Job Description

In Mixed Reality, people—not devices—are at the center of everything we do. Our tech moves beyond screens and pixels, creating a new reality aimed at bringing us closer together—whether that’s scientists “meeting” on the surface of a virtual Mars or some yet undreamt-of possibility. To get there, we’re incorporating diverse groundbreaking technologies, from the revolutionary Holographic Processing Unit to computer vision, machine learning, human-computer interaction, and more. We’re a growing team of talented engineers and artists putting technology on a human path across all Windows devices, including Microsoft HoloLens, the Internet of Things, phones, tablets, desktops, and Xbox. We believe there has to be a better way. If you do too, we need you!

We are seeking a Principal Sensors Architect to join our Mixed Reality Architecture team. The team is responsible for Product Architecture, Systems Architecture, Prototyping & Incubation as well as defining and driving the various technology roadmaps that are crucial to the future of Mixed Reality at Microsoft. You will need to have a strong background in one or more key technology areas including: Imaging Sensor Backplanes and Module Design, Mixed Reality Perception/CV Runtimes (Head Tracking, Eye Tracking, etc) and System Architecture. Leveraging your background expertise, you will conduct architectural explorations, evaluations of design alternatives and tradeoffs, drive product requirements and incubate novel solutions for key subsystems of our next-generation Mixed Reality products.

You should have a passion for seeking disruptive new ideas pushing the boundary of innovation while balancing focused execution on current priorities. In this role you will collaborate with experienced architects and world-class software developers to directly impact future products.

Responsibilities

• Architect, design, implement, and evaluate novel chipset, sensor and IO aggregation, and system topologies to drive new product definition.
• Cross-team and cross-organizational multidisciplinary operation to help evaluate new ideas and help drive them into products.
• Contribute to Product Requirement Documents and Architectural Specifications.
• Influence product architecture based on domain specific experience.
• Contribute to an evolving team with a growth mindset, creating clarity and influencing the team strategy.
• Engage with vendors to understand product offerings, provide guidance for selecting vendors, and work with vendors to ensure design meets requirements.
• Participate in investigations resulting in shipping features, patents, and/or publications.
  
  

Qualifications

Basic Qualifications:

• A minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in either Physics, Optics, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering or a related field, or equivalent alternative education, skills, and/or practical experience is required.
• 7 years' minimum experience in System Architecture and Design, Computer Vision, or Software or Hardware Engineering or Development
  
  

Preferred Qualifications

• Computer vision or other Mixed Reality related technology space.
• Basic understanding of Low Power Architectures, Power Estimation, CPU Architecture, communication fabrics, Memory architecture, I/O with a deep understanding in at least one of those areas.
• Understanding of computer vision, audio and other sensor related algorithms.
• Experience developing technical specification documents.
• Ability to balance short term deliverables against longer term investments.
• Excellent communication skills.
• AR/VR/MR product development experience including optimizations in silicon area and power.
• Vertical solution stack product development exposure from silicon to software algorithms with good understanding of the design tradeoffs involved in both architecture and implementation.
• Deep understanding in one or more of the following technology areas: Storage, IO Aggregation, Chip Integration, Low Power Architecture
• Experience with image processing, computer vision algorithms with end-to-end understanding of tradeoffs in data acquisition, transmittal, storage and processing
• Experience working with silicon vendor teams to develop innovative solutions in AR/VR/MR.
• Strong problem-solving skills and passion to solve hard problems as part of a multi-disciplinary team.
• Strong customer focus with ability to work effectively across multiple businesses and technical teams to ensure continued customer happiness.
• Demonstrated cross-functional and cross-org experience.
• A high tolerance for ambiguity and change.
  

Ability to meet Microsoft, customer and/or government security screening requirements are required for this role. These requirements include, but are not limited to, the following specialized security screenings: Microsoft Cloud Background Check: This position will be required to pass the Microsoft Cloud Background Check upon hire/transfer and every two years thereafter.

#MixedReality

Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations and ordinances. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application or the recruiting process, please send a request via the Accommodation request form.

Benefits/perks listed below may vary depending on the nature of your employment with Microsoft and the country where you work.