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.
$140K - $190K *
Shape the future of customer projects by leading strategic SaaS implementations, ensuring exceptional execution and stakeholder engagement. As a key player, you'll drive project success through proact...
Reposted 2 weeks ago
Lead Forward Deployed Engineer
$195K - $362K *
Transform complex customer needs into scalable solutions by leading technical deployments, integrations, and automation. Collaborate with stakeholders to drive value and enhance operational efficiency...
3 weeks ago
Lead Scientific EngineerProgrammer
$110K - $130K *
Champion the development of innovative modeling capabilities to enhance our advanced simulation framework, collaborating with engineers to integrate numerical methods and apply machine learning for mo...
3 days ago
Software Engineer II, Backend (PMI Integrations)
$133K - $183K *
Engineer scalable backend solutions for partner integrations, collaborating cross-functionally to ensure timely project delivery and operational stability. Leverage your expertise in distributed syste...
Reposted 2 weeks ago
$185K - $220K *
Join a team that's redefining engineering service delivery for legal and professional clients. Lead a dynamic organization focused on operational excellence, client satisfaction, and continuous improv...
2 weeks ago
Senior Manager Software Engineering - Remote
$112K - $193K *
Help us lead software engineering teams to deliver high-quality, scalable solutions. Collaborate with cross-functional partners to drive architectural design and optimize performance while fostering a...
4 days ago
Senior Backend Engineer, External
$199K - $235K *
Innovate backend solutions by designing, building, and maintaining scalable services for external pentesting. Collaborate across teams to enhance user experience and ensure system performance, reliabi...
3 days ago
Member of Technical Staff, Design Engineering
$110K - $130K *
Engage as a Design Engineer, bridging design and engineering to create user-centric interfaces. Architect smooth interactions within our platform while implementing a robust design system that enhance...
Reposted 3 weeks ago
$119K - $150K *
Lead transformative design initiatives in complex environments, driving impactful solutions through collaboration with cross-functional teams. Embrace AI tools to enhance workflows and deliver user-ce...
2 weeks ago
$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
Software Engineer III - Full Stack (Drupal)
$105K - $110K *
Drive innovation as a Software Engineer III, enhancing full-stack capabilities and mentoring junior developers while collaborating with stakeholders to improve engineering processes and deliver impact...
Today
$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 3 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
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.