Principal Engineer Jobs
Principal Engineer jobs are open across technology, fintech, healthtech, defense, and enterprise software, from senior engineer to staff and distinguished-level roles, with specializations in platform engineering, distributed systems, and infrastructure architecture. Find a role that fits from the openings below and apply directly.
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DESCRIPTION
Amazon Web Services (AWS) is seeking a Principal Level Commissioning Engineer to support the development and implementation of all aspects of the Commissioning Program for leased/owned data centers. This role, with an expert-level focus on the mechanical discipline of Commissioning, will serve as the primary liaison between Senior Engineers, Principal Engineers, Senior Managers, Directors, and VPs across the AWS team and external Commissioning Vendors.
As a leader in the Data Center Capacity Delivery (DCCD) organization, you will research, develop, and ensure meticulous and timely delivery of our Data Centers. Principal Commissioning Engineers are hands-on, producing both detailed technical work and high-level program designs and process frameworks. They will aid in establishing testing methodologies, drive standardization, and increase quality across all AWS building sites.
The successful candidate will have extensive experience in commissioning, program development and sustainment, and cross-functional collaboration. They must have a proven record of leading commissioning programs on large-scale critical infrastructure deployments, including Quality Control (QC), Startup, Functional Performance Testing (FPT), Integrated System Testing (IST), and cost- and schedule-mitigating measures. This position requires excellence in a fast-paced environment and the ability to manage concurrent responsibilities while supporting parallel initiatives.
AWS Infrastructure Services owns the design, planning, delivery, and operation of all AWS global infrastructure. In other words, we’re the people who keep the cloud running. We support all AWS data centers and all of the servers, storage, networking, power, and cooling equipment that ensure our customers have continual access to the innovation they rely on. We work on the most challenging problems, with thousands of variables impacting the supply chain — and we’re looking for talented people who want to help.
You’ll join a diverse team of software, hardware, and network engineers, supply chain specialists, security experts, operations managers, and other vital roles. You’ll collaborate with people across AWS to help us deliver the highest standards for safety and security while providing seemingly infinite capacity at the lowest possible cost for our customers. And you’ll experience an inclusive culture that welcomes bold ideas and empowers you to own them to completion.
Key job responsibilities
- Serve as the Subject Matter Expert (SME) for electrical systems and the commissioning program for AWS leased/owned data centers
- Lead and support AWS pre-construction and construction management teams for new data center design and process improvement
- Lead and support AWS product teams and Principal Engineering for new data center design, new products, and product enhancements
- Lead and support reviews of design specifications, testing requirements, and test procedures and standards for adherence to commissioning specifications
- Lead and support workshops that drive alignment on key issues, construction practices, data center designs, and initiatives with the focus of increasing the effectiveness of construction and commissioning while enhancing customer experience and operational excellence
- Assist in Development and delivery of technical training programs for commissioning teams, to ensure consistency in procedures and knowledge transfer
- Conduct regular quality assurance audits of commissioning processes, documentation, and field execution to maintain high standards and identify areas for improvement
- Lead Correction of Errors (COE) investigations, root cause analysis (RCA), and implementation of preventive measures to enhance system reliability and operational efficiency
- Participate in technical interviews for commissioning team members and contractors, ensuring the selection of qualified personnel aligned with AWS standards
Additional Job Requirements
- Ability and willingness to travel domestic and internationally for up to 50% of the year.
- Required to provide personal transportation for meetings and job visits away from the office; reimbursed.
About the team
Amazon Web Services (AWS) is the world’s most comprehensive and broadly adopted cloud platform. We pioneered cloud computing and never stopped innovating — that’s why customers from the most successful startups to Global 500 companies trust our robust suite of products and services to power their businesses.
Amazon values diverse experiences. Even if you do not meet all of the preferred qualifications and skills listed in the job description, we encourage candidates to apply. If your career is just starting, hasn’t followed a traditional path, or includes alternative experiences, don’t let it stop you from applying.
We value work-life harmony. Achieving success at work should never come at the expense of sacrifices at home, which is why we strive for flexibility as part of our working culture. When we feel supported in the workplace and at home, there’s nothing we can’t achieve in the cloud.
Here at AWS, it’s in our nature to learn and be curious. Our employee-led affinity groups foster a culture of inclusion that empower us to be proud of our differences. Ongoing events and learning experiences, including our Conversations on Race and Ethnicity (CORE) and conferences, inspire us to never stop embracing our uniqueness.
We’re continuously raising our performance bar as we strive to become Earth’s Best Employer. That’s why you’ll find endless knowledge-sharing, mentorship and other career-advancing resources here to help you develop into a better-rounded professional.
DCCD_AMER
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS
- 6+ years of data center design, construction, operations, or facility maintenance experience
- 6+ years of industrial or commercial engineering in mission critical facilities including but not limited to: data centers, power generation or oil and gas facilities experience
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering or a related field
- Knowledge of critical data center mechanical and electrical equipment
- Experience in data center design, construction, operations, or facility maintenance
- Experience in industrial or commercial engineering in mission critical facilities including but not limited to: data centers, power generation or oil and gas facilities
- Experience researching new designs, technologies, and construction methods of data center equipment and facilities
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Professional Engineering or Architectural License
- Knowledge of building codes and regulations for your region
- Experience carrying design concepts through exploration, development, and into deployment or mass production
- Experience reading, interpreting, and creating construction drawings, specifications, and submittal documents
Amazon is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of protected veteran status, disability, or other legally protected status.
Our inclusive culture empowers Amazonians to deliver the best results for our customers. If you have a disability and need a workplace accommodation or adjustment during the application and hiring process, including support for the interview or onboarding process, please visit https://amazon.jobs/content/en/how-we-hire/accommodations for more information. If the country/region you’re applying in isn’t listed, please contact your Recruiting Partner.
The base salary range for this position is listed below. Your Amazon package will include sign-on payments and restricted stock units (RSUs). Final compensation will be determined based on factors including experience, qualifications, and location. Amazon also offers comprehensive benefits including health insurance (medical, dental, vision, prescription, Basic Life & AD&D insurance and option for Supplemental life plans, EAP, Mental Health Support, Medical Advice Line, Flexible Spending Accounts, Adoption and Surrogacy Reimbursement coverage), 401(k) matching, paid time off, and parental leave. Learn more about our benefits at https://amazon.jobs/en/benefits.
Location: USA, VA, Herndon
Salary Range: 136,600.00 - 184,800.00 USD annually
Principal Engineer Jobs by Experience Level
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Who's Hiring
- Northrop Grumman649

