Microsoft Senior Software Engineer Salary | Interviewkickstart

Microsoft is one of the biggest tech companies in the US, with a brand value of nearly $1.5 billion. 

As per Business Insider, the company is also popular for offering the most rewarding salary structure to software engineers. Moreover, approximately 92% of the senior software engineers at Microsoft agree that they receive bonuses annually. This speaks volumes about the company’s fair compensation structure for a senior software engineer.

Curious to know more about the Microsoft senior software engineer salary? In this comprehensive guide, we’ll cover Microsoft senior software salaries at different levels and locations.

If you are preparing for a tech interview, check out our technical interview checklist, interview questions page to get access to Microsoft Senior Software Engineer Interview Questions, and salary negotiation e-book to get interview-ready! 

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In this article, we will cover:

• Microsoft senior software engineer roles, responsibilities, and qualifications 
• Microsoft senior software engineer salary by levels
• Microsoft senior software engineer salary in top 5 US locations
• Senior software engineer salaries at other tech giants
• Benefits of being a senior software engineer at Microsoft
• Top 4 ways to prepare yourself for Microsoft’s software engineering interview
• 6 commonly asked interview questions
• FAQs

Microsoft Senior Software Engineer Roles, Responsibilities, and Qualifications

Take a look at the different job roles and their associated responsibilities for senior software engineers at Microsoft:

Principal Software Engineer

As a principal software engineer, you will collaborate with software engineering teams, product managers, and designers to offer features and distributed architecture to the end-user of SharePoint.

Eligibility Criteria:

• Over 7 years of working experience in software development and a proven record of delivering excellent customer experience.
• BS degree in computer science or other related fields. 
• Experience in working on full-stack and agile development and more.

Software Engineer II

• Participate in the use cases, evaluating end-user experiences, and more.
• Review codes and offer technical guidance to your peers.
• Examine and resolve service and application errors.
• Working as a team member with the company’s leading members to design and implement effective software solutions.

Eligibility Criteria:

• Over 3 years of working experience in software development.
• Working experience in web technologies, full-stack, front-end, and back-end development.
• BS degree in computer science, or other related fields and more.

Senior Software Engineer

• Work with the Azure technical team and suggest the roadmap to meet the business needs.
• Work as a subject matter expert to help CSE in the cloud-native and service platforms.
• Collaborate with the customer’s engineering team to provide a wide range of technical solutions. 
• Offer technical leadership and mentor junior engineers. 

Eligibility Criteria:

• Over 5 years of experience in software engineering and product delivery.
• More than 2 years of working knowledge in public cloud-based software development.
• BS degree in computer science or other related fields and more.

Microsoft Senior Software Engineer Salary by Levels

The average Microsoft senior engineer salary in the United States is $178,006 per year. But, there are different tiers based on the job’s roles and responsibilities. Knowing about the salaries at each level will help you compare a senior software engineer’s salary structure with other levels present at Microsoft.

Take a look.

Software Developer II (61)

• Total Annual Income: $179,000
• Base: $135,000
• Bonus: $17,000
• Stock: $25,000

Software Engineer (62)

• Total Annual Income: $184,000
• Base: $145,000
• Bonus: $16,000
• Stock: $21,000

Senior Software Developer (63)

• Total Annual Income: $217,000
• Base: $161,000
• Bonus: $25,000
• Stock: $31,000

Software Engineer (64)

• Total Annual Income: $243,000
• Base: $178,000
• Bonus: $30,000
• Stock: $34,000

Principal Software Developer (65)

• Total Annual Income: $291,000
• Base: $194,000
• Bonus: $42,000
• Stock: $ 54,000

Software Engineer (66)

• Total Annual Income: $332,000
• Base: $209,000
• Bonus: $48,000
• Stock: $75,000

Software Engineer (67)

• Total Annual Income: $496,000
• Base: $236,000
• Bonus: $67,000
• Stock: $193,000

Microsoft Senior Software Engineer Salary in Top 5 US Locations

Take a look at the salary of a Microsoft senior software engineer in the following US locations:

1. Boston: $161,671
2. California: $160,000
3. Chicago: $151,187
4. Oakton: $143,654
5. Orlando: $141,536

Senior Software Engineer Salaries at Other Tech Giants

The leading competitors of Microsoft include Apple, Amazon, Google, Yahoo, and Oracle. 

Take a look at the following list of the salary structures of a senior software engineer in global tech giants and weigh your options:

Apple

• Total Annual Income: $216,506
• Base: $161,744
• Bonus: $54,762
• Stock: Within $150,000

Google

• Total Annual Income: $196,568
• Base: $154,742
• Bonus: $41,826
• Stock: Within $150,000

Amazon

• Total Annual Income: $190,823
• Base: $138,834
• Bonus: $51,989
• Stock: Within $150,000

Yahoo

• Total Annual Income: $169,500
• Base: $147,750
• Bonus: $21,750
• Stock: Within $75,000

Oracle

• Total Annual Income: $141,219
• Base: $122,326
• Bonus: $18,893
• Stock: Within $150,000

To learn the best tips to crack the Microsoft interview and access Microsoft Senior Software Engineer Interview Questions check out our page on How to get software engineering jobs at Microsoft.  

