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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$125K - $200K *

Join a team that's redefining architectural excellence by leading global projects, driving business growth, and fostering client relationships while overseeing studio operations and strategic initiati...

United StatesRemote

2 days ago

  •   11 - 15 years exp.  •   Real Estate & Construction

$140K - $175K *

Develop innovative software solutions that enhance access to mental and physical health services. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to deliver reliable applications, ensuring quality and perform...

RemoteRemote

Today

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Healthcare

$150K - $180K *

Elevate next-gen AI and cloud hardware systems by leading architecture for high-performance networking platforms, integrating compute and networking technologies to meet evolving customer demands, whi...

Texas, USRemote

Reposted 3 days ago

  •   11 - 15 years exp.  •   Manufacturing & Automotive

$90K - $120K *

Optimize building assessments and capital projects while leading teams and managing client relationships. Oversee project scopes, budgets, and timelines to deliver impactful outcomes in a collaborativ...

Victoria, BCRemote

Reposted 3 days ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Technical Services

$175K - $219K *

Elevate engineering excellence by guiding technical strategy and best practices across teams. Lead architectural vision, ensure reliability and security, and foster collaboration to build a cutting-ed...

CanadaRemote

Reposted 3 weeks ago

  •   11 - 15 years exp.  •   Information Technology

$95K - $115K *

Lead the execution of VDC deliverables, ensuring quality standards while coordinating across various project phases. Collaborate with teams to enhance workflows and deliver optimal results in BIM, con...

Henderson, NVRemote

Reposted 1 week ago

  •   Less than 5 years exp.  •   Real Estate & Construction

$120K - $145K *

Innovate in mission planning by developing autonomous operations for satellite constellations. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to define requirements, prototype code, and optimize algorithms...

RemoteRemote

3 weeks ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Aerospace & Defense

$110K - $130K *

Shape the future of electrical safety and engineering by leading global programs, ensuring compliance, and driving continuous improvement across multiple sites while mentoring teams and enhancing oper...

RemoteRemote

4 weeks ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Food & Beverages

$179K - $341K *

Join a dynamic team to enhance C#/.NET integration for Unity Engine, driving performance and reliability. Collaborate with experts to deliver key technical solutions and advocate best practices for de...

United StatesRemote

Reposted 1 week ago

  •   Less than 5 years exp.  •   Information Technology

$100K - $140K *

Empower global business practices by leading diverse project teams in innovative industries. Collaborate with stakeholders to ensure project success through effective management and integration of cut...

United StatesRemote

Reposted 1 week ago

  •   8 - 10 years exp.  •   Consumer Technology

$147K - $175K *

Lead the charge in utility and power substation projects, leveraging your expertise to manage technical, financial, and scheduling aspects while mentoring a team and building client relationships in a...

Chicago, ILRemote

5 days ago

  •   11 - 15 years exp.  •   Real Estate & Construction

$285K - $320K *

Lead the charge in delivering Honeycomb Private Cloud, driving product growth, and collaborating across teams to enhance operational processes while building a high-performing engineering team to supp...

CanadaRemote

3 weeks ago

  •   Less than 5 years exp.  •   Enterprise Technology

$119K - $167K *

Lead the charge in evolving our cloud infrastructure and CI/CD systems. As a Senior DevOps Engineer, you'll enhance security, reliability, and operational efficiency while mentoring a team and ensurin...

United StatesRemote

Reposted 5 days ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Healthcare

$195K - $307K *

Shape the future of AI/ML solutions by leading design and deployment efforts, coding across diverse platforms, and mentoring teams to enhance customer experiences and operational efficiency...

San Francisco, CARemote

4 days ago

  •   Less than 5 years exp.  •   Information Technology

$150K - $180K *

Lead the design and development of complex software systems, ensuring architectural consistency and best practices. Collaborate with teams to deliver scalable solutions while mentoring engineers and d...

United StatesRemote

1 week ago

  •   8 - 10 years exp.  •   Healthcare

$120K - $145K *

Optimize runtime authorization strategies across diverse segments, driving technical wins and enabling Sales Engineers. Leverage deep IAM and PAM expertise to deliver impactful solutions, ensuring com...

United StatesRemote

2 weeks ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Information Technology

$138K - $163K *

Drive the evolution of software solutions for healthcare quality reporting, leading engineering teams to deliver innovative, high-quality products while fostering a culture of collaboration and contin...

United StatesRemote

Reposted today

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Healthcare

$116K - $170K *

Champion electrical engineering excellence by leading installation standards, ensuring compliance, and driving continuous improvement in warehouse systems. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to e...

United StatesRemote

Today

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Manufacturing & Automotive

$120K - $145K *

Join a team that's at the forefront of OpenBMC firmware development, driving platform bring-up, feature implementation, and integration to enhance system functionality and reliability. Contribute your...

RemoteRemote

Reposted 1 week ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Manufacturing & Automotive

$95K - $115K *

Engage in a dynamic role overseeing large projects and teams, ensuring successful delivery through effective stakeholder coordination and project management. Contribute to innovative power delivery so...

United StatesRemote

2 weeks ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Energy & Utilities

$140K - $200K *

Empower mission-critical federal systems by leading the design and automation of secure cloud platforms. Drive reliability, mentor engineers, and set technical direction in a collaborative environment...

United StatesRemote

4 days ago

  •   8 - 10 years exp.  •   Information Technology

$120K - $145K *

Champion quality by designing and leading automated testing strategies for diverse products. Collaborate with engineers to enhance test frameworks, mentor teams, and ensure high standards across platf...

United StatesRemote

4 days ago

  •   8 - 10 years exp.  •   Enterprise Technology

$199K - $274K *

Transform enterprise-scale engineering capabilities by leading the TORC function, fostering collaboration across security and operations, and delivering innovative solutions for risk and control manag...

United StatesRemote

1 week ago

  •   11 - 15 years exp.  •   Finance & Insurance

$208K - $429K *

Inspire innovation as you lead a high-performing team to enhance large-scale platforms, driving automation and operational excellence while fostering collaboration and continuous improvement across th...

San Francisco, CARemote

6 days ago

  •   8 - 10 years exp.  •   Consumer Technology

$165K - $215K *

Architect innovative solutions to complex technical challenges, driving platform direction and enabling deep specialists. You'll tackle high-leverage problems that define our future capabilities and e...

United StatesRemote

1 week ago

  •   8 - 10 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.