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

$150K - $180K *

Shape the future of high-speed analog design by leading layout development for complex analog and mixed-signal IP blocks. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure first-pass silicon success w...

San Jose, CARemote

Yesterday

  •   8 - 10 years exp.  •   Information Technology

$150K - $180K *

Lead the charge in high-speed analog layout design for cutting-edge optical communication systems. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure first-pass silicon success while mentoring junior e...

Irvine, CARemote

Yesterday

  •   8 - 10 years exp.  •   Information Technology

$125K - $150K *

Empower the development of innovative banking solutions by driving product strategy, collaborating across teams, and delivering scalable capabilities that enhance customer experiences and meet busines...

United StatesRemote

Reposted 2 weeks ago

  •   8 - 10 years exp.  •   Information Technology

$109K - $164K *

Drive advanced digital forensics and incident response initiatives while mentoring a skilled engineering team. Leverage deep technical knowledge to enhance operational capabilities and ensure exceptio...

United StatesRemote

Reposted 1 week ago

  •   Less than 5 years exp.  •   Finance & Insurance

$125K - $135K *

Take ownership of features from design to production, enhance system reliability, and collaborate closely with engineers, product, and design teams to solve complex technical challenges in a dynamic e...

United StatesRemote

Reposted 2 weeks ago

  •   Less than 5 years exp.  •   Enterprise Technology

$150K - $205K *

Shape the future of AI by designing intuitive tools that empower users to create and manage automated workflows, bridging the gap between technology and user experience in contact centers...

United StatesRemote

Reposted 3 weeks ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Information Technology

$95K - $130K *

Transform the quality assurance landscape by leading manual and automated testing efforts, ensuring enterprise applications meet high standards for reliability, usability, and performance while collab...

Chicago, ILRemote

1 week ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Business Services

$159K - $251K *

Unlock innovative AI experiences as a Lead Product Designer, collaborating across teams to enhance user engagement and drive product excellence in a dynamic environment...

RemoteRemote

3 weeks ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Information Technology

$80K - $180K *

Engage in innovative software development, collaborating with a dynamic team to create and enhance applications. Drive technical excellence while mentoring junior engineers and adapting solutions to m...

Georgia, USRemote

2 weeks ago

  •   Less than 5 years exp.  •   Retail & Consumer Goods

$170K - $190K *

Champion innovative technical solutions as you lead the architecture and implementation on cutting-edge projects. Collaborate with clients and cross-functional teams to ensure successful delivery and...

RemoteRemote

3 weeks ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Finance & Insurance

$162K - $186K *

Build and enhance backend services for a global insurance platform, collaborating with cross-functional teams to deliver scalable solutions and improve user experience through data-driven insights and...

United StatesRemote

Yesterday

  •   Less than 5 years exp.  •   Hospitality & Recreation

$105K - $130K *

Join a team that designs and builds robust backend services and APIs, driving impactful features on our cloud platform. Collaborate in Agile sprints, own your domain, and develop scalable solutions th...

Chicago, ILRemote

3 weeks ago

  •   Less than 5 years exp.  •   Enterprise Technology

$140K - $197K *

Lead the charge in managing strategic client relationships and projects, leveraging your extensive cost management expertise in the data centre sector. Empower teams through mentorship while driving b...

Birmingham, ALRemote

1 week ago

  •   8 - 10 years exp.  •   Real Estate & Construction

$157K - $185K *

Elevate our data engineering capabilities by leading complex challenges, designing scalable architectures, and mentoring teams to ensure excellence in delivery and innovation across the organization...

Nashville, TNRemote

Reposted 1 week ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Real Estate & Construction

$157K - $185K *

Join as a Principal Data Engineer to tackle complex data challenges. Lead the design and implementation of scalable data architectures while mentoring teams and establishing engineering standards acro...

United StatesRemote

Reposted 1 week ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Real Estate & Construction

$199K - $334K *

Champion the architecture and engineering of agent memory systems, leading the development of context-driven AI agents. Drive innovation and technical direction while collaborating across teams to enh...

United StatesRemote

2 days ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Real Estate & Construction

$122K - $184K *

Lead the implementation of Workday solutions in Higher Education, managing project lifecycles, fostering client relationships, and delivering results while ensuring adherence to budget and timelines...

United StatesRemote

3 weeks ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Consumer Technology

$120K - $145K *

Empower your software engineering career by directing AI to deliver full-stack solutions. You'll manage end-to-end feature development, leveraging AWS and AI tools to enhance productivity and quality...

RemoteRemote

1 week ago

  •   Less than 5 years exp.  •   Enterprise Technology

$110K - $130K *

Optimize our product suite to elevate financial advisory capabilities through innovative AI solutions. Lead the entire product lifecycle, collaborating with diverse teams to transform complex workflow...

United StatesRemote

Reposted 3 weeks ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Finance & Insurance

$180K - $220K *

Deliver innovative data pipelines for legal records, transforming unstructured data into actionable insights while supporting advanced AI workflows and data quality improvements for robust legal resea...

United StatesRemote

3 weeks ago

  •   Less than 5 years exp.  •   Staffing

$150K - $180K *

Design and optimize evaluation systems for AI agents, enhancing performance and quality through innovative metrics and benchmarks. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure agents meet user ne...

RemoteRemote

4 days ago

  •   Less than 5 years exp.  •   Information Technology

$206K - $269K *

Transform the future of machine learning solutions, driving revenue and user engagement. Lead cross-functional teams to develop and deploy advanced forecasting algorithms, enhancing business decision...

RemoteRemote

3 weeks ago

  •   Less than 5 years exp.  •   Information Technology

$120K - $170K *

Shape the future of enterprise infrastructure by leading design, implementation, and optimization of systems. Drive automation, enhance security, and mentor junior staff while collaborating on strateg...

United StatesRemote

Today

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Healthcare

$130K - $150K *

Advance your career by leading product strategy for supply chain orchestration. Drive technical decisions, collaborate with cross-functional teams, and leverage AI to enhance workflows, ensuring measu...

United StatesRemote

1 week ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Enterprise Technology

$120K - $145K *

Innovate at the forefront of Salesforce solutions by leading development initiatives, architecting custom applications, and mentoring teams to enhance business processes and drive user engagement with...

United StatesRemote

Reposted 3 weeks ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Finance & Insurance

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.