Principal Software Engineer Jobs

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.

What Does a Principal Software Engineer Do?

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.

Skills and Qualifications

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.

Career Opportunities and Compensation

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.

Find Your Next Principal Software Engineer Role

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.

Remote
caret down
Compensation
caret down
Position Level
caret down
Time Posted
caret down
Industries
caret down
More
1
caret down

$140K - $175K *

Explore a unique opportunity to drive innovation in education technology, taking ownership of product features from design to deployment. Work in a dynamic environment focusing on user experience, sec...

United StatesRemote

4 weeks ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Education, Government & Non-Profit

$110K - $130K *

Drive your career forward as a Senior Business Analyst, collaborating with cross-functional teams to consolidate payment gateways and enhance the US Payments landscape through innovative solutions and...

CanadaRemote

2 days ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Enterprise Technology

$100K - $170K *

Pioneer an innovative engineering team dedicated to developing scalable and secure enterprise applications using C# and ASP.NET, while fostering a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement i...

United StatesRemote

4 weeks ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Finance & Insurance

$132K - $180K *

Drive impactful GTM systems strategy by optimizing processes and technology. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to enhance customer engineering workflows, ensuring alignment and continuous improv...

United StatesRemote

2 weeks ago

  •   Less than 5 years exp.  •   Information Technology

$150K - $180K *

Empower our team to build innovative security and governance solutions, shaping access management for both human and agent users. Lead a small, dynamic group as we define architectural foundations and...

RemoteRemote

1 week ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Enterprise Technology

$95K - $115K *

Develop and maintain core financial platforms, ensuring reliability and data integrity. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to implement scalable solutions and enhance platform performance in a re...

RemoteRemote

1 week ago

  •   Less than 5 years exp.  •   Finance & Insurance

$135K - $182K *

Lead the charge in enhancing supplier performance and quality for electronic components. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to drive continuous improvement initiatives and ensure compliance with...

Washington, DCRemote

Today

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Manufacturing & Automotive

$138K - $165K *

Shape the future of AI products by leading strategy, vision, and execution. Drive innovation through collaboration and influence, ensuring exceptional value and responsible practices across diverse bu...

New York, NYRemote

2 weeks ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Information Technology

$138K - $165K *

Drive the end-to-end lifecycle of innovative AI-powered products, shaping strategy and vision while collaborating cross-functionally to deliver exceptional business and customer value through effectiv...

United StatesRemote

2 weeks ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Information Technology

$126K - $224K *

Innovate software solutions for oncology applications, enhancing data access and operational efficiency. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to design, build, and maintain applications that stream...

United StatesRemote

Today

  •   Less than 5 years exp.  •   Pharmaceuticals & Biotech

$110K - $130K *

Empower cross-functional teams to consolidate payment gateways, leveraging deep USA Payments expertise. Collaborate with stakeholders to analyze requirements, drive migrations, and ensure seamless int...

United StatesRemote

6 days ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Enterprise Technology

$85K - $117K *

Champion software quality by analyzing healthcare data, developing test cases, and executing both manual and automated tests. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure compliance with clinical...

Connecticut, USRemote

2 weeks ago

  •   Less than 5 years exp.  •   Healthcare

$97K - $146K *

Elevate your design career by enriching our design system and creating AI-powered templates. Lead brand initiatives, manage creative requests, and produce engaging materials across various channels to...

RemoteRemote

2 weeks ago

  •   8 - 10 years exp.  •   Energy & Utilities

$140K - $190K *

Lead and design data solutions to drive healthcare insights, working with a team of engineers to build and maintain robust data pipelines, ensuring high reliability and performance for critical busine...

Chicago, ILRemote

3 weeks ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Business Services

$110K - $130K *

Grow your career with a dynamic Engineering team, developing scalable software solutions for video delivery. Collaborate across functions, enhance distributed systems, and contribute to cutting-edge t...

United StatesRemote

4 weeks ago

  •   Less than 5 years exp.  •   Enterprise Technology

$150K - $280K *

Drive system architecture definition and refine requirements in a collaborative, agile environment. Engage with cross-functional teams to ensure alignment with customer needs and technical solutions...

RemoteRemote

Today

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Aerospace & Defense

$130K - $160K *

Lead the end-to-end customer onboarding process, managing cross-functional teams to ensure timely delivery and value realization. Collaborate with customers to provide expert guidance and drive succes...

United StatesRemote

1 week ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Healthcare

$205K - $270K *

Lead the charge in developing next-gen AI systems that enhance contact center operations. Collaborate cross-functionally to design, deploy, and optimize scalable machine learning solutions while mento...

United StatesRemote

4 weeks ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Information Technology

$110K - $130K *

Unlock your potential in cloud-native engineering! Contribute to design, automation, and operations of mission-critical video technologies, shaping scalable platform solutions and operational excellen...

United StatesRemote

3 weeks ago

  •   Less than 5 years exp.  •   Enterprise Technology

$144K - $288K *

Transform enterprise technology by leading modernization initiatives, enhancing engineering practices, and enabling responsible AI adoption across diverse platforms. Collaborate with stakeholders to d...

RemoteRemote

Today

  •   8 - 10 years exp.  •   Pharmaceuticals & Biotech

$93K - $139K *

Explore the intersection of technology and strategy as you drive complex, cross-functional initiatives. Collaborate with diverse teams to enhance project delivery, leveraging AI tools to optimize proc...

CanadaRemote

1 week ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Education, Government & Non-Profit

$135K - $160K *

Join us to lead innovative data engineering projects, optimizing data pipelines across clinical and research sectors. Collaborate globally with R&D teams to enhance data quality and compliance, levera...

Philadelphia, PARemote

4 weeks ago

  •   Less than 5 years exp.  •   Pharmaceuticals & Biotech

$125K - $170K *

Join a team that's redefining data management by spearheading product innovation. Your insights will guide the development of user-centric software solutions, shaping the platform that empowers busine...

CanadaRemote

3 weeks ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Enterprise Technology

$148K - $254K *

Elevate the future of insurance policy management by driving end-to-end product ownership, collaborating closely with carriers, and delivering innovative features to enhance underwriting and policy wo...

RemoteRemote

4 weeks ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Enterprise Technology

$145K - $181K *

Champion the growth of the Security Engineering team, driving collaboration across functions to enhance cybersecurity. Utilize your technical expertise and leadership skills to mentor talent, manage s...

United StatesRemote

3 weeks ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Enterprise Technology

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

  • What does a Principal Software Engineer do?question toggle

    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?question toggle

    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?question toggle

    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?question toggle

    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?question toggle

    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.