Principal Product Manager
Microsoft · Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
- On site
- Full-time
- $160,000 / year
- Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
Job highlights
- Shape AI platform strategy for Azure.
- Drive cross-organizational initiatives.
- Define GenAI and ML platform abstractions.
- Partner with senior engineering leaders.
- Engage customers for insights and requirements.
About the role
Principal Product Manager AI Platform
At Microsoft, we are building the world’s most trusted and developer‑centric AI platforms. Within the CoreAI organization, the Azure AI Foundry & Azure Machine Learning team owns foundational AI platform capabilities that are used across Microsoft products and by enterprises and developers worldwide. As a Principal Product Manager, you will be a senior contributor shaping strategy for critical company‑level AI platform surfaces, working in close partnership with other Principal PMs and engineering leaders. You will contribute to defining long‑term direction for next‑generation AI/ML and GenAI workloads, including custom code training, large‑scale distributed compute, developer‑facing APIs and SDKs, and enterprise‑grade governance and reliability.
You will operate at company scale, influencing multiple product and engineering teams and partnering closely with senior technical and business leaders. This role offers the opportunity to help define durable platform abstractions that unlock innovation for developers, data scientists, and ML engineers, while contributing to Microsoft’s long‑term AI platform direction.
Responsibilities
- Act as a senior contributor to platform strategy for Azure AI Foundry and Azure ML, helping shape multi-year investments across model training, customization, deployment, and lifecycle management.
- Drive alignment and progress across federated, cross-organizational initiatives, working with peer Principal PMs and multiple engineering teams on shared platform outcomes.
- Contribute to the definition and evolution of high-leverage platform abstractions (APIs, SDKs, workflows) that enable scalable adoption of GenAI and custom code training workloads.
- Partner closely with senior engineering leaders to influence architectural direction, surface trade-offs, and ensure platform capabilities meet scale, reliability, and security expectations.
- Engage with strategic customers and internal stakeholders to gather insights, validate requirements, and translate learnings into durable, reusable platform capabilities.
- Use data, metrics, and experimentation to evaluate impact and inform product decisions across shared ownership areas.
- Serve as a thought leader and mentor within CoreAI, elevating product craft, platform thinking, and responsible AI practices across the organization.
Qualifications
Must-have:
- Bachelor’s degree in engineering, computer science, or a related technical field.
- Significant experience (typically 8–12+ years) in product management or software engineering with substantial product ownership, including experience working on platform or infrastructure products.
- Demonstrated ability to operate effectively in large, ambiguous, multi‑team environments with shared ownership and complex dependencies.
- Strong technical depth in cloud platforms, distributed systems, or AI/ML infrastructure, with the ability to engage credibly with senior engineers and architects.
- Proven track record of influencing strategy, driving alignment, and delivering outcomes through collaboration rather than direct authority.
- Strong analytical and systems‑thinking skills, with experience making high‑quality decisions in fast‑moving, evolving problem spaces.
Preferred:
- Experience building platforms for developers, data scientists, or ML engineers.
- Hands‑on exposure to AI/ML or GenAI workloads, including model training, customization, or serving.
- Experience contributing to platforms operating at global scale, including multi‑region or regulated enterprise environments.
- Experience with product‑led growth, extensibility, or ecosystem‑oriented platform design.
Key skills/competency
- Product Management
- AI Platform Strategy
- Azure Machine Learning
- GenAI Workloads
- Platform Abstractions
- Cloud Platforms
- Distributed Systems
- Developer APIs and SDKs
- Enterprise Governance
- Technical Leadership
Skills & topics
- Product Management
- AI Platform
- Azure
- Machine Learning
- GenAI
- Cloud Computing
- Distributed Systems
- API
- SDK
- Technical Product Manager
How to get hired
- Tailor your resume: Highlight experience with AI platforms, cloud computing, and product management, using keywords from the job description.
- Showcase technical depth: Emphasize your experience with distributed systems, AI/ML infrastructure, and developer-facing APIs/SDKs in your application.
- Demonstrate leadership: Provide examples of influencing strategy, driving alignment across teams, and delivering results through collaboration.
- Prepare for technical interviews: Be ready to discuss AI/ML concepts, cloud architecture, and complex problem-solving scenarios.
- Understand Microsoft's AI focus: Research Azure AI Foundry and Azure Machine Learning to align your experience with their strategic goals.
Technical preparation
Study Azure AI and ML services.,Review cloud platform architecture concepts.,Understand distributed systems principles.,Practice API/SDK design and usage.
Behavioral questions
Describe a complex platform strategy you defined.,How do you drive alignment in ambiguous environments?,Share an example of influencing without authority.,How do you translate customer needs into platform features?
Frequently asked questions
- What specific AI/ML or GenAI workloads will the Principal Product Manager be working on at Microsoft?
- The Principal Product Manager will focus on foundational AI platform capabilities within Azure AI Foundry and Azure Machine Learning. This includes custom code training, large-scale distributed compute, developer-facing APIs and SDKs, and enterprise-grade governance and reliability for GenAI and custom code training workloads.
- What level of technical expertise is required for the Principal Product Manager role at Microsoft?
- A strong technical depth in cloud platforms, distributed systems, or AI/ML infrastructure is required. You should be able to engage credibly with senior engineers and architects, demonstrating a solid understanding of these domains.
- How does Microsoft foster collaboration for this Principal Product Manager position?
- Microsoft emphasizes close partnership with other Principal PMs and engineering leaders. The role involves driving alignment across federated, cross-organizational initiatives and collaborating with multiple engineering teams to achieve shared platform outcomes.
- What is the expected experience for a Principal Product Manager at Microsoft in this role?
- Typically, 8-12+ years of experience in product management or software engineering with substantial product ownership is expected, particularly experience with platform or infrastructure products. Demonstrated ability to operate in large, ambiguous, multi-team environments is also key.
- How will customer insights be used by the Principal Product Manager at Microsoft?
- The Principal Product Manager will engage with strategic customers and internal stakeholders to gather insights and validate requirements. These learnings will be translated into durable, reusable platform capabilities, ensuring the AI platform meets real-world needs.
- What does 'operating at company scale' mean for this Principal Product Manager role at Microsoft?
- It means influencing multiple product and engineering teams across Microsoft and partnering closely with senior technical and business leaders. The role impacts foundational AI platform capabilities used broadly across Microsoft products and by external enterprises and developers.
- How is 'responsible AI' integrated into this Principal Product Manager role?
- The role involves serving as a thought leader and mentor, elevating product craft, platform thinking, and importantly, responsible AI practices across the CoreAI organization. This indicates a commitment to ethical and safe AI development.