Principal Engineer Jobs in San Diego, CA
Principal Engineer jobs in San Diego are in strong and consistent demand, concentrated in Sorrento Valley, UTC/La Jolla, and the Torrey Pines corridor across defense technology, biotech, telecommunications, and enterprise software. Employers hiring right now include Northrop Grumman, Qualcomm, and Intuit. Scan the live roles below and apply to whichever ones fit.
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Description
At Northrop Grumman, our employees have incredible opportunities to work on revolutionary systems that impact people's lives around the world today, and for generations to come. Our pioneering and inventive spirit has enabled us to be at the forefront of many technological advancements in our nation's history - from the first flight across the Atlantic Ocean, to stealth bombers, to landing on the moon. We look for people who have bold new ideas, courage and a pioneering spirit to join forces to invent the future, and have fun along the way. Our culture thrives on intellectual curiosity, cognitive diversity and bringing your whole self to work — and we have an insatiable drive to do what others think is impossible. Our employees are not only part of history, they're making history.Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems has an opening for Principal Subsystems Engineer to join the team of qualified individuals on our Global Surveillance team. This role is located onsite in Rancho Bernardo, California.
This candidate will be responsible for the installation, integration and troubleshooting of aviation related Subsystems, component sub-systems, Sensor Management Units, Vehicle Test Controller and Data Recorders.
Duties and Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
- System integration, test development and execution of various types of complex avionics systems
- Create and develop documentation for system requirements and interfaces, including system engineering drawings and diagrams
- Troubleshoot systems to resolve complex issues, interact and coordinate with responsible Subsystems engineers responsible for sustaining subsystems
- Serve as an interface between the Operations & Test organization and the engineers
- Ensure Subsystems performance meets specified levels
- Proactively maintain overall system performance of deployed Subsystems
- Perform troubleshooting, document issues and coordinate field replacements/upgrades of Subsystems
- Contribute to improvement of processes, design and future sustainment efforts
- Actively participate in Program Risk and Opportunity Management
- Must be a self-directed technical performer with strong communication skills, demonstrated experience leading multi-disciplinary technical trades, and ability to develop & execute to a strategy
Hybrid: The selected candidate will be required to work full-time, on-site at our facility. Once established in role, the position could potentially offer a hybrid work environment. Scheduled telework days are approved at manager's discretion. This position requires the ability to travel up to 25% of the time.
Basic Qualifications Principal Subsystems Engineer T03:
- Bachelor’s Degree in a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics) discipline and 5 years of related engineering experience; OR a Master’s degree in a STEM discipline and 3 years of related engineering experience; OR a PhD in a STEM discipline
- Must have systems engineering processes experience at the sub-system, system and system-of-systems levels
- Must have experience with installation, integration and troubleshooting of aviation related subsystems
- Must have experience releasing engineering drawings
- Experience adding command line OS like Linux or red hat or VXWorks
- Experience taking engineering changes through boards CCB/TRB
- Experience with Ethernet of TCP/IP
- At minimum, an active U.S. Government Secret Clearance Secret level clearance is required to apply and to start the role
Preferred Qualifications:
- Familiarity with Atlassian software development and collaboration tool set (Jira and Confluence)
- Experience with concurrent hardware and software development
- Experience with component selection for system development
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Find Principal Engineer JobsPrincipal Engineer Job Market in San Diego
Who's Hiring
- Northrop Grumman499

- Qualcomm66

- Intuit33

- Teradata33

- Blue Origin33

Top Industries Hiring
- Technology & Software
Principal Engineer Jobs in San Diego: Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a principal engineer job in San Diego?
The strongest path into a principal engineer role in San Diego runs through the city's defense and aerospace contractors, biotech firms, and wireless technology companies, which cluster in Sorrento Valley, UTC, and the Torrey Pines area. Candidates who combine deep technical specialization with cross-functional leadership experience stand out here. Demonstrating system-level ownership on complex programs gives you a clear edge over generalist applicants in this market.
Which companies hire principal engineers in San Diego?
San Diego principal engineer roles are posted by Northrop Grumman, Qualcomm, and Intuit and others right now, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. The local market is anchored by large defense primes, wireless and semiconductor firms, and a growing layer of biotech and healthtech companies, all of which hire principal engineers at multiple seniority levels.
Are there remote principal engineer jobs in San Diego?
Yes, though remote availability varies significantly by specialization. About 57% of principal engineer openings tied to San Diego are remote or hybrid as of November 2026, with the highest share in software-focused and cloud infrastructure roles. Defense and hardware-intensive positions in the San Diego market tend to require on-site presence due to facility access requirements.
How can I get a principal engineer job in San Diego with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path is moving up from a senior engineer role inside a San Diego company that promotes from within, particularly at mid-size defense contractors and biotech firms that regularly grow their own technical leaders. Contributing to large-scale system design projects and taking ownership of cross-team deliverables is what local hiring managers look for when evaluating engineers for principal-level consideration.
Which industries hire the most principal engineers in San Diego?
San Diego principal engineer roles concentrate in Technology & Software, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. San Diego's strong military presence, world-class research institutions, and established wireless technology heritage have made these sectors the primary drivers of senior engineering demand across the region.
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