Benefits of Being a Senior Software Engineer at Microsoft

Comparably states that 84% of senior software engineers at Microsoft are satisfied with the company benefits. Also, Microsoft ranked 21st in Glassdoor’s 2020 Best Places to Work and has a rating of 4.3 on its platform. 

This makes it a reliable choice for any aspiring or experienced software engineer to work here. Take a look at the following benefits you will get as Microsoft’s senior software engineer:

Employee Well-Being

Microsoft offers a health savings plan, and flexible spending account to pay for dental, vision, and other healthcare expenses.

Physical Wellness

Microsoft reimburses $1,200 annually for maintaining employee’s physical, mental, and emotional fitness. Other wellness programs include:

1. 24-hour nurse line
2. Tobacco cessation program
3. Autism/ABA therapy
4. Weight management and more

Retirement Plans

The company offers a 401(k) plan, Employee Stock Purchase Plan, loan refinancing program, and more to support your retirement financially. 

Conveyance and Other Perks

The company offers the following benefits:

• On-campus shuttle, subsidized transit pass.
• Enjoy a flexible working schedule and 15 days paid vacation leaves, 10 days sick leaves, and more.
• The company reimburses tuition costs and promotes learning. 
• Enjoy exclusive discounts on Microsoft products in company stores.
• Offers donations matching up to $15,000 per year and donate $25 per hour to eligible non-profit organizations. 
• 20 weeks paid maternity and 12 weeks parental leave.

Top 4 Ways to Prepare Yourself for Microsoft’s Software Engineering Interview 

Now that you are aware of senior software engineer job roles and salaries, here are some tips to help you prepare for your Microsoft software engineering interview?

Data Structure and Algorithms

While preparing for your software engineering interview, focus on data structure and algorithms. Emphasize on the following:

1. Graph/Tree.
2. Strings/Array.
3. Linked lists.
4. Queue.

Note: The interviewer wants to see a testable, clear, and concise code in a coding round. So practice accordingly. 

Practice Coding

Rigorous practice of coding is essential to crack your Microsoft interview. You can take help from the following resources:

• GeeksforGeeks.
• Cracking the Coding Interview.
• LeetCode.
• InterviewBit.
• HackerRank.

For system design, generally, two types of questions are asked:

• Object-oriented
• System design

Ask Questions

Clarify any doubts with your interviewer before jumping straight into finding solutions. Also, prepare one or two questions to ask at the end of the interview. This leaves a positive impression on the interviewer. 

Know About the Company

Brush up your knowledge about the company and the ongoing software engineering projects at Microsoft.

To understand the work-life balance at Microsoft, check out our blog on the Microsoft work-life balance for software engineers

6 Commonly Asked Microsoft Senior Software Engineer Interview Questions

Practicing commonly asked questions is a key to any interview preparation. In this section, we’ve covered some frequently asked questions at Microsoft Senior Software Engineer Interviews.

Technical Questions for Microsoft Senior Software Engineer Interview

1. Can you check if the binary tree is BST or not?
2. Can you serialize and deserialize the N-ary tree?
3. Write an algorithm that evaluates the value of the m x n matrix. The matrix features two properties. One, the sorting of integers in each row is done from left to right. Second, the value of the first integer of each row is higher than the previous row. 

Behavioral Questions for Microsoft Senior Software Engineer Interview

1. Why do you want to join Microsoft?
2. Tell me about your favorite Microsoft product? Why is it your favorite product?
3. What is your greatest achievement or failure in life?

Want more practice questions? This blog will give you access to a bunch of Microsoft Senior Software Engineer Interview Questions.

FAQs on Microsoft Software Engineer Salaries

Q. What is the average Microsoft senior engineer salary in Seattle?

As per Indeed, the average salary of a Microsoft senior engineer is $143,000 in Seattle. It is 14% higher than the national average. 

Q. What is the annual Salary of a back-end software engineer at Microsoft with 7 years of work experience?

The annual salary of a back-end software engineer at Microsoft with 7 years of working experience is approximately $147,000.

Q. Is there any difference between the salary of Microsoft’s senior sSoftware engineer in Los Angeles and California?

Yes. The annual salary of Microsoft’s senior software engineer is $153,006 in Los Angeles. At the same time, the average salary in California is $160,000 per year.

Q. What are the concepts based on which you can expect Microsoft Senior Software Engineer Interview Questions?

Microsoft Senior Software Engineer Interview Questions are primarily around data structures, algorithms, and concepts in distributed systems design. 

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