Principal Engineer Jobs in Cambridge, MA
Principal Engineer jobs in Cambridge are concentrated in Kendall Square, East Cambridge, and the Alewife corridor, where life sciences, biotech, and enterprise software employers drive consistent hiring. Draper, RTX, and HubSpot are among those actively posting roles. Scan the live roles below and apply to whichever ones fit.
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Here at Humanoid, we believe in a future where robots amplify human potential. That’s why we’ve set out on a mission to build the world’s most capable, commercially-scalable, and safe humanoid robots. We’re bringing that mission to life with HMND‑01 - our rapidly developed humanoid platform being deployed in real industrial environments - and we’re growing the team to take it even further.
About the Role
We are seeking a Principal Product Cybersecurity Assurance Engineer with deep expertise in product security, threat modelling, and risk assurance for highly regulated electromechanical systems. In this role, you will lead the delivery of product cybersecurity across Humanoid's HMND 01 platform family — the Alpha Wheeled industrial robot and the Alpha Bipedal home robot — both powered by our KinetIQ VLM/VLA-based AI framework. Working alongside product, firmware, autonomy, and hardware teams as part of the Systems Engineering and Architecture Team, you will define and maintain the cybersecurity assurance strategy for all product security activities from first concept through post-market deployment. Security at Humanoid is an engineering discipline inseparable from functional safety and central to our mission of creating the world's most reliable, commercially scalable, and safe humanoid robots. To excel in this position, you must demonstrate the authority to influence security architecture decisions across complex, cross-functional programmes, the rigour to build defensible security cases for novel cyber-physical systems, and the leadership to grow and guide a cross team of security engineers operating at the frontier of robotics.
What You'll Do
Team Leadership & Product Security Delivery
Lead and develop a cross-functional team of security engineers, maintaining accountability for the delivery of product security services within product teams throughout the HMND 01 development lifecycle.
Define product security requirements and advise development teams on suitable implementation standards, techniques, and toolchains for embedded and AI-enabled robotic systems.
Partner with cross-functional teams to develop security protocols, tools, and processes that keep HMND 01 technologies ahead of emerging threats — including attack surfaces specific to the KinetIQ AI inference pipeline and cloud-to-robot communication architecture.
Own and maintain key security artefacts for audit-ready cybersecurity documentation including Security Management Plans, Threat Analysis and Risk Assessment (TARA) reports, Risk Assessments, and Remediation Action Plans across both platforms.
Security Assurance & Certification
Drive security assurance through the full product lifecycle, ensuring every HMND 01 design is robust, compliant, and resilient. Contribute to the continual improvement of security engineering capability across the organisation.
Ensure compliance with cybersecurity obligations under the EU Machinery Regulation 2023/1230 where cyber controls intersect with safety-critical functions and compliance to IEC 62443 (for industrial/OT product security), and the EU Cyber Resilience Act.
Provide independent Information Assurance (IA) reviews and risk assessments on complex, high-impact projects — with particular focus on cyber-physical systems where a digital compromise could result in physical harm to operators or end users.
Review and provide guidance on security risk assessments, risk mitigation plans, mitigation gap analysis, and security management documentation in support of system cybersecurity certification.
Incident Response & Lifecycle Security
Establish and maintain a Product Security Incident Response (PSIR) process, encompassing coordinated vulnerability disclosure, patch deployment pipelines, and post-field incident analysis.
Define and oversee security monitoring requirements for deployed fleets, ensuring field data feeds back into risk files and security artefacts in line with post-market surveillance obligations.
Commercial & Bid Support
Support the production of work package descriptions and cost estimates for product bids, services, and proposals that include product security scope.
Represent Humanoid's security posture in customer and partner engagements, including regulatory consultations and certification body interactions.
What We're Looking For
Proven, hands-on experience with ISO 27001/27004/27005 and the NIST Risk Management Framework (RMF), applied to regulated hardware or embedded product programmes.
Experience owning a security risk management system for highly regulated, safety-critical products — with background drawn from automotive, commercial vehicle, or industrial automation environments.
Working knowledge of IEC 62443, with the ability to adapt ISO/SAE 21434 lifecycle methodologies to robotic or electromechanical product context.
Solid understanding of engineering development lifecycles and how the product cybersecurity specialism aligns with systems engineering, functional safety, and hardware/software co-development.
Ability to interpret Penetration Test reports and author Remediation Action Plans that address identified vulnerabilities in a structured, risk-prioritised manner.
Clear, structured communication skills — able to articulate complex security risk arguments to both technical engineers and executive stakeholders with equal confidence.
Preferred:
Familiarity with Threat Analysis and Risk Assessment (TARA) or equivalent threat modelling methodologies (STRIDE, PASTA) applied to embedded or OT/IT convergent systems.
Understanding of secure-by-design principles for AI/ML-enabled systems, including securing inference pipelines, model integrity, and cloud-to-edge communication paths.
Exposure to CAN bus, Ethernet backbone, or wireless interface security in mobile, vehicular, or robotic systems.
Experience contributing to or establishing a Product Security Incident Response (PSIRT) process or coordinated vulnerability disclosure programme.
Knowledge of UL 4600, UL 3300, or ISO 13482 and an appreciation of how cybersecurity evidence integrates into safety case arguments.
Prior engagement with certification bodies (TUV, UL, BSI) or standards development organisations (ISO TC 184, IEC TC 65, SAE, IEEE RAS).
What We Offer
Comprehensive health coverage for US‑based employees, including fully paid medical, dental, and vision insurance, with virtual care and employee assistance resources.
Meaningful time off to rest and recharge: 23 days of PTO (accrued), separate sick leave, and paid company holidays.
401(k) retirement plan with 4% employer match.
Competitive equity: stock options with meaningful upside as we scale.
Free daily catered lunch, snacks, and drinks in‑office.
Collaboration with top‑tier engineers, researchers, and product experts in AI and robotics.
Freedom to influence the product and own key initiatives.
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Find Principal Engineer JobsPrincipal Engineer Job Market in Cambridge
Who's Hiring
- Draper91

