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.
Intelligence Engineer (17081092)
$80K - $95K *
Lead the charge in deploying and maintaining advanced technical surveillance tools. Collaborate with investigators to support critical operations, ensuring effective evidence collection while managing...
2 weeks ago
Senior Engineering Manager, Grafana Frontend | Canada | Remote
$211K - $253K *
Join a team that's dedicated to enhancing user experience through innovative frontend solutions. As a leader, drive performance, development, and cross-team collaboration to deliver impactful customer...
Reposted 2 weeks ago
Staff Engineer (Enterprise Systems)
$130K - $155K *
Elevate your career by leading technical direction for critical enterprise systems. Drive architectural decisions, collaborate across teams, and ensure reliability and scalability while actively contr...
3 days ago
Senior Technical Recruiter & Portfolio Owner
$110K - $120K *
Champion a full portfolio of technical recruiting, mentoring junior team members while managing complex, cleared requisitions. Drive process improvements and foster diverse candidate slates, ensuring...
Yesterday
$135K - $160K *
Transform the autonomy simulation platform by migrating to NVIDIA Omniverse, stabilizing the current system, and enhancing data pipelines for effective testing and training of perception models at sca...
Today
$110K - $130K *
Optimize our product suite to elevate financial advisory capabilities through innovative AI solutions. Lead the entire product lifecycle, collaborating with diverse teams to transform complex workflow...
Reposted 3 days ago
Lead Software Platform Engineer, MLOps
$200K - $270K *
Join a team pioneering AI/ML platform engineering, enhancing scalable infrastructure to empower scientific innovation. Shape the future of distributed systems and MLOps, collaborating across teams to...
Reposted 2 weeks ago
$110K - $130K *
Empower enterprise initiatives by leading complex projects that drive strategic outcomes, enhance governance, and align cross-functional teams. Utilize your expertise to manage risks, ensure accountab...
2 weeks ago
Principal Product Manager, AI Strategy & Execution
$166K - $249K *
Shape the future of AI in healthcare by defining and executing a strategic roadmap that integrates intelligent solutions into clinical workflows, ensuring safety and efficiency while collaborating wit...
4 weeks ago
Chief of Staff, Digital & Product
$161K - $242K *
Join a team that's driving strategic initiatives and digital transformation. Collaborate with senior leaders to tackle complex challenges, influence decision-making, and ensure successful execution of...
Reposted yesterday
Infrastructure Solutions Engineer Lead Consultant
$100K - $170K *
Execute enterprise-scale Infrastructure as Code (IaC) strategies, driving automation and collaboration across engineering teams. Design and build reusable infrastructure solutions to enhance operation...
2 weeks ago
Senior Software Engineer - Java, AWS, & Distributed Systems
$100K - $175K *
Transform your career as a Senior Software Engineer, leading cross-functional teams to design and implement Java Spring Boot microservices and RESTful APIs on AWS, driving innovation and operational e...
3 days ago
Lead Subject Matter Expert (Quality Assurance & Control) - Rolling Stock Engineering
$182K - $212K *
Lead quality assurance efforts in rolling stock engineering, overseeing vehicle procurement and rebuilds. Collaborate with teams to ensure high standards and timely delivery while supervising inspecti...
1 week ago
Senior Software Engineer II, Mobile (iOS) - Global Monetization (AI Native)
$118K - $216K *
Reimagine mobile monetization by leveraging AI to build premium user experiences. Drive product innovation and ownership, ensuring reliability for millions of users while expanding into new markets wi...
6 days ago
Lead Solutions Engineer, Strategic
$140K - $170K *
Shape the future of healthcare technology by leveraging your expertise to drive sales success. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to deliver tailored solutions, engage customers, and enhance prod...
2 weeks ago
Distinguished Architect - Asset and Infrastructure Transformation - Remote
$179K - $232K *
Shape the future of technology architecture by leading complex initiatives, aligning enterprise strategies, and driving innovation across multiple domains to enhance operational efficiency and busines...
3 days ago
Principal Consultant - Utility Revenue Requirements Specialist
$128K - $191K *
Elevate your career by managing utility revenue requirements projects, preparing regulatory filings, and providing expert testimony. Collaborate with clients across North America while leading teams a...
1 week ago
Technical Application Engineer - Industrial Communications products (MDS and Lentronics)
$89K - $148K *
Drive technical solutions by collaborating with sales teams and customers to enhance industrial communications products. Develop sales strategies, manage customer relationships, and ensure compliance...
Reposted 2 weeks ago
Senior Software Engineer, SRE and Production Engineering - DGX Cloud
$184K - $287K *
Transform production infrastructure by automating bare-metal provisioning and enhancing GPU capacity management. Collaborate across teams to ensure reliability and efficiency in AI workloads, driving...
3 weeks ago
Director, Software Engineering - Platform Development
$150K - $180K *
Join a dynamic team to lead the development of innovative Microsoft-based platforms, driving modernization and AI integration while ensuring robust, scalable, and secure solutions in a highly regulate...
2 weeks ago
Principal Technical Marketing Engineer | US | Remote
$183K - $220K *
Elevate technical storytelling by creating impactful demos and workshops that bridge the gap between product capabilities and customer understanding, empowering sales teams and enhancing buyer engagem...
1 week ago
$130K - $150K *
Take ownership of transformative AI solutions by embedding within business units, identifying key operational challenges, and rapidly delivering demonstrable results that drive adoption and innovation...
1 week ago
$125K - $135K *
Drive the evolution of critical DNS infrastructure, ensuring operational excellence, collaborating across teams, and enhancing production services through automation and API development...
Reposted 6 days ago
Lead Electrical Estimator / Master Electrician
$88K - $105K *
Lead estimating efforts by developing precise project estimates, analyzing impacts, and guiding teams. Leverage expertise in construction methods and cost structures to support project pursuits and dr...
6 days ago
Technical Business Development Strategist – Distribution
$110K - $130K *
Advance our market strategy by leveraging technical expertise to identify and pursue opportunities in Distribution Planning, Design, and Grid Modernization, while building strong relationships with ut...
4 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.