Principal Data Scientist Manager

Company: Microsoft
Location: Mountain View
Posted on: February 26, 2026

Job Description:

Microsoft is a company where passionate innovators come to collaborate, envision what can be and take their careers further. This is a world of more possibilities, more innovation, more openness, and the sky is the limit thinking in a cloud-enabled world. Microsoft’s Azure Data engineering team is leading the transformation of analytics in the world of data with products like databases, data integration, big data analytics, messaging & real-time analytics, and business intelligence. The products our portfolio include Microsoft Fabric, Azure SQL DB, Azure Cosmos DB, Azure PostgreSQL, Azure Data Factory, Azure Synapse Analytics, Azure Service Bus, Azure Event Grid, and Power BI. Our mission is to build the data platform for the age of AI, powering a new class of data-first applications and driving a data culture. Within Azure Data, the big data analytics team provides a range of products that enable data engineers and data scientists to extract intelligence from all data – structured, semi-structured, and unstructured. We build the Data Engineering, Data Science, and Data Integration pillars of Microsoft Fabric. In particular, we are hiring for the Gray Systems Lab (GSL), an applied research group part of the Azure Data CTO office. GSL tackles interesting challenges in both open-source and proprietary technologies related to analytics, cloud, AI, and storage systems among others. We build reliable, highly scalable and highly performing distributed systems for data analytics on Azure, we publish in top-conferences and are actively involved in open-source projects. GSL researchers and engineers have contributed hundreds of academic papers and build technologies that impacted tens of millions of dollars of Microsoft revenues/costs. We work on novel technologies including analytics on GPUs, container technologies, graph databases, infrastructure and models for LLMs and data-science, machine learning for systems, and many other areas. Data Scientist in GSL focus on LLM based research as well as ML-for-Systems work, designed to create innovative experiences in the context of all products of Azure Data, as well as optimize and improve the efficiency of how we operate our systems. Managers in GSL act as expert guides designing a broad research agenda and working with individual researchers in pursuing world-class novel research and successfully tech transfer it to product. GSL managers are technically active. The current role is for a lead of the LLM team in GSL, where you will lead a small team in exploring research topics and creating real world impact. The team has access to powerful compute resources and frontier models that we work with and to advance. We do not just value differences or different perspectives. We seek them out and invite them in so we can tap into the collective power of everyone in the company. As a result, our customers are better served. Responsibilities As a Principal Data Scientist Manager, you have an opportunity to work on the latest technology of LLMs and Data Science and apply them to some of the largest problems in industry, including practical applications of ML on workload insight and optimization, apply innovative algorithms for solving placement and load balancing problems at scale. In GSL we seek collaborative and inclusive manager who can think big, working on the bleeding edge envisioning a new future, and work with our team of researchers and engineers to make it happen. Want to change the world with data and large-scale distributed systems? Do you want to solve challenges that you didn’t even know existed until you get to a large size? Come join us on the Azure data team! Managers deliver success through empowerment and accountability by modeling, coaching, and caring. Model - Live our culture; Embody our values; Practice our leadership principles. Coach - Define team objectives and outcomes; Enable success across boundaries; Help the team adapt and learn. Care - Attract and retain great people; Know each individual’s capabilities and aspirations; Invest in the growth of others. Business Understanding and Impact: Leverages subject matter expertise and organizational resources to analyze overarching problems and issues facing projects to uncover, manage, and/or mitigate factors that can influence final outcomes. Anticipates roadblocks and ensures proper resources are in place to alleviate their impact. Oversees development of Product Engineering project plans and ensures evaluation of resources, risks, contingencies, requirements, assumptions, and constraints. Leads strategy development efforts spanning multiple projects and communicates efforts to senior leadership. Develops a cohesive, strategic vision and considers broader impact within discipline and within Microsoft as a whole. Data Preparation and Understanding: Leverages technical expertise to support team members and manage activities taken to construct final dataset from initial raw data. Oversees cross-collaboration efforts to ensure data is prepared in a multi-functional approach. Supports team in understanding key technologies and tools necessary for data exploration (e.g., structured query language [SQL], Python). Coaches less experienced engineers in data analysis standards and best practices. Drives discussions around ethics and privacy policies related to research processes and data/information collection. Initiates and finds new data streams and new business opportunities. Embody our culture and values Qualifications Required/minimum qualifications Bachelors Degree in Statistics, Econometrics, Computer Science, Electrical or Computer Engineering, or related field AND 8 years related experience (e.g., statistics, predictive analytics, research) OR Masters Degree in Statistics, Econometrics, Computer Science, Electrical or Computer Engineering, or related field AND 6 years related experience (e.g., statistics, predictive analytics, research) OR Doctorate in Statistics, Econometrics, Computer Science, Electrical or Computer Engineering, or related field AND 5 years related experience (e.g., statistics, predictive analytics, research) OR equivalent experience. 3 years of people management 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 Other Requirements 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. Additional or preferred qualifications Masters Degree in Statistics, Econometrics, Computer Science, Electrical or Computer Engineering, or related field AND 12 years related experience (e.g., statistics, predictive analytics, research) OR Doctorate in Statistics, Econometrics, Computer Science, Electrical or Computer Engineering, or related field AND 8 years related experience (e.g., statistics, predictive analytics, research) OR equivalent experience. 7 years of people management experience. 3 years experience presenting at conferences or other events in the outside research/industry community as an invited speaker. 7 years experience conducting research as part of a research program (in academic or industry settings). 5 years experience developing and deploying live production systems, as part of a product team. 7 years experience developing and deploying products or systems at multiple points in the product cycle from ideation to shipping Applied Sciences M6 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $163,000 - $296,400 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 $220,800 - $331,200 per year.

Keywords: Microsoft, Arden-Arcade , Principal Data Scientist Manager, IT / Software / Systems , Mountain View, California