, but not limited to, C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript and Rust OR equivalent experience.
Ability 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.

Nice To Haves

Master's Degree in Computer Science or related technical field AND 3+ years technical engineering experience with coding in languages including, but not limited to, C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, Rust.
OR Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or related technical field AND 5+ years technical engineering experience with coding in languages including, but not limited to, C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, Rust.
OR equivalent experience.

Responsibilities

Independently uses artificial intelligence tools and practices across the software development lifecycle.
Understands customer/user requirements for a project/sub-section of a product.
Leads discussions for the architecture of a solution by testing design hypotheses and developing complex specifications.
Independently creates a test strategy that ensures solution quality.
Collaborates with internal and external teams to identify dependencies and reach common goals.
Writes code that is extensible, maintainable, well-tested, secure, and performant.
Uses debugging tools to verify assumptions and improve code quality.
Reviews product code to ensure appropriate test coverage and adherence to standards.
Proactively drives automation within production deployment across projects.
Implements security standards to raise security hardening across solutions, ensuring each layer is independently secure.