Principal Electrical Engineer, AI Hardware

Job Title

Principal Electrical Engineer, AI Hardware

Role Summary

Lead system-level electrical design and validation for AI/cloud hardware within Microsoft Silicon, Cloud Hardware, and Infrastructure Engineering (SCHIE). Drive design execution, cross-functional collaboration, and partner integration to deliver reliable, high-performance server and accelerator platforms at scale.

Experience Level

Senior (Principal). Prefer candidates with significant system-level experience; role prefers 10+ years of relevant hands-on engineering experience in compute, storage, networking, or accelerator system design.

Responsibilities

Accountable for system electrical design, validation, and production readiness across hardware lifecycles.

• Lead electrical design execution at the system level and produce detailed design specifications.
• Coordinate cross-functional design efforts (thermal, mechanical, firmware, OS) and guide ODM/OEM implementation.
• Perform comprehensive design reviews: schematics, board files, BOM, DFT, DFM.
• Define board-level bring-up and electrical test requirements and ensure execution.
• Develop system-level bring-up and end-to-end validation test plans and ensure coverage.
• Lead troubleshooting, issue triage, hardware debug, and drive resolution and bug reporting with partners.
• Ensure product functionality, performance, quality, reliability, and manufacturability at scale.

Requirements

Key technical and compliance expectations. Degree details are summarized separately under Education Requirements.

Must-have

• Proven experience in system-level board and system bring-up, validation, and debugging for server or accelerator platforms.
• Strong knowledge of high-speed interfaces (PCIe, DDR, Ethernet) and high-power product design.
• Experience developing and executing hardware validation and functional test plans.
• Ability to work across hardware, firmware, software, and data-center infrastructure teams to identify risks and tradeoffs.
• Effective verbal and written communication and presentation skills.
• Must be able to pass Microsoft Cloud Background Check and required security screenings.

Nice-to-have

• Experience with high-volume hardware production for cloud/server environments and datacenter operations at scale.
• Deep familiarity with system firmware (BIOS, BMC), operating systems (Windows and/or Linux), and system security.

Education Requirements

Doctorate in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field (plus 3+ years engineering experience) OR Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field (plus 6+ years) OR Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field (plus 8+ years) OR equivalent practical experience.

About the Company

Company: Microsoft

Headquarters: Redmond, Washington, United States

Microsoft is a global technology company that develops and sells software, services, devices, and solutions. Known for its Windows operating system, Office suite, and Azure cloud platform, Microsoft aims to empower individuals and organizations around the world to achieve more. The company fosters a culture of innovation and inclusion, focusing on delivering trusted experiences to customers and partners globally.