Principal Hardware Technical Program Manager

Overview

Microsoft's Silicon, Cloud Hardware, and Infrastructure Engineering (SCHIE) organization designs and delivers the advanced hardware platforms that power Azure's global cloud and AI services. As a Principal HW Technical Program Manager, you will own the end‑to‑end strategy and execution for next‑generation accelerated AI Infrastructure systems. You will lead early product definition, align cross‑disciplinary engineering teams, and ensure each platform meets the performance, reliability, and operational readiness required for the world's most demanding AI workloads. Your technical program leadership brings compute, networking, firmware, power and cooling, and platform software together into cohesive solutions.

In this role, you will guide programs from early engineering development through validation, New Product Introduction, and fleet‑level readiness. You will drive cross‑functional execution across internal engineering teams, technology partners, and global manufacturing and supply chain organizations to ensure platforms are built, tested, and ready for production scale. You will play a critical role partnering with internal business and deployment teams to inform program decisions, accelerate readiness milestones, and enable seamless transitions into downstream deployment.

This role is ideal for a technical leader who thrives in fast‑moving, highly complex environments. You will bring deep technical insight, broad systems perspective, and strong program leadership to unite teams, drive decisions, and deliver clarity amid evolving priorities. Your work will directly shape Azure's accelerated computing roadmap, strengthen Microsoft's competitive position in AI infrastructure, and empower customers and developers to build, train, and scale the world's most advanced AI and cloud services.

#azurehwjobs #HIFE

Responsibilities

• Lead large, cross-functional teams spanning hardware, software, supply chain, sourcing, networking, and datacenter operations to deliver complex AI infrastructure product development programs, including liquid cooling, disaggregated AI power systems, and scale-out networking rack systems.
• Own the Plan of Record (POR), including defining milestones, aligning stakeholders, and driving cross-functional execution for new AI infrastructure product development across cooling, power, and networking domains.
• Provide technical program leadership, integrating inputs from engineering, validation, manufacturing, and operations to drive readiness and resolve technical or execution risks.
• Develop and maintain cohesive development plans in partnership with technology and engineering partners, ensuring clarity in technical requirements, dependencies, deliverables, and cross‑team responsibilities.
• Identify, assess, and mitigate technical and schedule risks, using scenario planning, structured risk reviews, and recovery strategies to maintain program stability.
• Communicate program status, risks, and decision recommendations to senior leadership with clear framing, tradeoffs, and escalation pathways.
• Drive accountability across functional teams, ensuring decisions are made at the right level and issues are surfaced and resolved without delay.
• Operate effectively in ambiguous environments, establishing structure, processes, and clarity where none exist, including early product definition and evolving requirements.
• Ensure alignment across partner teams by establishing mechanisms to assess engineering progress, POR adherence, cross-functional dependencies, and readiness for datacenter deployment.
• Apply program management tools and communication mechanisms to measure engineering impact, track metrics, and ensure transparency across workstreams.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelors Degree AND 6+ years experience in engineering, product/technical program management, data analysis, or product development OR equivalent experience,

• 3+ years of experience managing cross-functional and/or cross-team projects.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelors Degree AND 12+ years experience engineering, product/technical program management, data analysis, or product development OR equivalent experience.

• 8+ years of experience managing cross-functional and/or cross-team projects.

• 1+ year(s) of experience reading and/or writing code (e.g., sample documentation, product demos).

• Experience with hardware, firmware, and software integration, as well as complex system design, testing, and integration.

• Demonstrated experience leading multiple generations of complex hardware or infrastructure products from early product definition and architecture through NPI, qualification, production ramp, and deployment at scale.

• Strong systems-level understanding of AI/cloud infrastructure, including one or more of compute, networking, rack-scale systems, power delivery, liquid cooling, firmware/software integration, or datacenter deployment.

• Knowledge of high-volume server design and manufacturing is desired.

• Knowledge of datacenter infrastructure and operations at scale

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.

Technical Program Management 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.