Principal Data Scientist

Cloud Operations + Innovation (CO+I) is the team behind one of the World’s largest Cloud Infrastructures, responsible for powering all Microsoft online Products and Services as well as powering Microsoft’s “Cloud First” mission. Our focus is on smart growth, high efficiency, and delivering trusted experience to customers and partners worldwide, and we are looking for passionate, high-energy Principal Data Scientist to help achieve that mission.    
  
If you want to have fundamental impact on how Microsoft’s Cloud is deployed and operated globally, be involved with one of the most strategically important teams at Microsoft, and have strong technical and business acumen, leadership, creativity, and out-of-the-box thinking are some of the skills you bring to the table - this job is for you!    
  
We are looking for an exceptional Principal Data Scientist to collaborate with our data science and engineering team to build solutions that improve our Data Center delivery cycle time. As a Principal Data Scientist, you will partner with various teams to develop business requirements to standardize the business input and develop a long-term vision and partnering cross-functionally.  

In alignment with our Microsoft values, we are committed to cultivating an inclusive work environment for all employees to positively impact our culture every day.

Responsibilities:

• Lead end-to-end ownership of complex, ambiguous data science initiatives that drive measurable improvements to the global Data Center delivery lifecycle.

• Architect and deploy scalable statistical, optimization, and machine learning solutions in production to improve forecasting, planning, and operational efficiency.

• Translate advanced analytical insights into clear, actionable recommendations for senior leadership, influencing strategic and investment decisions.

• Partner cross-functionally across engineering, operations, supply chain, and finance teams to standardize data definitions and build durable, reusable data products.

• Establish best practices for experimentation, model validation, monitoring, and governance to ensure reliable and explainable solutions at scale.

• Mentor and provide technical leadership to other data scientists, raising the quality and impact of analytics across the organization.

Required Qualifications:

• Master's Degree in Mathematics, Analytics, Data Science, Engineering, Computer Science, Business, Economics or related field AND 4+ years experience in data analysis and reporting, data science, business intelligence, or business and financial analysis
  • OR Bachelor's Degree in Statistics, Mathematics, Analytics, Data Science, Engineering, Computer Science, Business, Economics or related field AND 6+ years experience in data analysis and reporting, data science, business intelligence, or business and financial analysis
  • OR equivalent experience. 

Background Check 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.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s Degree in Statistics, Econometrics, Computer Science, Engineering, or related quantitative field AND 8+ years related experience, OR Doctorate AND 5+ years related experience, OR equivalent industry experience.

• Demonstrated experience leading large-scale, cross-functional analytics initiatives with measurable business impact.

• Deep expertise in statistical modeling, causal inference, forecasting, optimization, and machine learning techniques.

• Proven experience designing, deploying, and maintaining production-grade data science solutions in cloud or distributed environments.

• Advanced proficiency in Python and SQL, with experience building scalable data pipelines and model workflows.

• Strong executive communication skills with the ability to influence senior stakeholders and operate effectively in highly ambiguous environments.

• Experience building and operationalizing optimization, simulation, or large-scale forecasting models for infrastructure, supply chain, or complex operational systems.

• Demonstrated experience influencing data architecture, telemetry design, or platform strategy in partnership with engineering teams.

• Experience establishing experimentation frameworks, model governance standards, and model monitoring practices across teams.

#COICareers | #EPCCareers | #DCDCareers

Data Analytics IC5 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $130,900 - $251,900 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 $165,600 - $272,300 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.