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.

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1
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$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...

United StatesRemote

1 week ago

  •   8 - 10 years exp.  •   Manufacturing & Automotive

$185K - $215K *

Innovate by designing and operating AI products that enhance engineering workflows, ensuring compliance in a regulated environment while driving continuous improvement and integrating cutting-edge tec...

San Francisco, CARemote

Reposted 3 weeks ago

  •   Less than 5 years exp.  •   Telecommunications & Hardware

$90K - $153K *

Engineer and deploy secure AI-driven applications and automation solutions, enhancing operational efficiency and collaboration across teams. Leverage Generative AI and cloud technologies to solve comp...

United StatesRemote

1 week ago

  •   Less than 5 years exp.  •   Finance & Insurance

$173K - $233K *

Lead the design and scaling of large-scale distributed SQL databases, enhancing infrastructure reliability and performance. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to drive innovative solutions and en...

United StatesRemote

3 weeks ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Finance & Insurance

$120K - $145K *

Drive innovation by developing and supporting our trading system software, focusing on low latency and high throughput solutions during US evening hours in a dynamic remote environment...

United StatesRemote

Reposted 3 weeks ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Finance & Insurance

$110K - $130K *

Lead the charge in designing and enhancing infrastructure solutions across on-premises, cloud, and hybrid environments. Collaborate with teams and vendors to ensure security, reliability, and performa...

St. Louis, MORemote

2 weeks ago

  •   Less than 5 years exp.  •   Finance & Insurance

$135K - $160K *

Join a team that's driving innovation by leveraging your technical expertise to lead and mentor engineers, enhance product performance, and deliver high-quality, cloud-native solutions across diverse...

United StatesRemote

3 weeks ago

  •   11 - 15 years exp.  •   Media

$130K - $155K *

Champion data transformation excellence by leading data engineering solutions in Azure. Drive collaboration with cross-functional teams to enhance data-driven insights and mentor junior engineers whil...

Georgia, USRemote

1 month ago

  •   Less than 5 years exp.  •   Information Technology

$95K - $115K *

Transform the learning landscape by leading the design and development of innovative educational materials. You'll engage diverse teams to create immersive, high-quality training experiences using cut...

United StatesRemote

Reposted 1 week ago

  •   8 - 10 years exp.  •   Enterprise Technology

$184K - $356K *

Transform data processing architectures by optimizing performance and efficiency. Collaborate with diverse teams to enhance user experiences and drive innovation in hardware-software co-design for cut...

RemoteRemote

Reposted 4 days ago

  •   8 - 10 years exp.  •   Manufacturing & Automotive

$104K - $117K *

Engage with senior technical requisitions, ensuring quality outreach and swift hiring. Collaborate with executives, utilize AI tools, and uphold communication standards to attract top talent in a comp...

RemoteRemote

Today

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Finance & Insurance

$120K - $200K *

Unlock potential by leading the development of AI-powered customer service agents, working within a high-impact team utilizing TypeScript in a serverless microservices ecosystem to innovate and enhanc...

CanadaRemote

4 weeks ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Telecommunications & Hardware

$171K - $248K *

Elevate fan support through innovative technology and collaborative leadership. As a technical manager, drive the vision and execution for a best-in-class support experience, empowering your team to e...

United StatesRemote

Reposted 2 weeks ago

  •   Less than 5 years exp.  •   Hospitality & Recreation

$150K - $160K *

Empower large-scale customer projects by leading multi-workstream implementations. As a key facilitator, you will align stakeholders, manage risks, and ensure solutions meet success criteria within ag...

Florida, USRemote

Reposted 4 weeks ago

  •   8 - 10 years exp.  •   Consumer Technology

$110K - $130K *

Transform the payments landscape by building robust financial APIs and workflows. Join a passionate team to drive innovation in money movement, ensuring scalability, reliability, and accuracy for busi...

RemoteRemote

Reposted 3 weeks ago

  •   Less than 5 years exp.  •   Finance & Insurance

$145K - $200K *

Transform your career by developing robust SDKs that empower customers globally. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to enhance performance and resiliency while contributing to open-source project...

United StatesRemote

3 days ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Information Technology

$110K - $130K *

Accelerate progress at the forefront of dental technology by leading software development for specialized machines, shaping the future of custom prosthetics manufacturing in a dynamic, high-growth env...

RemoteRemote

Reposted 2 weeks ago

  •   8 - 10 years exp.  •   Healthcare

$135K - $185K *

Grow your career with an innovative team shaping data engineering through AI. Lead and mentor skilled engineers, design robust data pipelines, and drive industry-best practices for a data-driven futur...

United StatesRemote

4 weeks ago

  •   8 - 10 years exp.  •   Enterprise Technology

$150K - $180K *

Architect resilient distributed systems for a transformative AI SaaS platform, driving innovation with a hands-on approach in a dynamic team focused on performance and scalability while navigating com...

United StatesRemote

4 weeks ago

  •   Less than 5 years exp.  •   Enterprise Technology

$80K - $95K *

Champion the seamless execution of complex AI and Cloud projects, ensuring timely delivery and stakeholder satisfaction. Leverage your project management skills to coordinate multiple initiatives in a...

RemoteRemote

1 week ago

  •   Less than 5 years exp.  •   Information Technology

$150K - $180K *

Transform the engineering landscape by leading the development of high-performance, scalable web scraping systems while ensuring security, compliance, and team excellence...

Los Angeles, CARemote

4 weeks ago

  •   8 - 10 years exp.  •   Transportation

$116K - $145K *

Innovate and enhance user experiences by designing and developing robust software solutions. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to deliver impactful projects while mentoring junior engineers and...

RemoteRemote

2 weeks ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Finance & Insurance

$130K - $160K *

Lead and empower a team of engineers to build and maintain a scalable Postgres product, driving execution and collaboration across teams while ensuring high standards of quality and reliability for de...

United StatesRemote

Reposted 2 weeks ago

  •   8 - 10 years exp.  •   Enterprise Technology

$95K - $149K *

Lead the charge in delivering complex product development projects by managing cross-functional teams, ensuring customer satisfaction, and driving operational excellence from initiation to delivery in...

United StatesRemote

2 weeks ago

  •   8 - 10 years exp.  •   Information Technology

$144K - $211K *

Lead the charge in managing complex Industrial Controls workstreams, ensuring seamless execution of NPI programs. Collaborate across teams to deliver innovative automation solutions on time and within...

United StatesRemote

Today

  •   8 - 10 years exp.  •   Manufacturing & Automotive

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.