Principal Engineer Jobs

Discover Principal Engineer opportunities at companies seeking experienced technical leaders. Principal Engineers shape architecture, guide complex engineering work, and help teams deliver reliable, scalable products and systems. Browse vetted roles on Ladders, where listed jobs pay $100,000 or more.

What Does a Principal Engineer Do?

A Principal Engineer is a senior individual contributor who influences technical direction across teams or an organization. Depending on the employer and discipline, the role may involve setting architecture standards, evaluating technologies, solving high-impact engineering problems, mentoring engineers, and partnering with product and business leaders. Principal Engineers often lead through expertise and influence rather than direct people management.

Skills and Qualifications

Employers commonly seek deep experience in a relevant engineering specialty, a record of delivering complex projects, and strong system-design and problem-solving skills. Communication, technical judgment, collaboration, and the ability to align stakeholders around a sound approach are also important. Requirements vary by industry and role; some positions emphasize software architecture, while others focus on infrastructure, hardware, data, security, or other engineering domains.

Principal Engineer Salary and Career Outlook

Compensation depends on factors such as location, industry, scope, and experience. Ladders focuses on vetted professional opportunities paying $100,000 or more, helping experienced candidates explore senior engineering roles. Review each listing for details about compensation, responsibilities, and qualifications.

Find Principal Engineer Jobs on Ladders

Search Principal Engineer jobs to compare opportunities and identify roles that match your expertise and career goals. Explore openings across companies and engineering disciplines, and use each job description to assess technical scope, team influence, and the experience required.

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$155K - $197K *

Innovate as a Tech Lead, driving architectural evolution and engineering execution for a global web platform. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to enhance digital experiences through advanced AI...

United StatesRemote

5 days ago

  •   8 - 10 years exp.  •   Enterprise Technology

$225K - $265K *

Partner with us to lead a high-performing engineering team, driving innovation and efficiency in our travel marketplace. You'll manage project lifecycles, enhance collaboration, and champion a custome...

United StatesRemote

2 weeks ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Enterprise Technology

$140K - $176K *

Engineer innovative solutions as a Tech Lead, driving architectural evolution and technical excellence for a global web platform while enhancing digital customer experiences through advanced AI integr...

CanadaRemote

5 days ago

  •   8 - 10 years exp.  •   Enterprise Technology

$150K - $170K *

Transform the content platform by leading hands-on engineering initiatives. Design and implement shared services, ensuring security and stability while mentoring engineers and driving technical excell...

United StatesRemote

Today

  •   11 - 15 years exp.  •   Education, Government & Non-Profit

$150K - $180K *

Join a dynamic team to architect scalable AI solutions in healthcare, enhancing patient communication and safety. Lead cross-team projects, mentor engineers, and drive innovation in AI engineering pra...

Orlando, FLRemote

3 weeks ago

  •   Less than 5 years exp.  •   Healthcare

$100K - $130K *

Partner with us to design and implement secure, scalable network solutions. Leverage your expertise in networking technologies to enhance performance and reliability while collaborating with cross-fun...

Chicago, ILRemote

3 weeks ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Business Services

$100K - $170K *

Unlock potential by providing architectural engineering support for DOJ/BOP facilities. Collaborate on technical analyses, document reviews, and design recommendations to enhance decision-making and p...

United StatesRemote

3 weeks ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Enterprise Technology

$223K - $317K *

Drive the evolution of a robust Fulfillment platform, shaping architecture and strategy while mentoring teams. Lead modernization efforts to enhance scalability, reliability, and performance, ensuring...

RemoteRemote

2 weeks ago

  •   8 - 10 years exp.  •   Information Technology

$255K - $290K *

Drive the technical vision for a complex database platform, ensuring scalability and performance. Lead architecture decisions, mentor engineers, and collaborate across teams to enhance data infrastruc...

United StatesRemote

2 weeks ago

  •   Less than 5 years exp.  •   Information Technology

$115K *

Join a team that's dedicated to driving sales success through lead generation and client education. This role involves delivering impactful product demonstrations and collaborating with sales teams to...

United StatesRemote

Today

  •   Less than 5 years exp.  •   Manufacturing & Automotive

$145K - $185K *

Lead and inspire engineering teams to deliver high-quality digital products, ensuring alignment with business priorities while fostering a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement in a dyna...

United StatesRemote

6 days ago

  •   8 - 10 years exp.  •   Finance & Insurance

$208K - $244K *

Accelerate progress at a leading multi-product company by owning the architecture of shared services. Drive innovation in customer identity, commerce, and billing platforms while mentoring senior engi...

