Principal Engineer Jobs in San Francisco, CA

Principal Engineer jobs in San Francisco are concentrated in SoMa, the Financial District, and Mission Bay, with strong demand across enterprise software, AI infrastructure, fintech, and biotech. Employers actively hiring include Atlassian, Genentech, and Midjourney. See the openings below and apply to the ones that match your experience.

Find Principal Engineer Jobs

Overview

Open roles829+
Top employerAtlassian
Work type48% Hybrid
Companies hiring28

Showing 5 of 829+ Principal Engineer jobs

Atlassian
Principal Software Engineer
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Atlassian
Added 3d ago
Principal Software Engineer
Atlassian
San Francisco, California
Engineering (Non-Software)
Mechanical Engineering
Product Management
$174k - $274k/yr
Remote (US)
10,000+

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Genentech
Principal Enterprise Identity Engineer - RDT Identity & Access Management
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Genentech
Added 3d ago
Principal Enterprise Identity Engineer - RDT Identity & Access Management
Genentech
San Francisco, California
Business Operations
Program Management
Project Management
$115k - $264k/yr
On-Site
Bachelor's degree in information technology
10,000+

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Apple
Principal Software Engineer, Apple Services Engineering
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Apple
Added 4d ago
Principal Software Engineer, Apple Services Engineering
Apple
San Francisco, California
Software Engineering
Technical Product & Program Management
$216k - $394k/yr
Bachelor's degree in engineering
10,000+

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Atlassian
Senior Principal Forward Deployed Engineer
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Atlassian
Added 6d ago
Senior Principal Forward Deployed Engineer
Atlassian
San Francisco, California
Software Engineering
Technical Product & Program Management
Cloud & DevOps
$202k - $318k/yr
Hybrid
None
10,000+

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Atlassian
Principal Forward Deployed Engineer
We won't show you this job again
Atlassian
Added 6d ago
Principal Forward Deployed Engineer
Atlassian
San Francisco, California
Software Engineering
Technical Product & Program Management
Data Science & Analytics
Data Science
$174k - $274k/yr
Hybrid
None
10,000+

Have you applied for this role?

See All 829+ Principal Engineer Jobs in San Francisco

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

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Principal Engineer Job Market in San Francisco

Who's Hiring

  • Atlassian
    Atlassian131
  • Genentech
    Genentech65
  • Midjourney
    Midjourney65
  • Salesforce
    Salesforce44
  • ORUM
    ORUM22

Top Industries Hiring

  • Technology & Software
  • Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals

Principal Engineer Jobs in San Francisco: Frequently Asked Questions

How do I get a principal engineer job in San Francisco?

Target San Francisco's densest hiring sectors: enterprise cloud platforms, AI and machine learning infrastructure, fintech, and biotech in Mission Bay. Roles concentrate with late-stage startups and major tech employers in SoMa and the Financial District. Candidates who demonstrate system design ownership at scale, cross-functional technical leadership, and familiarity with distributed systems have a clear edge in this market over generalist applicants.

Which companies hire principal engineers in San Francisco?

San Francisco principal engineer roles are posted by Atlassian, Genentech, and Midjourney and others right now, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of September 2026. The market includes a mix of publicly traded tech companies, well-funded growth-stage startups, and financial services firms with large engineering organizations headquartered in the city.

Are there remote principal engineer jobs in San Francisco?

Yes, though availability varies: principal engineers who focus on architecture, platform strategy, or developer tooling tend to have the most remote flexibility, while those embedded in hardware, infrastructure operations, or lab-adjacent roles are more likely to be on-site. About 83% of principal engineer openings tied to San Francisco are remote or hybrid as of September 2026. AI and cloud-focused roles listed by San Francisco employers skew most heavily toward hybrid arrangements.

How can I get a principal engineer job in San Francisco with little or no experience?

The most realistic path is moving into a senior engineer role at a San Francisco startup or mid-size tech company, where scope expands quickly and principal-level responsibilities are often accessible without a formal title change first. Growth-stage companies in SoMa and Mission Bay frequently promote from within. Building a visible portfolio through open-source contributions, technical writing, or conference talks at local meetups strengthens your candidacy meaningfully in this market.

Which industries hire the most principal engineers in San Francisco?

Most principal engineer openings in San Francisco sit in Technology & Software and Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals, per current listings on Migrate Mate as of September 2026. San Francisco's role as a hub for venture-backed technology companies, financial services innovation, and life sciences research drives sustained demand for senior technical leadership across all three sectors.

See All 829+ Principal Engineer Jobs in San Francisco

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

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