- Raytheon197

- Collins Aerospace104

- BAE Systems USA93

- Oracle74

Top Industries Hiring
- Technology & Software71
- Electronics & Hardware48
- Energy15
- Manufacturing7
- Chemicals & Materials7
What Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in principal engineer jobs.
- 10 or more years of software engineering experience with 3 or more years in a senior technical leadership role
- Deep expertise in distributed systems, microservices architecture, or large-scale platform design
- Proficiency in at least one primary language such as Java, Python, Go, or C++ at production scale
- Experience defining technical roadmaps, engineering standards, and cross-team architectural direction
- Strong background in cloud infrastructure on AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud including networking and reliability patterns
- Bachelor's or master's degree in computer science, software engineering, or a closely related field
Tips for Your Principal Engineer Job Search
Reframe your resume around influence
Principal engineer resumes stall when they read like senior engineer resumes. Replace task-based bullet points with outcomes you drove at org scale: architecture decisions adopted company-wide, engineering standards you authored, or systems that unblocked multiple teams.
Apply early to roles that fit
Migrate Mate lists principal engineer openings from across the United States in one place, so you can find roles that match and apply directly to each listing.
Target companies at the right growth stage
Principal engineer roles are most clearly defined at companies large enough to have distinct staff and senior staff tiers. Series B and later startups, and enterprises mid-migration, hire most actively because architectural debt is acute and technical leadership is underdeveloped.
Prepare a system design narrative in advance
Most principal-level loops include at least one deep system design session. Walk in with two or three real examples you can detail end to end, covering the tradeoffs you rejected and why. Generic designs drawn from textbooks fail at this level.
Negotiate scope before negotiating compensation
At the principal level, the title can mean staff engineer, principal engineer, or distinguished engineer depending on the company ladder. Before discussing pay, clarify reporting structure, decision authority, and whether the role is individual contributor or carries direct reports.
Follow up with a written technical take
After a final-round system design interview, send a brief follow-up note that refines one tradeoff you discussed or flags a constraint you would handle differently. It signals the depth of thinking hiring managers expect from someone at this level.
Principal Engineer Jobs: Frequently Asked Questions
Which companies are hiring the most principal engineers?
The companies hiring the most principal engineers right now include Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, and Collins Aerospace, with the largest share of openings in California, Texas, and Massachusetts, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of September 2026. Demand is consistently highest at large technology companies, defense contractors, and enterprise software firms scaling platform and infrastructure teams.
How many principal engineer jobs are remote?
About 58% of principal engineer openings are fully remote or hybrid as of September 2026, making it one of the more remote-accessible senior technical roles. Platform engineering, distributed systems, and cloud architecture positions tend to offer the most location flexibility, while roles tied to hardware, embedded systems, or on-site lab environments are more likely to require in-person presence.
How do you become a principal engineer?
Becoming a principal engineer typically requires moving from senior engineer to a role where you own technical direction beyond your immediate team. The path involves leading cross-functional architecture decisions, mentoring multiple engineers, building a reputation for engineering judgment that other teams rely on, and demonstrating that your technical choices have measurable long-term impact on product reliability, scalability, or developer productivity.
Can you get hired as a principal engineer without prior principal-level experience?
Yes, candidates are hired at the principal level from strong senior engineer backgrounds when they can show scope that already matches the role. If you have owned architecture decisions that affected multiple teams, authored engineering standards adopted across an organization, or led a platform migration end to end, those contributions often carry more weight than holding a prior principal title at a smaller company.
What does the principal engineer interview process look like?
The principal engineer interview process typically runs four to six rounds and includes a recruiter screen, a hiring manager conversation focused on scope and leadership philosophy, one or two deep system design sessions, a behavioral or executive interview assessing cross-functional influence, and sometimes a technical presentation or architecture review. Loops at this level spend more time on judgment, tradeoffs, and organizational impact than on algorithmic coding problems.
Where can I find and apply to principal engineer jobs?
You can find and apply to principal engineer jobs on Migrate Mate, which lists current openings from across the United States. Search the available roles, find the ones that match your background and preferred location or remote setup, and apply directly to each listing.
See All 3,711+ Principal Engineer Jobs
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