Austin, TXRemote

1 week ago

  •   11 - 15 years exp.  •   Transportation

$125K - $150K *

Lead the charge in delivering innovative remedial systems design solutions. Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams, providing technical leadership and strategic direction for diverse environmental p...

United StatesRemote

Reposted 2 weeks ago

  •   11 - 15 years exp.  •   Technical Services

$95K - $115K *

Empower innovation as you design complex electrical systems, lead projects, mentor teams, and ensure high-quality deliverables. Collaborate closely with multi-disciplinary teams, utilizing advanced BI...

United StatesRemote

Reposted 3 weeks ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Manufacturing & Automotive

$110K - $130K *

Lead network engineering efforts to enhance tactical capabilities in air defense systems. Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to ensure secure information exchange and compliance across all phase...

Huntsville, ALRemote

3 weeks ago

  •   8 - 10 years exp.  •   Aerospace & Defense

$110K - $130K *

Lead large-scale engineering projects by overseeing design tasks, ensuring compliance, and mentoring team members. Collaborate with project managers to deliver high-quality solutions that meet client...

RemoteRemote

4 weeks ago

  •   8 - 10 years exp.  •   Finance & Insurance

$150K - $180K *

Lead and grow a high-performing platform engineering team, setting vision and roadmap while collaborating with cross-functional leaders to enhance product velocity and reliability for enterprise custo...

United StatesRemote

6 days ago

  •   8 - 10 years exp.  •   Enterprise Technology

$155K - $185K *

Transform the technology landscape by leading cross-functional teams to enhance Medicaid Enterprise Systems, driving system architecture improvements and mentoring engineers towards high-quality, secu...

United StatesRemote

Reposted 1 week ago

  •   11 - 15 years exp.  •   Enterprise Technology

$120K - $193K *

Join a team that's redefining software engineering excellence by leading high-performing teams in building and modernizing enterprise applications. Drive technical strategy, foster innovation, and ens...

United StatesRemote

3 weeks ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Finance & Insurance

$175K - $250K *

Join a dynamic team to design secure, scalable back-end services using modern technologies, mentor junior engineers, and drive impactful projects in a fast-paced environment. Collaborate across functi...

Boston, MARemote

Reposted 2 days ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Information Technology

$190K - $200K *

Lead the charge in electrical engineering excellence across multiple campuses, ensuring robust design, validation, and energization of critical infrastructure while integrating onsite generation solut...

United StatesRemote

3 weeks ago

  •   8 - 10 years exp.  •   Information Technology

$110K - $160K *

Transform advanced semiconductor facilities by leading electrical design projects. Collaborate with multi-discipline teams to ensure compliance, quality, and innovation while utilizing cutting-edge AI...

Austin, TXRemote

6 days ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Technical Services

$110K - $160K *

Transform the future of technology by leading electrical design for advanced semiconductor facilities. Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to ensure compliance, innovation, and quality in every p...

Phoenix, AZRemote

6 days ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Technical Services

$118K - $204K *

Empower innovation as you lead software architecture for a cloud-native connected vehicle platform, driving engineering excellence and cross-functional collaboration to deliver impactful solutions for...

Wisconsin, USRemote

1 week ago

  •   8 - 10 years exp.  •   Manufacturing & Automotive

$175K - $222K *

Engage in architecting high-volume autonomous agent pipelines, ensuring safety, performance, and compliance. Own the generator-verifier architecture and CI/CD processes while setting engineering stand...

United StatesRemote

5 days ago

  •   Less than 5 years exp.  •   Enterprise Technology

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

  • What is a Principal Engineer?question toggle

    A Principal Engineer is a senior technical individual contributor who helps set engineering direction, addresses complex problems, and influences architecture and practices across teams or an organization.

  • What does a Principal Engineer do?question toggle

    Responsibilities vary, but may include designing systems, establishing technical standards, guiding high-impact projects, mentoring engineers, and collaborating with product and business stakeholders.

  • How is a Principal Engineer different from an Engineering Manager?question toggle

    A Principal Engineer typically leads through technical expertise and influence, while an Engineering Manager generally focuses on people management, team operations, and delivery. Some organizations combine or vary these responsibilities.

  • What qualifications are commonly required for Principal Engineer jobs?question toggle

    Employers often look for extensive experience in a relevant engineering discipline, a history of delivering complex projects, strong system-design skills, and effective communication and collaboration.

  • How much do Principal Engineers earn?question toggle

    Pay varies by location, industry, specialization, and role scope. Ladders features vetted professional job listings paying $100,000 or more; check individual listings for compensation details.