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.

Remote
caret down
Compensation
caret down
Position Level
caret down
Time Posted
caret down
Industries
caret down
More
1
caret down

Sort By: Relevance

$206K - $260K *

Drive the future of financial technology by designing scalable payment solutions. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to enhance operational excellence and deliver impactful services that support...

RemoteRemote

2 weeks ago

  •   Less than 5 years exp.  •   Enterprise Technology

$230K - $345K *

Lead the charge in database excellence to enhance reliability, performance, and sustainability of GitLab's datastores. Shape long-range strategies while collaborating across teams to drive success in...

RemoteRemote

Reposted today

  •   Less than 5 years exp.  •   Information Technology

$125K - $150K *

Unlock potential by leading our platform engineering efforts, enhancing infrastructure, security, and CI/CD processes. Drive innovation and reliability as you build scalable solutions that empower pro...

CanadaRemote

2 weeks ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Transportation

$126K - $164K *

Empower your career by leading the design and implementation of protective relay systems. Collaborate with a dynamic team to enhance system protection across various energy sectors, ensuring complianc...

United StatesRemote

3 weeks ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Manufacturing & Automotive

$140K - $180K *

Transform identity governance at scale by leading the SailPoint ISC platform. Drive strategy, architecture, and compliance across global operations while collaborating with cross-functional teams to e...

Brooklyn, NYRemote

2 weeks ago

  •   8 - 10 years exp.  •   Real Estate & Construction

$155K - $209K *

Drive the future of device software as a hands-on technical lead, overseeing architecture and delivery for a team of firmware engineers. Own critical subsystems, ensuring safety and performance while...

Philadelphia, PARemote

2 weeks ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Energy & Utilities

$77K - $93K *

Join us to design and generate construction documents for commercial and industrial solar PV systems, ensuring technical accuracy and detailed specifications while collaborating with clients and stake...

Denver, CORemote

Today

  •   Less than 5 years exp.  •   Energy & Utilities

$138K - $176K *

Drive innovation in polymer processing by leading injection molding initiatives, optimizing manufacturing performance, and collaborating across teams to enhance product quality and efficiency in medic...

Largo, FLRemote

1 week ago

  •   8 - 10 years exp.  •   Healthcare

$91K - $118K *

Accelerate your career by driving technical solutions and proposals for engineered equipment. Collaborate with sales and engineering teams to ensure customer satisfaction and secure new business oppor...

United StatesRemote

4 days ago

  •   Less than 5 years exp.  •   Manufacturing & Automotive

$151K - $251K *

Drive the planning and execution of Flight Software development programs, ensuring seamless coordination between engineering and program management for timely delivery of spacecraft software systems...

Palo Alto, CARemote

Reposted 2 weeks ago

  •   11 - 15 years exp.  •   Aerospace & Defense

$160K - $230K *

Elevate your career by owning the infrastructure and security of a multi-environment platform. Collaborate with leadership to build and operate systems that support critical government operations and...

United StatesRemote

Today

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Enterprise Technology

$160K - $260K *

Lead a team that shapes geotechnical engineering standards and quality. Engage with infrastructure stakeholders to enhance trust in subsurface intelligence technology while driving technical excellenc...

New York, NYRemote

Yesterday

  •   8 - 10 years exp.  •   Enterprise Technology

$160K - $260K *

Join us to lead geotechnical engineering standards and quality, driving technical credibility and customer engagement in civil infrastructure projects. Collaborate across teams to translate engineerin...

California, USRemote

Yesterday

  •   8 - 10 years exp.  •   Enterprise Technology

$160K - $260K *

Champion geotechnical engineering excellence by leading standards and quality. Engage with infrastructure stakeholders to enhance trust in subsurface intelligence technology while driving collaboratio...

Denver, CORemote

Yesterday

  •   8 - 10 years exp.  •   Enterprise Technology

$160K - $260K *

Shape the future of geotechnical engineering by leading standards and quality initiatives. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to enhance product capabilities and drive customer engagement in comp...

United StatesRemote

Yesterday

  •   8 - 10 years exp.  •   Enterprise Technology

$120K - $145K *

Accelerate progress at the forefront of power connector innovation, leading product development initiatives while driving cross-functional collaboration and mentoring engineering talent to deliver hig...

United StatesRemote

2 weeks ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Manufacturing & Automotive

$88K - $105K *

Advance endpoint capabilities by developing, deploying, and supporting secure, standardized solutions for physical and virtual environments, ensuring operational readiness and compliance across divers...

Chicago, ILRemote

1 week ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Enterprise Technology

$110K - $130K *

Drive your career with a pivotal role overseeing commissioning for utility-scale PV and BESS projects. Collaborate with diverse teams to ensure seamless execution, optimize processes, and manage techn...

United StatesRemote

2 weeks ago

  •   Less than 5 years exp.  •   Energy & Utilities

$85K - $170K *

Engage in our DevSecOps practice to develop APIs and integrations, ensuring secure systems and effective communication between stakeholders and developers. Contribute to continuous improvement while m...

Mclean, VARemote

3 days ago

  •   Less than 5 years exp.  •   Information Technology

$95K - $115K *

Empower energy efficiency initiatives across multiple sites, driving resource reduction goals and enhancing environmental performance through strategic engagement and innovative solutions in energy ma...

Greenlawn, NYRemote

Yesterday

  •   Less than 5 years exp.  •   Aerospace & Defense

$100K - $152K *

Elevate your career by leading consulting engagements in utility-scale power generation, focusing on renewable energy and battery storage. Collaborate with clients and stakeholders to deliver innovati...

United StatesRemote

3 weeks ago

  •   8 - 10 years exp.  •   Technical Services

$150K - $180K *

Contribute to the technical leadership of a multi-faceted platform, guiding cross-functional teams in architecting and evolving core engineering tools, AI infrastructure, and workflows to enhance prod...

RemoteRemote

Today

  •   Less than 5 years exp.  •   Information Technology

$110K - $130K *

Engage your expertise to lead bridge and structural projects from planning to completion. Manage multidisciplinary teams, maintain client relationships, and drive practice growth across Massachusetts...

United StatesRemote

2 weeks ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Technical Services

$120K - $145K *

Engineer high-quality software solutions while mentoring teams and setting technical standards. Drive innovation in cloud-native products and enhance developer capabilities through hands-on leadership...

Florida, USRemote

2 weeks ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Enterprise Technology

$173K - $313K *

Shape the future of customer-facing applications and APIs by leading engineering teams to enhance DNS and IP Acceleration services, ensuring performance, reliability, and usability at Internet scale...

Cambridge, MARemote

3 weeks ago

  •   8 - 10 years exp.  •   Information 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.