Principal Engineer Jobs in Alabama

Principal Engineer jobs in Alabama are concentrated in Huntsville, Birmingham, and Decatur, where defense contractors, aerospace firms, and heavy manufacturers anchor the market at every seniority level. Employers such as Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Raytheon Technologies maintain long-term engineering operations in northern Alabama, driving consistent demand for principal engineers in systems engineering, propulsion, and software-defined platforms. The Huntsville corridor in particular ranks among the most active markets in the Southeast for senior technical leadership roles. Scan the live roles below and apply to whichever ones fit.

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Overview

Open roles91
Top employerNorthrop Grumman
Top cityHuntsville, AL
Cities hiring6
Work type87% On-site
Top credentialMaster's degree

Showing 5 of 91+ Principal Engineer jobs

Northrop Grumman
Principal Engineer Systems/Sr Principal Engineer Systems AHT - INF/MBSE
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Northrop Grumman
Added 2d ago
Principal Engineer Systems/Sr Principal Engineer Systems AHT - INF/MBSE
Northrop Grumman
Huntsville, Alabama
Cloud Engineering
Engineering (Non-Software)
Solutions Engineering & Architecture
Technical Program Management
$109k - $204k/yr
Master's degree
10,000+

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Raytheon
Senior Principal Digital Hardware Engineer
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Raytheon
Added 3d ago
Senior Principal Digital Hardware Engineer
Raytheon
Huntsville, Alabama
Creative & Design
Product Management
UI/UX Design
$132k - $252k/yr
Bachelor's degree in engineering
10,000+

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Collins Aerospace
Senior Principal Software Engineer - Core Systems & Libraries (Onsite)
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Collins Aerospace
Added 3d ago
Senior Principal Software Engineer - Core Systems & Libraries (Onsite)
Collins Aerospace
Huntsville, Alabama
Customer Service
Customer Success
Customer Support
$132k - $252k/yr
On-Site
10,000+

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Motion
Principal Orchestration Engineer
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Motion
Added 3d ago
Principal Orchestration Engineer
Motion
Birmingham, Alabama
Engineering (Non-Software)
Mechanical Engineering
Product Management
Bachelor's degree

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Northrop Grumman
Principal Software Engineer – SW CI/CD Engr (26-425) Space AHT
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Northrop Grumman
Added 3d ago
Principal Software Engineer – SW CI/CD Engr (26-425) Space AHT
Northrop Grumman
Huntsville, Alabama
Engineering (Non-Software)
Mechanical Engineering
Product Management
$109k - $163k/yr
On-Site
Bachelor's degree in Physics
10,000+

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See All 91 Principal Engineer Jobs in Alabama

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

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Principal Engineer Jobs by City in Alabama

Where Alabama roles are concentrated, by current openings.

Huntsville
74 jobs
Birmingham
3 jobs
Mobile
2 jobs
Foley
1 job
Decatur
1 job
Madison
1 job

Principal Engineer Job Market in Alabama

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

Who's Hiring

  • Northrop Grumman
    Northrop Grumman20
  • KBR
    KBR10
  • Raytheon
    Raytheon8
  • MTSI
    MTSI7
  • Gov Solutions
    Gov Solutions6

What Alabama Employers Look For

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

  • Active Alabama PE license or PE license recognized through Alabama reciprocity strongly preferred
  • Bachelor's or master's degree in engineering or a closely related technical discipline required
  • Ten or more years of progressive engineering experience with demonstrated technical leadership
  • Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams and own end-to-end engineering design decisions
  • Experience with defense, aerospace, or industrial manufacturing systems common in Alabama programs
  • Strong background in systems integration, requirements development, or embedded software architecture

Principal Engineer Jobs in Alabama: Frequently Asked Questions

How do you become a principal engineer in Alabama?

Most principal engineer roles in Alabama require a bachelor's degree in engineering plus a decade of progressive experience culminating in technical leadership. Many employers, particularly in defense and government contracting, expect candidates to hold or pursue a Professional Engineer license through the Alabama Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors, which administers the PE exam in Alabama. Strong candidates also build a record of owning large-scope technical decisions and mentoring junior engineers.

Which companies hire principal engineers in Alabama?

Employers hiring principal engineers in Alabama right now include Northrop Grumman, KBR, and Raytheon, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of September 2026. Alabama's heavy concentration of defense primes, aerospace integrators, and industrial manufacturers means openings appear consistently across Huntsville, the greater Birmingham metro, and established manufacturing corridors along the Tennessee River.

Which Alabama cities have the most principal engineer jobs?

The cities with the most principal engineer openings in Alabama are Huntsville, Alabama, and Birmingham. Huntsville dominates because of Redstone Arsenal, NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, and the dense cluster of defense contractors those installations attract, while Birmingham draws openings from its large healthcare systems, utilities, and manufacturing base, making even smaller metros in the region viable when large employers anchor local engineering teams.

Are there remote principal engineer jobs in Alabama?

Yes, but they are less common than in purely software-focused fields because principal engineer work in Alabama often involves classified defense programs, physical lab environments, or on-site manufacturing oversight that require in-person presence. About 13% of principal engineer openings tied to Alabama are remote or hybrid as of September 2026, and those tend to cluster in software architecture, systems analysis, and technical program management rather than hardware or propulsion disciplines.

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

The most realistic path is to enter as an associate or staff engineer at one of Alabama's large defense or aerospace employers and advance through increasingly complex technical assignments. Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and major federal contractors operating out of Huntsville run structured new-graduate and early-career programs that place engineers on long-cycle programs where they can build the depth the principal title requires. Pursuing your Engineer-in-Training certification through the Alabama Board of Licensure early signals commitment and accelerates eligibility for PE licensure, which opens doors to senior technical roles.

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

You can find and apply to principal engineer jobs in Alabama on Migrate Mate, which lists current Alabama openings updated in real time. Search the listings for roles that match your discipline and experience level, then apply directly to the ones that fit.

See All 91 Principal Engineer Jobs in Alabama

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

Find Principal Engineer Jobs