Principal Devops Engineer Jobs in California

Principal Devops Engineer jobs in California are among the most active in the country, concentrated in the technology, enterprise software, cloud infrastructure, and financial services sectors across all levels of seniority. The largest hiring metros are the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, and San Diego, where companies like Google, Apple, and Salesforce maintain deep engineering organizations and consistently recruit for principal-level devops talent. The most in-demand specialties are Kubernetes orchestration, platform engineering, and cloud security automation. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.

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Overview

Open roles265+
Top employerPalo Alto Networks
Top citySanta Clara, CA
Cities hiring37
Work type69% On-site
Top industryTechnology

Showing 5 of 265+ Principal Devops Engineer jobs

Palo Alto Networks
Principal DevOps Engineer
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Palo Alto Networks
Added 2w ago
Principal DevOps Engineer
Palo Alto Networks
Santa Clara, California
Cloud & DevOps
Technical Product & Program Management
DevOps
Cloud Engineering
Technical Program Management
$147k - $238k/yr
On-Site
Bachelor's
10,000+

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Headspace
Principal DevOps Engineer
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Headspace
Added 2w ago
Principal DevOps Engineer
Headspace
Los Angeles, California
Cloud & DevOps
Solutions Engineering & Architecture
Technical Product & Program Management
Cloud Engineering
DevOps
Technical Program Management
$162k - $225k/yr
Remote (US)
Bachelor's
501-1,000

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Zscaler
Principal DevOps Engineer
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Zscaler
Added 3w ago
Principal DevOps Engineer
Zscaler
San Jose, California
Cloud & DevOps
Technical Product & Program Management
Cloud Engineering
DevOps
Technical Program Management
$182k - $260k/yr
Remote (US)
Bachelor's
501-1,000

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Exelixis
Associate Principal Engineer
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Exelixis
New 2h ago
Associate Principal Engineer
Exelixis
Alameda, California
Cloud & DevOps
Technical Product & Program Management
Solutions Engineering & Architecture
Cloud Engineering
DevOps
Technical Program Management
$182k - $259k/yr
On-Site
Master's
501-1,000

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Intuit
Principal AI Engineer
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Intuit
Added 3d ago
Principal AI Engineer
Intuit
Mountain View, California
Software Engineering
Data Science & Analytics
Cloud & DevOps
Technical Product & Program Management
AI (Artificial Intelligence)
Data Science
Technical Program Management
On-Site
Doctorate
10,000+

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See All 265+ Principal Devops Engineer Jobs in California

Find roles in California that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.

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Principal Devops Engineer Jobs by City in California

Where California roles are concentrated, by current openings.

Santa Clara
62 jobs
San Francisco
54 jobs
Sunnyvale
21 jobs
San Jose
18 jobs
San Mateo
13 jobs
Los Angeles
10 jobs
Menlo Park
10 jobs
Headquarters
9 jobs
Milpitas
8 jobs

Principal Devops Engineer Job Market in California

A snapshot from current California openings, updated as new roles post.

Who's Hiring

  • Palo Alto Networks
    Palo Alto Networks57
  • NVIDIA
    NVIDIA14
  • Walmart
    Walmart14
  • Roblox
    Roblox13
  • Saviynt
    Saviynt12

Top Industries Hiring

  • Technology & Software181
  • Agriculture & Farming42
  • Electronics & Hardware22
  • Retail16
  • Media & Entertainment8

What California Employers Look For

The qualifications that appear most often in principal devops engineer jobs across California.

  • Ten or more years of devops or infrastructure engineering experience with demonstrated technical leadership
  • Deep expertise in cloud platforms such as AWS, Google Cloud Platform, or Microsoft Azure
  • Proficiency with container orchestration tools, particularly Kubernetes and Docker at enterprise scale
  • Proven experience building and maintaining CI/CD pipelines using tools like Jenkins, GitLab, or Argo
  • Strong background in infrastructure-as-code using Terraform, Ansible, or equivalent frameworks
  • Experience leading cross-functional engineering teams and mentoring mid-level and senior devops engineers

Principal Devops Engineer Jobs in California: Frequently Asked Questions

How do you become a principal devops engineer in California?

Principal devops engineer roles in California require no state-issued license, but employers here consistently expect a bachelor's degree in computer science, software engineering, or a related technical field alongside substantial hands-on experience. California hiring managers at major technology companies and enterprise firms weight cloud certifications from AWS, Google, or Microsoft heavily, as well as a demonstrated history leading devops practice at a team or organizational level before considering candidates for the principal tier.

How much do principal devops engineers make in California?

Principal devops engineers in California earn a median of about $174,410 a year, based on May 2025 Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data, ranging from around $105,060 for the lowest 10% to over $272,670 for the top 10%. Pay rises with experience, specialty, and employer.

Which companies hire principal devops engineers in California?

Employers hiring principal devops engineers in California right now include Palo Alto Networks, NVIDIA, and Walmart, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of June 2026. California's concentration of large enterprise technology firms, cloud-native startups, and financial services companies means demand for principal-level devops talent remains consistent even outside peak hiring cycles.

Which California cities have the most principal devops engineer jobs?

Santa Clara, San Francisco, and Sunnyvale have the most principal devops engineer openings in California, driven by the Bay Area's dense concentration of technology headquarters, Los Angeles's growing enterprise and entertainment-technology sector, and San Diego's established defense technology and biotech infrastructure, which all generate sustained demand for senior devops leadership.

Are there remote principal devops engineer jobs in California?

Yes, and more than most fields. About 31% of principal devops engineer openings tied to California are remote or hybrid as of June 2026, reflecting how much of the work involves code, configuration, and system design rather than on-site infrastructure. Platform engineering, cloud architecture, and CI/CD pipeline ownership tend to be the most remote-compatible parts of the principal devops role.

How can I get hired as a principal devops engineer in California with little or no experience?

The most realistic entry path is securing a junior devops, site reliability engineering, or systems administration role at a California technology company and building from there. Large Bay Area employers including cloud-focused firms and enterprise software companies run associate infrastructure and devops programs that welcome candidates transitioning from software development or IT operations. Earning a cloud practitioner certification from AWS or Google, building public infrastructure-as-code projects on GitHub, and applying to devops engineer roles one level below principal are the credentials and lateral moves that open the door fastest in the California market.

Where can I find and apply to principal devops engineer jobs in California?

You can find and apply to principal devops engineer jobs in California on Migrate Mate, which lists current California openings updated regularly. Find the roles that fit your experience and specialization, then apply directly to each one.

See All 265+ Principal Devops Engineer Jobs in California

Find roles in California that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.

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