Principal Security Architect

The Cloud & AI organization accelerates Microsoft’s mission and bold ambitions to ensure that our company and industry is securing digital technology platforms, devices, and clouds in our customers’ heterogeneous environments, as well as ensuring the security of our own internal estate. Our culture is centered on embracing a growth mindset, a theme of inspiring excellence, and encouraging teams and leaders to bring their best each day. In doing so, we create life-changing innovations that impact billions of lives around the world. Microsoft is one of the largest enterprise service companies in the world.

Security remains a critical priority for our customers in a world awash in digital threats, regulatory scrutiny, and estate complexity. Microsoft aspires to make the world a safer place for all. We want to reshape security and empower every user, customer, and developer with a security cloud that protects them with end to end, simplified solutions. The Cloud & AI organization accelerates Microsoft’s mission and bold ambitions to ensure that our company and industry is securing digital technology platforms, devices, and clouds in our customers’ heterogeneous environments, as well as ensuring the security of our own internal estate. Our culture is centered on embracing a growth mindset, a theme of inspiring excellence, and encouraging teams and leaders to bring their best each day. In doing so, we create life-changing innovations that impact billions of lives around the world.  

We're looking for a Principal Security Architect to help shape the future of Security Operations at the intersection of Identity, AI, and Security. In this role, you'll work across engineering, security, and business stakeholders to identify emerging risks, assess evolving technology trends, and translate strategic direction into scalable security capabilities. You will help define how Security Operations adapts to modern identity architectures, machine identities, AI-enabled services, and the next generation of authentication and authorization systems.

Starting February, 2026, Microsoft employees are expected to work from a designated Microsoft office at least three days a week if they live within 50 miles (U.S.) or 25 miles (non-U.S., country-specific) of that location. This expectation is subject to local law and may vary by jurisdiction. 

What you'll do:

• Analyze IAM, platform, and AI roadmap investments to identify future security needs.
• Drive identity security strategy, threat modeling, and operational readiness.
• Develop security operations frameworks for AI-enabled systems and agentic workloads.
• Identify capability gaps and incubate new security approaches.
• Partner across engineering and security teams to influence long-term security direction.

Why This Role:

This is an opportunity to help define the future of Security Operations for one of Microsoft's most critical security domains.You'll have the autonomy to explore where the business is going, identify what's next, and build the capabilities needed before they become operational requirements.If you're excited about the convergence of Identity, AI, and Security Operations and want to build what's next, we'd love to talk to you.

Required Qualifications:

• Doctorate in Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, or related field AND 3+ years experience in software development lifecycle, large-scale computing, threat modeling, cyber security, anomaly detection, Security Operations Center (SOC) detection, threat analytics, security incident and event management (SIEM), information technology (IT), or operations incident response
  • OR Master's Degree in Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, or related field AND 4+ years experience in software development lifecycle, large-scale computing, threat modeling, cyber security, anomaly detection, Security Operations Center (SOC) detection, threat analytics, security incident and event management (SIEM), information technology (IT), or operations incident response
  • OR Bachelor's Degree in Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, or related field AND 6+ years experience in software development lifecycle, large-scale computing, threat modeling, cyber security, anomaly detection, Security Operations Center (SOC) detection, threat analytics, security incident and event management (SIEM), information technology (IT), or operations incident response
    • OR equivalent experience. 

Security Operations 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.

Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here:
https://careers.microsoft.com/us/en/us-corporate-pay

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.