Principal System Technical Lead

The Cloud Hardware and System Engineering (CHSE) team is looking for a Senior Hardware Engineer to serve as the Compute System Technical Lead (STL) in Taipei, Taiwan, providing end-to-end technical leadership for the development and validation of next-generation Azure compute hardware platforms. The STL bridges architecture and execution, maintains technical continuity across program development and validation lifecycle phases, and ensures that hardware, firmware, software, validation, manufacturing, and operational workstreams converge into a complete, high-quality system solution. The STL owns end-to-end technical execution, cross-functional integration, design quality, technical readiness, and program-level technical decisions within the approved baseline. The STL also provides technical input and impact assessment for program decisions while preserving the ownership of functional engineering and program-management teams. 

As Azure grows to support increasingly demanding cloud, AI, and data-intensive workloads, compute infrastructure deliver greater performance, efficiency, reliability, serviceability, security, and cost effectiveness at global scale. The CHSE team defines and delivers the systems engineering required to bring new cloud hardware platforms from concept through qualification, deployment, and fleet operations. This role will provide system-level technical leadership for Azure compute hardware, including conventional cloud servers and, where relevant, large-memory, multi-processor platforms with up to eight sockets and CXL-attached memory, as well as AI and high-performance computing (HPC) workloads. Experience with complex server platforms is central; prior ownership of a specific large-memory, multi-processor or HPC platform is not required. 

CHSE sits within the broader Microsoft Silicon, Cloud Hardware, and Infrastructure Engineering (SCHIE) organization that designs and delivers the silicon, hardware systems, firmware, software, and other foundational technologies that power Microsoft Azure. Our teams work across silicon, servers, storage, networking, accelerators, datacenters, security, and operations to build infrastructure that is reliable, efficient, secure, and scalable for Microsoft's global cloud services. We are looking for engineers who want to shape the next generation of cloud infrastructure and deliver trusted experiences for customers worldwide. 

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• Provide end-to-end system technical leadership for Azure compute platforms during hardware development and validation, translating approved requirements and architecture into an executable cross-functional technical strategy. 

• Drive timely program-level technical decisions across hardware, firmware, software, validation, manufacturing, datacenter integration, and operations, balancing performance, reliability, availability, serviceability, security, power, cooling, cost, schedule, and implementation risk. 

• Establish the quality bar for system specifications, subsystem interfaces, design documentation, design reviews, validation strategies, test plans, and launch criteria, and maintain traceability from requirements through validation and deployment evidence. 

• Identify integration gaps and assess new, unique, difficult, or differentiated technologies and features across processors and systems on chip (SoCs), memory, accelerators, PCIe and CXL fabrics, networking, storage, system management, power, cooling, and mechanical subsystems, including needs associated with scale-up, large-memory multi-processor platforms supporting up to eight sockets and CXL-attached memory, AI, or HPC use cases where applicable 

• Lead or sponsor system design reviews with Microsoft engineering teams, silicon and component partners, and original design manufacturers (ODMs), and confirm that qualification, interoperability, and manufacturing test coverage address system requirements and risks. 

• Lead cross-functional resolution of complex issues found during design, bring-up, validation, manufacturing, deployment, or fleet operation, driving root cause, corrective action, verified closure, and propagation of fixes and lessons learned. 

• Partner with the Technical Program Manager and Product Owner to assess the technical impact of proposed changes, drive milestone readiness, provide technical approvals defined by program governance, and communicate concise status, risks, decisions, and help-needed items to leadership. 

• Collaborate across architecture, silicon, electrical, mechanical, thermal, power, firmware, operating systems, validation, systems engineering, manufacturing, supply chain, datacenter engineering, operations, suppliers, ODMs, and customer-facing teams, including Taiwan and broader Asia-based partners, to align subsystem decisions and deliver an integrated compute platform. 

Basic Qualifications 

• Master's Degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field AND 7+ years technical engineering experience OR Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field AND 8+ years technical engineering experience OR equivalent experience

• 7+ years of relevant experience in system-level design or implementation across compute, storage, networking, accelerator, or other complex hardware platforms, including hands-on server or compute development and integration across hardware, firmware, and operating systems. 

• Experience leading cross-functional technical decisions, system validation strategies, and resolution of complex system-level issues across the hardware development lifecycle. 

Preferred Qualifications: 

• Broad technical understanding across electrical design, signal integrity, mechanical design, thermal engineering, power delivery, processors, memory, storage, networking, system management, security, and industry standards. 

• Experience developing server or compute systems and familiarity with processors and SoCs, memory subsystems, PCIe and CXL, storage, networking, accelerators, and related system interfaces. 

• Experience evaluating, integrating, or debugging high-speed interfaces such as PCIe, CXL, DDR, Ethernet, or comparable technologies at the system level. 

• Knowledge of system firmware, including BIOS, baseboard management controllers (BMCs), system management protocols, telemetry, update, recovery, and security considerations. 

• Knowledge of Windows, Linux, or other operating-system interactions with server hardware. 

• Experience integrating high-volume silicon, SoCs, graphics processing units (GPUs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), accelerators, or other complex components into high-volume systems. 

• Experience working with ODMs, silicon suppliers, component suppliers, manufacturing partners, and geographically distributed engineering teams, particularly within Taiwan or the broader Asia hardware ecosystem. 

• Experience taking complex hardware platforms through architecture, design, bring-up, validation, manufacturing, deployment, and sustained operation. 

• Experience debugging complex system-level issues and driving root cause, corrective action, validation, and cross-platform fix propagation. 

• Understanding of datacenter deployment, serviceability, fleet operations, reliability, and infrastructure operation at scale. 

• Exposure to scale-up or scale-out compute, high-density systems, HPC workloads, or large-memory, multi-processor platforms supporting up to eight sockets and CXL-attached memory, or similarly complex custom cloud platforms is beneficial but not required. 

• Demonstrated ability to influence technical decisions across organizational boundaries and communicate complex tradeoffs, risks, decisions, and help-needed items clearly in written, verbal, and executive settings. 

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. 

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.