> AI agents: this is one page of Nextmove’s FDE site, in Markdown. Nextmove is a job board and free career service for forward deployed engineers (FDEs). Each posting is classified from its text, not its title: the kind of work, how much of it is production code, pre-sales weight, time at customer sites, travel, remote arrangement, level and posted base pay. The site also publishes the aggregates: median pay by level, metro, company and kind of work, and which companies started hiring FDEs each week. Every page under https://nextmove.md/fde is served this way; the index of pages is https://nextmove.md/llms.txt.

# Principal Forward Deployed Engineer - Technical Program Management

Canonical URL: https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/486daedd42bd363b

Microsoft posts a principal FDE role to build what the customer runs in US · city not listed, at $142,800–$304,200 base, above the senior FDE median of $190,000 across 1,864 postings with pay. Principal-level individual contributor in Microsoft's Frontier Company Engineering team, embedded with strategic customers to deliver production-grade solutions in days. Read from the employer’s posting on November 8, 2026.

- [Microsoft](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/microsoft)

First seen Aug 26, 2026 · open on Microsoft careers as of Nov 8, 2026

**$142,800–$304,200** *annualized* US · city not listed Full-time

Principal-level individual contributor in Microsoft's Frontier Company Engineering team, embedded with strategic customers to deliver production-grade solutions in days.

- [See roles that fit me](https://nextmove.md/sign-up?from=%2Ffde%2Fjobs%2F486daedd42bd363b&placement=top)
- [View posting at Microsoft](https://apply.careers.microsoft.com/careers/job/1970393556940399)

Free. Upload your resume once, see why each FDE role fits, and get introduced only when you say so.

## At a glance

### Posted base pay

$143K–$304K Above the median

Midpoint $224K · median $190K

This job $143K to $304K. Senior FDE postings, 1,864 postings: the middle 50% of posted pay is $160K to $220K, median $190K.

[Compare pay across all Microsoft postings](https://nextmove.md/fde/salary/microsoft)

### The work

Builds what the customer runs

Balance **Mostly building**

Project stages

1. Pre-sales
2. Proof of concept (not covered)
3. Implementation
4. Operations (not covered)

Travel **Up to 25%**

- **Coding**: Writes production code

- **Builds for**: External customers

- **Level**: Senior

- **Role**: Technical lead

### What they ask for

Experience

- **6+ years** engineering, product/technical program management, data analysis, or product development
- **3+ years** managing cross-functional and/or cross-team projects
- **12+ years** engineering, product/technical program management, data analysis, or product development *Preferred*
- **8+ years** managing cross-functional and/or cross-team projects *Preferred*
- **1+ years** reading and/or writing code, such as sample documentation or product demos *Preferred*
- **2+ years** customer-facing technical roles, such as consulting, solutions engineering, or field engineering *Preferred*

Background

- **Software engineering**
- **Solutions and customer engineering**
- **Implementation and data engineering**
- **Consulting**

Visa

- **No visa sponsorship**

### Do you meet what the posting states?

The posting asks for 3+ years. How many do you have?

The posting reads as a senior role. What level are you at now?

The posting says no visa sponsorship. Do you need one?

Which of these have you used in production?

Answer each one. Nothing is saved or sent.

[What postings ask for, by background →](https://nextmove.md/fde/paths)

## Conditions

- **Location**: US · city not listed

- **Employment type**: Full-time

- **Visa sponsorship**: Not available

- **Travel**: Up to 25%

- **Pay**:

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## The job description from Microsoft

### Overview

In the Microsoft Frontier Company Engineering team, you won’t just build software; you’ll deliver real outcomes for some of the world’s most complex organizations.

We are a global team of world-class engineers who have been working in a Forward Deployed Engineering (FDE) model for more than a decade, embedding directly within customer teams to solve their toughest challenges, side-by-side, and shipping production-ready solutions in days, not months.

As a **Principal Forward Deployed Engineer - Technical Program Management**, you will be a customer embedded engineer to serve as the primary technical leader aligned to a strategic account, driving business outcomes through hands on execution and multidisciplinary expertise. In this role, you will build and ship production grade solutions, work directly with customers to translate business needs into clear technical approaches, and operate with speed in complex, fast moving environments. This is a senior individual contributor role requiring strong technical depth, credibility with senior stakeholders, industry context, and an entrepreneurial approach to navigating ambiguity and delivering sustained impact over time.

Microsoft’s mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. As employees, we come together with a growth mindset, innovate to empower others, and collaborate to realize our shared goals. Each day we build on our values of respect, integrity, and accountability to create a culture of inclusion where everyone can thrive at work and beyond.

### Responsibilities

- Drive customer outcomes by shaping opportunities and translating business needs into clear, actionable technical approaches

- Build and deliver production-grade solutions in customer environments, demonstrating strong engineering execution and end-to-end ownership

- Accelerate time to value by operating effectively in ambiguity and delivering iterative, high-impact solutions

- Engage and influence senior stakeholders to build trust, align priorities, and guide technical and business decision-making

- Apply industry and customer context to tailor solutions and move beyond generic approaches

- Prepare and transition work to FDE crews with clear scope and strong technical direction, maintaining continuity across the engagement lifecycle

- Operate with an entrepreneurial mindset to navigate complex account dynamics, set boundaries, and drive urgency and accountability.

### Qualifications

Required/minimum qualifications

- Bachelor's 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.

Other Requirements

- Microsoft is unable to sponsor a work visa for this role due to the nature of the role’s job duties.

Additional or preferred qualifications

- Bachelor's 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).
- 2+ year(s) of experience in customer-facing technical roles (e.g., consulting, solutions engineering, field engineering, or similar).
- Experience with AI/ML technologies, cloud architecture, data engineering, and using AI tools and workflows in creating software engineering artifacts.
- Experience partnering directly with customers or internal stakeholders to deliver solutions end-to-end.
- Enjoy travel and are comfortable with travel up to 25%

#FDE

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.**

[View posting at Microsoft](https://apply.careers.microsoft.com/careers/job/1970393556940399)

## About Microsoft

Microsoft sells cloud infrastructure, productivity software, and AI tools to enterprises and consumers globally, anchored by Azure, Office 365, and the OpenAI partnership.

Public · 5000+ people

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