Explore Principal Software Engineer jobs for experienced technologists ready to shape architecture, guide engineering teams, and solve complex technical challenges. Ladders features vetted professional opportunities with salaries of $100,000 or more, helping you find senior roles that match your expertise and career goals.
Principal Software Engineers provide technical leadership across products, platforms, or engineering organizations. They design scalable systems, establish engineering standards, evaluate architectural tradeoffs, and partner with product, security, and operations teams. Depending on the organization, the role may involve mentoring engineers and influencing roadmaps without direct people-management responsibilities.
Employers commonly seek deep software development experience, strong system design and architecture skills, and expertise in one or more programming languages or technology domains. Successful candidates communicate clearly, make sound decisions amid ambiguity, and build alignment across teams. Experience with cloud infrastructure, distributed systems, reliability, security, or data platforms may be valuable depending on the role.
Principal-level positions are available across industries, including technology, finance, healthcare, retail, and business services. Compensation varies by employer, location, scope, and specialization. Browse Ladders for vetted opportunities paying $100,000 or more, and review each listing for its stated salary range, responsibilities, and requirements.
Use Ladders to discover senior engineering opportunities aligned with your experience. Compare roles by industry, location, and technical focus, then tailor your application to highlight measurable impact, architectural leadership, and the systems you have helped deliver.
$125K - $150K *
Empower a dynamic team of engineers to innovate e-commerce solutions, driving growth through collaboration with product managers and stakeholders while leveraging AI to enhance development processes a...
3 days ago
$150K - $180K *
Empower engineering teams to innovate and deliver high-quality SaaS products. Lead technical direction, enhance system architecture, and foster collaboration across teams to drive user-centric solutio...
1 week 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...
2 weeks ago
$85K - $120K *
Join a team that's focused on innovative software development, tackling various layers of the tech stack. You'll engage in documentation, automated testing, and debugging, while optimizing performance...
3 weeks ago
Senior Technical Program Manager, Privileged Access Management
$120K - $150K *
Lead cross-functional efforts to drive execution in a fast-paced remote environment, overseeing key product initiatives and customer issues in our Privileged Access Management portfolio, while ensurin...
Reposted 2 weeks ago
$120K - $145K *
Empower cutting-edge data solutions by leveraging Python expertise and collaboration. Contribute to building high-performance data platforms that drive innovation across various investment functions w...
3 weeks ago
Senior Product Security Engineer
$150K - $200K *
Engage in hands-on security initiatives across the platform, collaborating with engineering and product teams to identify vulnerabilities, develop security tools, and enhance secure development practi...
1 week ago
Senior Software Development Engineer - Big Data
$156K - $262K *
Join a dynamic team to design and optimize scalable data pipelines and infrastructure, enabling analytics and AI-driven capabilities. Collaborate across functions to deliver high-quality data solution...
1 week ago
$185K *
Accelerate software development by leading a team of engineers, driving technical strategy, and ensuring delivery of scalable, customer-focused solutions with operational excellence...
Reposted 2 weeks ago
Sr Infrastructure Engineer I (Kubernetes EKS Engineer)
$105K - $165K *
Drive the design and management of AWS EKS Kubernetes clusters, ensuring high availability and security. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to optimize cloud infrastructure and automate processes...
Today
$110K - $130K *
Elevate the quality assurance landscape by building robust test automation frameworks, driving efficient testing practices, and partnering with cross-functional teams to ensure excellence in software...
Reposted 2 weeks ago
Principal Customer Success Engineer - TOLA
$220K - $240K *
Elevate your career by leading strategic customer relationships in data security. Drive enterprise-wide programs, influence executive stakeholders, and ensure value realization through effective gover...
2 weeks ago
$95K - $115K *
Optimize CI/CD pipelines and improve Azure infrastructure to enhance deployment and observability. Collaborate with teams, addressing performance issues while deploying critical products that elevate...
1 month ago
$100K - $120K *
Join a team that's revolutionizing pharmacy operations with AI. As a Software Engineer, you'll independently ship impactful features and fixes, collaborating closely with experienced engineers in a fa...
2 weeks ago
Principal Engineer - Systems Protection, Relay Settings
$125K - $150K *
Unlock your potential as you design and implement cutting-edge protective relay systems, ensuring safety and efficiency across multiple projects while collaborating with engineers and clients to deliv...
3 weeks ago
$171K - $190K *
Unlock potential by leading the design and implementation of scalable data platforms. Drive innovation in cloud data architecture and pipeline automation, collaborating across teams to deliver impactf...
2 weeks ago
$140K - $180K *
Lead the charge in driving innovative solutions as a Principal Solutions Engineer, collaborating with sales teams to deliver tailored technical proposals and enhance customer success through expert gu...
2 weeks ago
$116K - $194K *
Engineer cloud-based data platforms that drive AI insights for applications. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure reliable, scalable, and high-quality data management, leading design disc...
Reposted 1 week ago
Senior Engineer - Desktop Application
$180K - $195K *
Drive the development of the Hypori app for Windows while enhancing iOS and Android functionalities. Collaborate in an agile environment, focusing on secure software practices, troubleshooting, and de...
1 week ago
Staff Software Engineer, Continuity
$135K - $160K *
Elevate healthcare outcomes by designing scalable web applications that enhance radiology workflows. Collaborate with a dynamic team to develop robust backend services and mentor fellow engineers in a...
3 weeks ago
$110K - $130K *
Engage in innovative software solutions as a Senior Software Engineer, balancing technical priorities while mentoring a distributed team. Collaborate on designing, testing, and delivering quality prod...
Reposted 3 weeks ago
Principal Engineer - Site Design
$110K - $130K *
Lead large-scale engineering projects by overseeing design tasks, ensuring compliance, and mentoring team members. Collaborate with project managers to deliver high-quality solutions that meet client...
2 weeks ago
Staff Software Engineer, Infrastructure
$230K - $275K *
Join a team that's committed to enhancing cloud reliability through innovative software and infrastructure solutions. Impact lives by maintaining scalable and secure systems supporting thousands of dr...
3 weeks ago
$103K - $153K *
Deliver a robust frontend architecture for a mature web UI, enhancing performance and usability. Collaborate with UX designers and set coding standards while ensuring security and analytics integratio...
1 week ago
Principal Engagement Manager - Paradox
$154K - $232K *
Drive successful global deployments by leveraging your expertise in Workday methodology. Collaborate with clients and internal teams to ensure timely project delivery while enhancing customer experien...
Today
What does a Principal Software Engineer do?
A Principal Software Engineer leads technical direction across significant systems or teams, making architecture decisions, solving complex engineering problems, and helping establish standards. The role is often an individual-contributor position, though responsibilities differ by company.
What qualifications are needed for Principal Software Engineer jobs?
Employers typically look for extensive software engineering experience, advanced system design skills, proficiency in relevant technologies, and a record of delivering reliable, scalable systems. Communication, mentoring, and cross-functional influence are also commonly important.
How much do Principal Software Engineers earn?
Pay varies based on location, industry, employer, specialization, and role scope. Ladders focuses on vetted professional jobs paying $100,000 or more; check individual listings for compensation details.
Are Principal Software Engineer roles management positions?
Not necessarily. Many Principal Software Engineers are senior individual contributors who influence technical strategy and mentor colleagues without managing direct reports. Some companies combine technical leadership with management duties.
Where can I find Principal Software Engineer jobs paying $100,000 or more?
Browse Principal Software Engineer listings on Ladders to explore vetted opportunities with salaries of $100,000 or more and compare roles by their requirements, responsibilities, and location.