Cloud Network Engineering IC3
Top focus
Overview Microsoft Digital (MSD) builds and manages the critical products and services that Microsoft runs on. We boldly pursue big ideas that power transformational advances at Microsoft and for our customers, while helping Microsoft teams work smarter, faster, and more securely every day.
Microsoft Digital employees have deep technical and business expertise, customer insights, and a clear point of view that comes from first-hand, large-scale experience with Microsoft and industry solutions. We are engineers, technology leaders and experts, digital transformation change agents, and customer advocates.
We have exciting opportunities for you to innovate, influence, transform, inspire, and grow within our organization and we encourage you to apply to learn more! As a Cloud Network Engineer II , you will help design, deploy, and operate Microsoft's global wired access network infrastructure across corporate campuses, offices, and datacenters worldwide, delivering the secure and reliable connectivity that powers Microsoft's business.
Beyond traditional network engineering, you'll have the opportunity to help build the next chapter of Agentic Network Engineering, working at the forefront of networking, automation, and AI to redefine how enterprise networks are designed, operated, and optimized.
You'll contribute to innovative, AI-powered capabilities that empower engineers, accelerate innovation, and drive the future of autonomous network operations at global scale. This role spans Microsoft's enterprise wired access network, Customer Experience Sites (including Microsoft Technology Centers, Customer Experience Centers, and Executive Briefing Centers), and the Out-of-Band (OOB) management network that provides resilient access to network infrastructure during service-impacting events.
You will develop and maintain automation and tooling that improves operational efficiency, deployment consistency, and service reliability. You will also participate in daily operations and maintenance activities as part of a 7x24 on-call rotation.
A strong understanding of enterprise networking, security architecture, automation, and service operations is essential to ensure these foundational services are designed, deployed, and maintained to the highest standards. 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. #MSD #MSDJOBS #CNE #CloudNetworkEngineer #Cisco #Arista #PaloAlto #Opengear Responsibilities Design & standards: You will help create and maintain wired network designs, standards, and Bills of Materials (BOMs) that align with Microsoft's architecture, security, and operational requirements.
Deploy, migrate & lifecycle: You will deploy and migrate wired network infrastructure across corporate campuses, offices, and customer-facing facilities. Support hardware standard refreshes and end-of-life migrations, coordinating delivery, staging, and cutover with minimal disruption and rework.
Vendor & partner coordination: You will coordinate deployment partners and vendors to ensure solutions are implemented, validated, and documented in accordance with approved engineering standards. Core network engineering: You will engineer and support enterprise network services including switching, routing, authentication, segmentation, and Out-of-Band (OOB) management connectivity that enable resilient infrastructure operations globally.
Campus fabric & access: You will implement modern campus fabric and access technologies, including VxLAN/EVPN, 802.1X / IBNS policy, Captive Portal, and network segmentation. Customer-facing environments: You will provide end-to-end network engineering support for Microsoft Customer Experience Centers (CECs), Microsoft Technology Centers (MTCs), and Executive Briefing Centers (EBCs), ensuring highly reliable, exceptional experiences in high-visibility spaces.
Evaluate & onboard technology: You will evaluate, test, and onboard new networking platforms, software releases, and emerging technologies to improve the performance, security, and reliability of the network. Automation, telemetry & observability: You will develop and maintain automation, tooling, and Infrastructure as Code (IaC), and improve network observability using streaming telemetry and monitoring, to accelerate deployments, reduce operational toil, and improve consistency, troubleshooting, and engineering productivity.
AI-assisted / Agentic engineering: You will contribute to Microsoft's vision for Agentic Network Engineering by identifying opportunities to apply AI-powered agents, intelligent automation, and analytics to how networks are designed, operated, and supported.
Documentation & inventory: You will maintain accurate network documentation, as-builts, and inventory to support operations, compliance, and lifecycle management. Security & compliance: You will support security, compliance, and Zero Trust principles by partnering with security and compliance teams to identify risks and ensure adherence to Microsoft standards and policies.
Reliability, DRI & incident response: You will participate in a DRI / on-call rotation to monitor and improve the availability, reliability, performance, and observability of wired and OOB services. Triage and resolve live-site incidents, perform root cause analysis, and drive repair items and preventative measures to closure — contributing to operational readiness and service recovery for business-critical network infrastructure while minimizing customer impact.
Collaboration: You will partner with architects, engineers, security teams, product groups, and service owners to deliver solutions and continuously improve network capabilities across the enterprise. Qualifications Required Qualitifications: 5+ years technical experience in network design, development, and automation OR Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering, Optical Engineering, Computer Science, Engineering, Information Technology, or related field AND 2+ years technical experience in network design, development, and automation.
OR Master's Degree in Electrical Engineering, Optical Engineering, Computer Science, Information Technology, or related field AND 1+ year(s) technical experience in network design, development, and automation. Prefered Qualitifcations: Hands-on experience designing, deploying, and operating enterprise or campus wired networks (switching and routing).
Experience with Layer 2 / Layer 3 networking fundamentals: VLANs, spanning tree, routing protocols (BGP), QoS, and network security. Hands-on experience configuring and troubleshooting enterprise switching platforms (e.g., Arista, Cisco, or equivalent) Experience supporting live-site / production network operations, including incident troubleshooting and root cause analysis.
Experience with modern fabric and virtualization technologies: VXLAN/EVPN and VRF (network segmentation). Experience with wired access and authentication technologies such as 802.1X / NAC / IBNS. Experience with network automation technologies such as Python, Ansible, REST APIs, Infrastructure as Code, and/or streaming telemetry to automate deployment, configuration, and operational tasks.
Experience applying AI technologies to engineering or operations — such as AI-assisted tooling, AI agents/copilots, LLM-based automation, or data-driven analytics — to improve network design, deployment, or troubleshooting. Relevant network certifications are a plus – CCNA, CCNP, etc.
Software Engineering 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.