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.
Senior Enterprise Implementation Consultant
$100K - $165K *
Join our Strategic Customer Success team to guide enterprise clients in deploying IoT solutions, enhancing business value. You'll manage relationships, ensuring a successful launch and continuous enga...
Reposted 2 days ago
Senior Manager, Quality Engineering
$140K - $190K *
Join our team to lead quality engineering transformations across multiple platform portfolios, championing automation and innovation while developing exceptional engineering talent to elevate quality...
Reposted today
$170K - $200K *
Unlock potential by designing and building innovative billing systems that simplify financial transactions and maximize reimbursements, while leveraging AI to enhance efficiency and user experience in...
2 weeks ago
Senior Software Engineer, Observability
$120K - $145K *
Champion the development of innovative observability solutions, leveraging your expertise in Go and network protocols to enhance network automation. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to deliver...
4 weeks ago
$160K - $280K *
Join us to architect and build a cutting-edge web platform, driving marketing innovation through AI agents. Own technical decisions, enhance user experiences, and ensure seamless integration with our...
3 weeks ago
Mgr, Engineering - Identity Governance and Administration
$139K - $188K *
Transform your career by leading a high-performing engineering team focused on Identity Governance and Administration. Drive strategic initiatives, enhance security, and foster innovation while collab...
Yesterday
$91K - $148K *
Transform your career by leading complex projects, managing resources, and ensuring quality deliverables. Collaborate with diverse teams to drive strategic initiatives and maintain client relationship...
2 weeks ago
Principal Board Designer/Senior Principal Board Designer
$98K - $185K *
Develop high-quality PCB layouts as a key member of the eCAD team, collaborating with engineers and designers to create production-ready designs for defense-grade products while mentoring junior staff...
4 days ago
$110K - $130K *
Elevate quality assurance by collaborating with developers to enhance test processes, automate testing, and ensure robust coverage in a fast-paced, agile environment. Become a trusted authority in QA...
4 days ago
$110K - $130K *
Manage and optimize cloud infrastructure solutions on Azure, focusing on Kubernetes and CI/CD pipelines. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to enhance production services, ensuring high availabil...
4 weeks ago
$95K - $115K *
Drive software release management by coordinating cross-team dependencies, ensuring readiness, and enhancing visibility into release status and customer impact. Collaborate with Engineering, Product...
Yesterday
Product Engineer II - Utility Solutions
$79K - $133K *
Drive the design and development of geospatial solutions for utilities, enhancing operations and services across multiple industries, including electric, gas, and telecommunications, while collaborati...
Reposted today
Staff Software Engineer, Enterprise
$193K - $309K *
Innovate by leading the development of scalable features for our Sports & Entertainment platform. Collaborate across teams to enhance customer experiences and drive Toast's success while mentoring fel...
Reposted 4 days ago
$110K - $130K *
Elevate your career by joining a dynamic team focused on validating and optimizing Azure developer desktops. You'll design automated tests, ensure security compliance, and enhance performance metrics...
2 weeks ago
$120K - $145K *
Lead the charge in architecting and automating secure CI/CD pipelines and cloud infrastructure, ensuring compliance and resilience while delivering high-quality software through expert DevSecOps pract...
Yesterday
$169K - $254K *
Lead and optimize the Solutions Engineering team in the Healthcare sector, focusing on technical sales and strategic planning. Drive team performance, manage recruitment, and ensure alignment with com...
6 days ago
Lead Civil Designer - Site Design
$90K - $110K *
Transform the future of civil design by leading project teams, ensuring quality, and collaborating with clients. Drive technical excellence and mentor staff while managing diverse site development pro...
4 weeks ago
$85K - $120K *
Elevate your career by joining our Innovation team as a Software Engineer. Collaborate on Proofs-of-Concept and drive features through the full software development lifecycle, from design to deploymen...
1 month ago
Senior Data Engineer - Data Platform
$130K - $160K *
Champion the migration to a modern Databricks lakehouse, designing robust data pipelines and ensuring data quality. Collaborate with teams to enhance analytics capabilities and set technical standards...
2 weeks ago
Senior Product Analytics Engineer
$142K - $186K *
Pioneer a data-driven culture by designing scalable ELT pipelines and analytics models. Collaborate across teams to ensure product data integrity and empower stakeholders with self-service insights, d...
4 weeks ago
Oracle Fusion Solutions Architect
$135K - $160K *
Join a team that's transforming enterprise solutions by leveraging Oracle Fusion expertise. Drive the design and implementation of scalable architectures, ensuring seamless integration and automation...
Reposted 1 week ago
Mechanical Engineering Lead, NA
$175K - $190K *
Explore strategic leadership in mechanical engineering, guiding a team of experts to innovate and deliver top-tier data center solutions. Collaborate cross-functionally to shape engineering standards...
2 weeks ago
$110K - $130K *
Join a team that's redefining data engineering by designing and maintaining robust data pipelines, ensuring data quality, and collaborating with cross-functional teams to deliver reliable datasets for...
3 weeks ago
$135K - $160K *
Empower your career as a Principal IAM Engineer, owning the identity control plane and ensuring secure access to sensitive data. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to automate identity processes...
4 days ago
$90K - $100K *
Help us drive strategic initiatives within Navy housing programs. You will support the planning and execution of barracks improvements, collaborating with stakeholders to enhance housing conditions, r...
Reposted 2 weeks 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.