Microsoft
Principal Technical Program Manager - Forward Deployed Engineering

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Overview
In the Microsoft Frontier Company Engineering team, you won’t just build software; you’ll deliver real outcomes for some of the world’s most complex organizations.
We are a global team of world-class engineers who have been working in a Forward Deployed Engineering (FDE) model for more than a decade, embedding directly within customer teams to solve their toughest challenges, side-by-side, and shipping production-ready solutions in days, not months.
As a Principal Technical Program Manager, you will embed with strategic customers to lead complex technical programs, owning the full customer journey from problem definition through delivery and driving measurable business outcomes. You’ll work in small, multidisciplinary crews alongside engineers, data scientists, and designers, operating with high autonomy to turn ambiguous problems into shipped solutions.
Our work is powered by AI, applying the mindset and tooling across the entire development lifecycle to move from idea to production in days while maintaining the highest standards of security, quality, and trust.
This Role Offers The Opportunity To:
- Lead complex technical programs from problem definition through to delivered outcomes
- Drive decisions that directly influence business strategy and customer outcomes
- Collaborate with leading global organizations across industries
- Apply the latest advancements in AI and engineering workflows to deliver value at scale
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
- Embed with strategic customers to lead complex technical programs with high autonomy, aligning business needs with engineering solutions across AI, cloud, and data. Take ownership of the customer journey end-to-end, from problem definition through co-engineering delivery to measurable business outcomes.
- Apply AI assisted engineering practices as a daily operating mode: use AI tools across the full software development lifecycle to accelerate requirements-to-specs, generate high-quality engineering artifacts from customer context, and drive continuous flow of value from business need to production.
- Operate fluently in engineering tooling (e.g., VS Code, GitHub, AI agents) as primary work surfaces for planning, documentation, and technical program leadership. Validate AI-generated outputs with domain expertise to maintain quality at speed.
- Navigate ambiguity in customer environments with self-direction and high ownership. Make technical and program decisions with incomplete information, proactively identify opportunities and manage risks, providing data-driven recommendations to stakeholders.
- Champion and cultivate reusable solution patterns, open-source assets, and engineering playbooks that scale impact beyond individual engagements. Contribute to the broader engineering community through knowledge sharing and best practices.
- Partner with multi-disciplinary engineering teams (software engineers, data scientists, designers) to evaluate, design, and deliver AI-powered cloud solutions side-by-side with customer engineers. Give key stakeholders data-driven recommendations based on identified risks and tradeoffs.
Reasons to use Rodeo
I’m in my final year doing Economics and I don’t know whether to apply for grad schemes now or do a masters first. What do you think?
Honest answer — it depends on where you want to end up. A lot of top grad schemes (Big 4, civil service, banking) don’t need a masters. Let’s look at the ones you’d be competitive for now, and we can decide if a masters actually adds anything.
Also worth knowing: most autumn 2026 applications are open now. Timing matters more than you think.
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Grad scheme, placement, apprenticeship? Not sure what you want yet — that's fine. Your agent talks it through with you and turns "I have no idea" into a shortlist.
Graduate Consultant — 2026 Scheme
Why you're a good match
StrongYour economics background and your summer at a regional bank line up with what PwC looks for on the consulting scheme. Applications close in four weeks.
See breakdownIt searches the market for you
Every day your agent scans the market matching roles against what actually matters to you, not just keywords on a CV.
Why you're a good match
You’ve got the grades and the economics background, and your bank internship is exactly the experience this scheme looks for. Apply soon — deadlines close within the month.
Experience fit
Your summer at the bank plus your econometrics coursework map directly to the day-one responsibilities on this scheme — client modelling, market briefings, and deal support.
Only hits
No noise. No "maybe this fits." Just roles with a clear explanation of why they're right — and where to focus when applying.
Qualifications
Required/Minimum Qualifications
- Bachelor’s Degree AND significant years experience in engineering, product/technical program management, data analysis, or product development Or equivalent experience
- Experience managing cross-functional and/or cross-team projects.
- Experience partnering directly with customers or internal stakeholders to deliver solutions end-to-end.
Additional Or Preferred Qualifications (PQs)
- Experience with AI/ML technologies, cloud architecture, data engineering, and using AI tools and workflows in creating software engineering artifacts.
- Enjoy travel and are comfortable with travel up to 25%


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#FDE
Technical Program Management IC5 - The typical base pay range for this role across United Kingdom is £ 93,500.00 - £ 161,800.00 per year. Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation.
Find Additional Benefits And Pay Information Here:
https://careers.microsoft.com/v2/global/en/corporate-pay/united-kingdom-corporate-pay.html
Technical Program Management IC4 - The typical base pay range for this role across United Kingdom is £ 74,700.00 - £ 122,600.00 per year. Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation.
Find Additional Benefits And Pay Information Here:
https://careers.microsoft.com/v2/global/en/corporate-pay/united-kingdom-corporate-pay.html
This position will be open for a minimum of 5 days, with applications accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.
Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. 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 with religious accommodations and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about requesting accommodations.
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