Principal Applied Scientist

Overview 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. Microsoft’s Cloud Operations & Innovation (CO+I) team is the engine that powers our cloud services. CO+I delivers and operates the safest, most available and secure cloud in the industry. CO+I Engineering (CO+IE) is the software team that delivers tools, automation, and AI to enable fast, predictable delivery of datacenter capacity, and safe, reliable, and efficient execution of the processes associated with the full life cycle of datacenter management and operations. We are looking for a Principal Applied Scientist to build production-facing optimization models to minimize waste across our supply chain and data center resources. This role is a leadership lynchpin in the delivery of business value across CO+I, as well as upstream and downstream partner organizations. Working closely with business leaders, the role owns the technical strategy, definition, and delivery of optimization models, coupled with algorithmic support for various production processes. In the coming agentic environment, this role can create the future, applying emerging ideas and technologies toward efficiency, availability, and scale. This leader will be responsible for creating and sustaining an environment focused on outcomes and accountability, building and owning a broad set of systems and processes, and partnering with cross‑functional leaders to deliver value for the company. The scope of responsibility is wide, supporting capacity planning efforts that guide billions of dollars in spend and serve as a key driver of overall company growth. This leader will be expected to deliver outcomes amid ambiguity and significant change, and to bring experience leading global, business‑critical organizations through periods of transformation. In alignment with our Microsoft values, we are committed to cultivating an inclusive work environment for all employees to positively impact our culture every day. As a group, CO+I is focused on personal and professional development for all employees and offers training and growth opportunities including Diversity & Inclusion trainings and events, and professional certifications. Responsibilities Formulate a vision and execute a strategy to develop, support, and continuously improve scientific models that optimize datacenter capacity delivery and operation. Embrace AI to create operational efficiencies. Work closely with process experts and customers to refine existing processes, applying science and AI toward maximum efficiency. Collaborate with CO+I leaders and teams to identify the highest value application of optimization capabilities, working with communities and key stakeholders to ensure alignment. Lead the team with customer-first operational excellence, ownership, and continuous improvement that meet the scaling and other challenges of cloud delivery and operations. Set a great example as an inclusive leader while creating engagement, impact, and success across teams and individuals. Qualifications Required/minimum qualifications Bachelor's Degree in Statistics, Econometrics, Computer Science, Electrical or Computer Engineering, or related field AND 8+ years related experience (e.g., statistics, predictive analytics, research) OR Master's Degree in Statistics, Econometrics, Computer Science, Electrical or Computer Engineering, or related field AND 6+ years related experience (e.g., statistics, predictive analytics, research) OR Doctorate in Statistics, Econometrics, Computer Science, Electrical or Computer Engineering, or related field AND 5+ years related experience (e.g., statistics, predictive analytics, research) OR equival