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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$150K - $180K *

Join us in shaping the future of enterprise compliance! As a key engineer, you'll design and deliver a robust org model that empowers complex security structures, ensuring seamless integration for our...

CanadaRemote

4 weeks ago

  •   8 - 10 years exp.  •   Enterprise Technology

$110K - $130K *

Champion seamless technical integrations by leading end-to-end delivery, troubleshooting, and documentation. Collaborate with customer IT teams to ensure compliance and optimize data flows in a dynami...

United StatesRemote

4 weeks ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Information Technology

$77K - $118K *

Lead the design and development of substation and transmission line projects, collaborating with engineers and project teams to deliver high-quality civil site designs and ensure compliance with regul...

United StatesRemote

5 days ago

  •   8 - 10 years exp.  •   Technical Services

$201K - $352K *

Join a team that's redefining enterprise AI by building scalable, LLM-enabled applications. Collaborate with customers to deliver impactful solutions, codify reusable assets, and shape the future of A...

Santa Clara, CARemote

3 weeks ago

  •   8 - 10 years exp.  •   Information Technology

$123K - $166K *

Join a team that's dedicated to enhancing cloud platform reliability and security. As a Platform Engineer, you'll leverage your expertise in Kubernetes and CI/CD to build and maintain robust infrastru...

United StatesRemote

3 weeks ago

  •   Less than 5 years exp.  •   Information Technology

$150K - $180K *

Transform the future of intelligent compiler technologies by designing and optimizing advanced systems that enhance developer productivity and system performance across software and hardware boundarie...

United StatesRemote

Yesterday

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Manufacturing & Automotive

$135K - $160K *

Lead technical architecture and engineering standards for agentic systems, guiding scalable solutions and enhancing engineering quality across the portfolio while collaborating with cross-functional t...

Goodlettsville, TNRemote

Yesterday

  •   8 - 10 years exp.  •   Retail & Consumer Goods

$110K - $130K *

Champion technical solution design and deployment readiness, translating customer needs into secure, scalable architectures. Collaborate with engineering and cybersecurity teams to ensure successful t...

United StatesRemote

1 week ago

  •   Less than 5 years exp.  •   Enterprise Technology

$125K - $138K *

Elevate customer experience by leading technical engagement during pre-sales. Utilize deep knowledge to craft solutions, mentor peers, and ensure seamless transitions, while remaining adaptable in a f...

United StatesRemote

Reposted 2 weeks ago

  •   Less than 5 years exp.  •   Information Technology

$110K - $135K *

Shape the future of IoT solutions by leading backend cloud services development. Drive technical design, mentor engineers, and ensure scalable architecture for AWS-based applications while enhancing u...

United StatesRemote

6 days ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Manufacturing & Automotive

$80K - $95K *

Join a dynamic Site Design team to manage projects, prepare design documents, and collaborate with clients and staff. Leverage your engineering expertise to positively impact communities through innov...

Oklahoma, USRemote

4 weeks ago

  •   Less than 5 years exp.  •   Finance & Insurance

$80K - $95K *

Join a dynamic Site Design team to manage and execute civil engineering projects, ensuring quality design and effective communication with clients and teams. Contribute to impactful land development i...

RemoteRemote

4 weeks ago

  •   Less than 5 years exp.  •   Finance & Insurance

$120K - $145K *

Drive impactful software solutions by embedding with clients, transforming ambiguous needs into deployable features across secure environments. Collaborate closely with users and stakeholders to deliv...

United StatesRemote

Reposted 4 days ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Enterprise Technology

$164K - $284K *

Lead and inspire a high-performing software engineering team, driving product innovation and technical excellence while fostering a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement in a fully remot...

United StatesRemote

4 days ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Enterprise Technology

$150K - $180K *

Shape the future of security engineering by leading a high-performing team, enhancing operational excellence, and translating security risks into actionable priorities in a dynamic, growth-focused env...

RemoteRemote

Today

  •   Less than 5 years exp.  •   Enterprise Technology

$80K - $180K *

Join a team that's shaping the future of finance technology by designing and implementing scalable SAP S/4HANA solutions. Leverage your expertise in procurement and logistics to drive operational exce...

Georgia, USRemote

1 week ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Retail & Consumer Goods

$200K - $240K *

Join a team that's driving innovation in mechanical engineering and program management. Leverage your expertise to lead projects from concept to production, ensuring quality and efficiency while colla...

Dallas, TXRemote

4 weeks ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Information Technology

$94K - $157K *

Unlock your potential as a Senior Software Developer, designing and integrating critical applications for national security. Collaborate cross-functionally while leveraging your expertise in software...

United StatesRemote

4 days ago

  •   Less than 5 years exp.  •   Information Technology

$130K - $155K *

Lead the modernization of HPC infrastructure, enhancing simulation-driven product development and optimizing engineering productivity across diverse environments and accounts...

Georgia, USRemote

2 weeks ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Information Technology

$122K - $183K *

Transform the aerospace certification landscape by leading process development, ensuring compliance with DO-178C standards, and collaborating with cross-functional teams to deliver high-quality softwa...

United StatesRemote

1 week ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Enterprise Technology

$128K - $252K *

Lead the charge in building and managing high-performing software engineering teams. Drive innovation, optimize processes, and deliver high-quality applications while fostering a culture of excellence...

United StatesRemote

4 weeks ago

  •   8 - 10 years exp.  •   Finance & Insurance

$110K - $130K *

Innovate and implement robust disaster recovery solutions for enterprise DevOps, ensuring critical infrastructure recoverability. Oversee Jenkins, Bitbucket, and JFrog Artifactory environments while e...

United StatesRemote

2 weeks ago

  •   Less than 5 years exp.  •   Enterprise Technology

$165K - $248K *

Lead enterprise-scale operations for cloud services, ensuring performance and customer satisfaction. Drive a multidisciplinary team, manage service transitions, and leverage data-driven metrics to enh...

United StatesRemote

Reposted 3 weeks ago

  •   8 - 10 years exp.  •   Information Technology

$135K - $160K *

Shape the future of engineering productivity by architecting tools and patterns that eliminate friction in development workflows, enhance performance, and mentor teams to elevate their technical skill...

Orlando, FLRemote

4 weeks ago

  •   8 - 10 years exp.  •   Finance & Insurance

$140K - $190K *

Drive the unification of diverse analytics applications by providing technical leadership and hands-on engineering expertise. Collaborate with teams to design scalable solutions, mentor engineers, and...

Chicago, ILRemote

1 week ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Business Services

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.