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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
$63K - $111K *
Elevate project execution by supporting engineering and construction teams in delivering complex industrial infrastructure projects through technical coordination and quality assurance activities...
1 week ago
Engineering Manager - Design & Configuration
$121K - $218K *
Lead and develop a multidisciplinary engineering team, ensuring effective design, configuration, and lifecycle management of complex infrastructure products while balancing technical risks and program...
Yesterday
$120K - $200K *
Transform backend services and REST APIs in a collaborative environment. Leverage your software engineering skills to support cyber training initiatives, utilizing modern technologies and cloud infras...
2 weeks ago
$230K - $245K *
Champion innovation by leading a dynamic engineering team to automate financial data extraction, enhancing model accuracy and efficiency for clients. Drive impactful solutions that empower analysts to...
3 weeks ago
$150K - $180K *
Lead the charge in enhancing engineering security for our SaaS platform. Collaborate with teams to identify risks, improve practices, and implement automation, ensuring secure development and robust v...
5 days ago
$110K - $130K *
Champion identity lifecycle management by automating access processes, ensuring compliance, and enhancing security posture. Collaborate with teams to identify anomalies and streamline auditing while m...
5 days ago
Principal Cloud Engineer - AI Platform
$175K - $250K *
Shape the cloud infrastructure for AI agents, ensuring secure, scalable solutions that enhance customer workflows. Lead architectural decisions, establish standards, and drive innovation in a dynamic...
Reposted 3 days ago
Senior Engineer - ML Operations
$180K - $220K *
Drive the end-to-end ML and LLM lifecycle, optimizing AI workflows and automations. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure scalable, reliable production of AI-driven solutions while impleme...
4 days ago
Engineering Manager, Data Streaming
$225K - $265K *
Accelerate progress at a mission-critical team, leading Data Streaming to enhance data ingestion pipelines. Build a skilled team, ensure pipeline reliability, and collaborate cross-functionally to sup...
1 week ago
$125K - $189K *
Help us drive impactful projects as a Senior Project Manager, overseeing complex initiatives, managing cross-functional teams, and ensuring alignment with organizational goals while fostering collabor...
Today
Senior Engineer - Desktop Application
$180K - $195K *
Drive the development of the Hypori app for Windows while enhancing iOS and Android functionalities. Collaborate in an agile environment, focusing on secure software practices, troubleshooting, and de...
Reposted today
$180K - $229K *
Join a team that's shaping the future of insurance technology by leading engineering efforts, collaborating with cross-functional teams, and driving strategic initiatives to enhance product effectiven...
2 weeks ago
$124K - $238K *
Join a team that's driving innovation through systems engineering as you design, integrate, and validate software systems, ensuring alignment with overarching objectives while collaborating closely wi...
Reposted yesterday
$190K - $210K *
Explore innovative solutions as you lead the design and architecture of scalable healthcare applications, mentor engineers, and collaborate with cross-functional teams to enhance patient experiences a...
Today
$150K - $350K *
Build advanced inference systems to enhance RL research, optimizing throughput and enabling scalable model updates. Collaborate with researchers to balance efficiency and quality in cutting-edge AI ar...
2 weeks ago
$95K - $115K *
Champion project delivery by overseeing HV cable testing projects across North America. Ensure alignment with client expectations while managing resources, schedules, and budgets for successful comple...
Reposted 1 week ago
$117K - $146K *
Elevate technical execution across utility-scale renewable energy projects, ensuring safe, on-time, and on-budget delivery. Lead project governance, interface with stakeholders, and drive continuous i...
2 weeks ago
Staff Attack Engineer, External
$238K - $280K *
Lead the charge in developing autonomous attack workflows for external surfaces, leveraging your expertise to enhance reconnaissance capabilities and mentor engineers while driving strategic technical...
2 weeks ago
Senior Engineering Manager, Co-Intelligent Coaching
$202K - $253K *
Drive the development of AI-driven coaching solutions, overseeing multiple squads from prototype to production. Ensure quality delivery, manage resources effectively, and foster team growth while main...
Today
Software Engineer, Infrastructure
$135K - $160K *
Drive the development and deployment of a cutting-edge control plane for identity and credential management, ensuring reliability and security in customer-hosted environments while collaborating with...
1 week ago
$130K - $155K *
Grow your career with a role that leads complex initiatives, designs scalable systems, and mentors engineers while enhancing platform capabilities and reliability across teams...
Today
$130K - $155K *
Elevate your career by joining a dynamic team focused on enhancing ingress proxy services. You'll drive security and performance improvements, owning features from design to production while collabora...
5 days ago
Principal Software Engineer, Team Lead - Perception Platforms
$240K - $330K *
Join a team that's shaping the future of machine learning by leading a high-performing group dedicated to optimizing data pipelines and enhancing perception modeling. Drive innovation and collaboratio...
2 weeks ago
Senior/Staff Software Engineer
$150K - $180K *
Empower innovation by designing and scaling backend services for an AI platform. Lead initiatives in automation, reliability, and performance while mentoring a talented team to enhance system architec...
Yesterday
$93K - $146K *
Champion sustainable design by leading complex mechanical systems for high-performance buildings, ensuring compliance with advanced standards and certifications while driving innovative engineering so...
5 days ago
What is a Principal Engineer?
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?
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?
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?
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?
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.