Overview
We are seeking a Senior Build & Pipeline Architect to define and drive the technical vision for build systems, CI/CD, and development pipelines supporting our production workflows. This role combines deep hands-on expertise with domain-level architectural leadership, ensuring our build and pipeline systems are scalable, reliable, and optimized for large-scale development.

This is a focused architect role, owning the build and pipeline domain end-to-end, and working closely with infrastructure, tools, and project teams to support development across multiple initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Define and drive technical architecture for build systems, CI/CD, and pipeline workflows
• Lead the design and evolution of scalable, high-performance build and integration systems
• Own architecture for branching strategies, build orchestration, and release pipelines
• Identify and resolve systemic bottlenecks in build times, reliability, and developer workflows
• Establish standards, best practices, and patterns for build and pipeline development
• Partner with DevOps to ensure infrastructure and build systems are aligned and scalable
• Collaborate with tools engineers to ensure seamless integration with developer workflows
• Contribute hands-on to critical systems, complex debugging, and performance optimization
• Mentor engineers within the build/pipeline domain and support growth of internal talent
• Guide roadmap and technical direction specifically for build and pipeline systems

Required

Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or related technical field AND 4+ years technical engineering experience with coding in languages including, but not limited to, C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, or Python OR equivalent experience.

Preferred

• 8+ years in software engineering, with experience in build systems, CI/CD, or pipeline engineering
• Proven experience in:
  • Designing and scaling large build systems or distributed CI/CD environments
  • Build orchestration and automation
  • Dependency management and caching strategies
  • Branching and release workflows
  • Experience with CI/CD platforms (e.g., Jenkins, TeamCity, GitHub Actions, etc.)
  • Debugging and performance optimization skills
  • Ability to balance hands-on execution with architectural guidance
  • Communication skills and ability to influence within a domain
  • Experience with game development pipelines or large asset builds
  • Familiarity with Perforce or large binary workflows
  • Experience with distributed build systems or build farms
  • Exposure to cloud-based build scaling and hybrid infrastructure

Software Engineering IC4 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $119,800 - $234,700 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 $158,400 - $258,000 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.