Come help build the next evolution in Xbox Game Compatibility. Join the Xbox Platform team to leverage your system and security engineer experience to secure the future of Game Preservation. Your work will help identify and outline the specific requirements and security boundaries for protecting game content, build scalable emulation solutions, and ensure a safe and fun gameplay experience for all players. Our technology solutions are a critical part of enabling the Xbox goal of allowing players to experience their games on any device. As a Principal Software Engineer in Xbox, you will coordinate across teams to define and implement the Xbox backward compatibility game security system to protect game assets while improving the experience for our customers. You will work with other experienced emulation engineers to deliver high quality solutions that not only protect game content but also improve the experience of installing compatible games. You will be a key contributor to the technology solutions developed to emulate legacy games on modern platforms. This will allow you an opportunity for a broad impact across the Xbox and Windows gaming ecosystem. This role is flexible in that you will be able to partner with your manager to define the way that you’d like to work, whether that is in the office or from home. 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** + You will partner with the Xbox Platform Core and Windows Core team to design a security solution to protect game assets from theft, tampering, and cheating. + You will design and build solutions that enable system level emulation across the catalog of Xbox content. + You will drive test standards for your component and ensure code quality is high and critical security flaws are protected against. + You will work with emulator components to fully integrate security protections, improve compatibility, and future proof the experience. + You will actively engage in experimental and highly complex, ambiguous technology spaces to improve the product. + You will think like a customer and ensure designs support their needs while balancing the organization’s goals. **Qualifications** **Required/minimum qualifications** + Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or related technical field AND 8+ years technical engineering experience with coding in languages including, but not limited to, C, C++ and C# + OR equivalent experience. + 4+ years experience working on a gaming platform or in a game studio **Additional or preferred qualifications** + Clear understanding of common security challenges facing the gaming industry + Familiarity with x86 assembly and concepts such as ABIs and calling conventions + Familiarity with operating systems and basic primitives for threading/synchronization, file I/O, and memory management + Experience using low-level debuggers such as WinDbg or GDB/LLDB + Experience working on emulation or virtualization software + Experience with compiler backends and IR (intermediate representation) code + Experience using source control software (e.g. Git) to examine code history Software Engineering IC6 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $161,600 - $286,200 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 $209,600 - $314,400 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 Microsoft will accept applications for the role until May 30, 2025. Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. Consistent with applicable law, 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 and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about requesting accommodations (https://careers.microsoft.com/v2/global/en/accessibility.html) .