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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$135K - $160K *

Inspire delivery excellence by leading a diverse portfolio of 20+ Scrum teams across regions. Align engineering outcomes with client priorities, enhance AI adoption, and drive measurable value through...

CanadaRemote

3 weeks ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Information Technology

$148K - $201K *

Empower application teams by integrating, securing, and deploying software in Kubernetes environments. Collaborate across platforms to enhance CI/CD processes and ensure reliable operations, driving i...

United StatesRemote

3 weeks ago

  •   Less than 5 years exp.  •   Information Technology

$140K - $220K *

Champion the evolution of scalable infrastructure in a multi-cloud environment, collaborating with engineering teams to enhance reliability and performance for AI-driven healthcare solutions...

United StatesRemote

4 days ago

  •   Less than 5 years exp.  •   Healthcare

$173K - $290K *

Champion innovation in product development platforms, driving strategy and execution for AI-first tools that enhance collaboration and efficiency across teams. Lead the evolution of platforms, ensurin...

United StatesRemote

2 weeks ago

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

$126K - $160K *

Drive impactful software solutions by collaborating with sales teams, leading demos, and managing technical inquiries. Leverage your expertise to enhance customer experiences and support enterprise tr...

San Diego, CARemote

1 week ago

  •   8 - 10 years exp.  •   Transportation

$100K - $120K *

Grow your career with a dynamic role focused on coding, cloud resources, and database support. Lead automation projects, solve unique challenges daily, and collaborate with teams to deliver practical...

CanadaRemote

1 week ago

  •   Less than 5 years exp.  •   Manufacturing & Automotive

$91K - $114K *

Empower your career by joining a dynamic team as you manage project documentation, coordinate timelines, and drive innovative solutions while fostering a collaborative environment and mentoring others...

California, USRemote

4 weeks ago

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

$122K - $196K *

Manage global PMO governance for a $150M Capex portfolio, ensuring strategic alignment and effective project delivery across regions. Drive consistency, accountability, and value realization while sup...

RemoteRemote

2 days ago

  •   8 - 10 years exp.  •   Business Services

$157K - $180K *

Join a team that's driving innovation by building AI-powered tools for a vibrant community of diverse software engineers. You'll blend hands-on engineering with community management to enhance technic...

United StatesRemote

2 weeks ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Enterprise Technology

$118K - $180K *

Champion innovative product development by leading cross-functional teams to drive New Product Introductions in Advanced Deposition Materials, ensuring alignment with business goals and customer needs...

Texas, USRemote

3 weeks ago

  •   8 - 10 years exp.  •   Manufacturing & Automotive

$122K - $136K *

Innovate cutting-edge optical systems by designing, developing, and testing advanced photonic technologies. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to enhance system performance and ensure compliance...

Mc Leansville, NCRemote

5 days ago

  •   Less than 5 years exp.  •   Aerospace & Defense

$150K - $180K *

Engineer cutting-edge blockchain infrastructure for financial markets. Drive architecture, design proofs of concept, and ensure interoperability while collaborating with teams to meet institutional re...

United StatesRemote

3 weeks ago

  •   8 - 10 years exp.  •   Finance & Insurance

$138K - $189K *

Champion audio innovation by developing and optimizing DSP software for embedded platforms, ensuring high-quality signal processing across diverse audio products while collaborating with cross-functio...

Framingham, MARemote

2 weeks ago

  •   8 - 10 years exp.  •   Consumer Technology

$196K - $207K *

Design scalable data solutions, enhance off-platform integrations, and lead cross-team collaborations. Drive architecture modernization and AI-first initiatives while mentoring engineers and optimizin...

RemoteRemote

Reposted 3 weeks ago

  •   8 - 10 years exp.  •   Consumer Technology

$90K - $145K *

Unlock your potential by designing CI/CD pipelines and automating processes. Collaborate with teams to enhance development efficiency while ensuring system compliance and security across AWS and Azure...

United StatesRemote

2 weeks ago

  •   Less than 5 years exp.  •   Technical Services

$140K - $165K *

Join a team that's redefining healthcare technology by owning the product roadmap, translating company goals into actionable tasks, and ensuring seamless delivery of AI-driven solutions that enhance p...

United StatesRemote

Today

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Healthcare

$130K - $155K *

Elevate healthcare innovation by developing robust backend services and APIs for a cutting-edge robotic platform. Collaborate across teams to enhance user experiences and ensure compliance while drivi...

Sunnyvale, CARemote

Yesterday

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Healthcare

$230K - $285K *

Transform your career by leading engineering excellence for a cutting-edge CRM platform. Drive strategy, architecture, and team growth while ensuring quality and security in a collaborative environmen...

United StatesRemote

2 weeks ago

  •   11 - 15 years exp.  •   Business Services

$120K - $145K *

Transform the insurance landscape by building LLM-powered features and workflows. Own the end-to-end development process, ensuring security and reliability while enhancing customer experiences through...

Chicago, ILRemote

5 days ago

  •   Less than 5 years exp.  •   Enterprise Technology

$120K - $160K *

Champion the design and implementation of scalable data pipelines, ensuring data integrity and availability. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to optimize data workflows and enhance infrastructu...

United StatesRemote

4 days ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Healthcare

$120K - $170K *

Lead mobile development efforts, mentoring teams and driving architecture decisions. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to deliver high-quality iOS and Android applications, ensuring alignment wi...

United StatesRemote

5 days ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Consumer Technology

$115K - $130K *

Transform the future of electrical systems by leading facility assessments, project management, and compliance initiatives. Leverage your expertise to enhance safety, reliability, and efficiency acros...

Herndon, VARemote

Today

  •   Less than 5 years exp.  •   Business Services

$145K - $195K *

Engage in developing high-performance frontend solutions for a pioneering CAD modeling app. Collaborate extensively with backend teams to create integral code-driven functionalities, ensuring a superi...

Los Angeles, CARemote

Reposted 2 weeks ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Enterprise Technology

$100K - $120K *

Take ownership of critical VPP projects; manage field operations, partner support, and technical training while leading a team of engineers to ensure top-tier service and product quality within the re...

Georgia, USRemote

Reposted 2 weeks ago

  •   Less than 5 years exp.  •   Energy & Utilities

$130K - $155K *

Join our team as a Principal Security Engineer, where you'll design and enhance security solutions, shape strategy, and lead initiatives to protect enterprise assets while mentoring junior engineers a...

Pennsylvania, USRemote

2 weeks ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Finance & Insurance

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.