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.
$100K - $120K *
Transform your career by leading proposal strategies and managing a dynamic team. Drive compliance and quality in project proposals while collaborating with stakeholders to ensure timely and effective...
3 days ago
Director - Digital Platform Engineering
$204K - $316K *
Join a dynamic leadership team to drive innovative platform strategies, manage cross-functional engineering teams, and shape the future of AI-enabled solutions through advanced cloud services and cutt...
Reposted 3 weeks ago
$120K - $150K *
Elevate your career by designing and delivering innovative video solutions across diverse sectors. Collaborate with teams to create scalable architectures that enhance broadcast, streaming, and cloud...
2 weeks ago
Engineer Manager, Experience Services
$120K - $145K *
Join a team that's redefining transactions by owning the architecture, delivery, and roadmap of critical systems. Lead an engineering team while ensuring reliable software delivery, AI integration, an...
1 month ago
Sr. Flight Software Verification Engineer
$120K - $145K *
Optimize the verification of embedded software within aviation systems. Collaborate closely across teams to enhance safety and compliance, ensuring robust performance on flight hardware and complete i...
4 weeks ago
$140K - $165K *
Engage as a Senior Technical Recruiter, driving strategic hiring for R&D roles. Take ownership from intake to offer, optimizing processes for talent acquisition while building strong relationships acr...
Reposted 2 weeks ago
$120K - $145K *
Lead the charge in managing a skilled data engineering team, ensuring quality workflows and establishing data standards. Drive innovative solutions for efficient data ingestion and delivery across ent...
Reposted 2 days ago
$125K - $150K *
Empower your career by leading and scaling a multidisciplinary engineering team in full-stack and data engineering. Drive impact through collaboration and technical excellence, ensuring quality and in...
Reposted 3 weeks ago
Senior Software Engineer, Backend (Card Loan Platform)
$173K - $233K *
Empower innovation by leading the design and development of scalable, high-availability systems. Collaborate across teams to enhance our card loan platform, ensuring robust performance and driving imp...
2 weeks ago
Application Packaging Engineer
$116K - $122K *
Deliver reliable application packaging solutions for a large federal IT environment. Collaborate with stakeholders to gather requirements and ensure seamless deployment across thousands of endpoints...
Today
Software Engineering, Senior Advisor
$135K - $216K *
Elevate data integration and engineering efforts to enhance the CMS Fraud Prevention System. Collaborate with teams to design and operate data pipelines, ensuring compliance and security while optimiz...
2 weeks ago
Senior Director of Product Management Aurora Platform
$160K - $200K *
Join a dynamic team to define and drive the product strategy of an enterprise SaaS platform. Lead product managers, collaborate with engineering, and ensure platform coherence while enhancing client e...
4 weeks ago
$120K - $150K *
Elevate your career by owning product areas from discovery to launch. Collaborate with customers and cross-functional teams to transform insights into impactful solutions, driving measurable outcomes...
3 weeks ago
Senior QA Automation Engineer - SDET
$100K - $120K *
Drive quality assurance as a Senior QA Automation Engineer, enhancing our distributed database platform through designing automated tests, validating features, and improving release processes while wo...
1 month ago
$110K - $135K *
Unlock excellence in PCB design and manufacturing by leading DFM initiatives, developing complex multilayer layouts, and shaping best practices across engineering teams to enhance product performance...
6 days ago
Senior Infrastructure Engineer (Legacy Operations & Cloud Modernization)
$90K - $150K *
Shape the future of our infrastructure by managing legacy systems while advancing cloud architecture and modernization. Optimize critical applications, ensure reliability, and contribute to innovative...
4 weeks ago
$96K - $148K *
Lead the charge in designing and building secure integrations for enterprise ITSM platforms. Analyze data flows, enhance system connections, and ensure compliance while delivering resilient solutions...
3 weeks ago
Machine Learning System Engineer
$147K - $232K *
Advance your expertise by designing and optimizing large-scale model serving systems. You'll tackle everything from distributed infrastructure to deep low-level optimizations, ensuring reliable high-c...
3 weeks ago
Principal Product Security Engineer
$150K - $180K *
Join a team that's redefining product security by leading cross-functional initiatives, embedding security into engineering workflows, and shaping strategies that enhance risk management across major...
Today
$120K - $145K *
Drive the end-to-end execution of Payouts, ensuring reliable payments and enhancing our infrastructure while collaborating closely with cross-functional teams and partners to innovate future solutions...
3 weeks ago
Staff Product Manager, Agent Connectivity
$135K - $160K *
Join us to drive the evolution of agent connectivity on Temporal. You'll shape product strategy, enhance user experiences, and collaborate with engineering to build foundational capabilities that empo...
1 week ago
(USA) Senior, Software Engineer(Partner engineer or solution engineer)
$117K - $234K *
Elevate the developer experience by partnering with external teams to integrate seamlessly with the API ecosystem. Provide technical guidance, troubleshoot issues, and enhance tools while collaboratin...
1 week ago
Platform Site Reliability Engineer
$165K *
Champion innovative solutions as a Platform Site Reliability Engineer, enhancing infrastructure, optimizing deployment pipelines, and ensuring system reliability, scalability, and security in collabor...
Reposted 2 weeks ago
$110K - $130K *
Transform client experiences by leading enterprise software implementations. Drive project success with effective stakeholder communication and collaboration across teams while ensuring alignment with...
Reposted 3 weeks ago
$155K - $241K *
Join us to shape the future of platform engineering by driving strategic initiatives, influencing organizational architecture, and enhancing developer experience across a multi-cloud environment. Your...
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.