- RTX15

- HubSpot15

- Humanoid15

- Raytheon15

Top Industries Hiring
- Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals
Principal Engineer Jobs in Cambridge: Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a principal engineer job in Cambridge?
The strongest path into Cambridge's principal engineer market runs through Kendall Square's dense cluster of biotech, medtech, and enterprise software companies. Candidates who can demonstrate systems-level thinking and cross-functional leadership stand out, since Cambridge employers typically want engineers who shape architecture, not just execute it. Networking through MIT and Harvard research communities and targeting companies with active R&D pipelines gives you a meaningful edge over candidates applying cold.
Which companies hire principal engineers in Cambridge?
Companies currently hiring principal engineers in Cambridge include Draper, RTX, and HubSpot, per current listings on Migrate Mate as of September 2026. Cambridge's employer mix skews heavily toward life sciences platforms, genomics firms, and deep-tech software companies, giving principal engineers exposure to technically demanding, research-adjacent product environments.
Are there remote principal engineer jobs in Cambridge?
Yes, though availability depends on the role type. Principal engineers in software architecture and data platform work tend to have more remote flexibility, while those in hardware, lab systems, or embedded engineering are expected on-site. About 39% of principal engineer openings tied to Cambridge are remote or hybrid as of September 2026. The highest share of remote postings comes from enterprise software and cloud infrastructure companies in the Kendall Square ecosystem.
How can I get a principal engineer job in Cambridge with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path is through a senior engineer or staff engineer role at one of Cambridge's growth-stage biotech or software companies, where promotion tracks to principal are well-defined and tenure is shorter than at large enterprises. Co-op and research engineering programs affiliated with MIT and Northeastern are strong pipelines for early-career candidates. Building visible contributions to an open-source project or publishing technical work related to Cambridge's dominant sectors, such as genomics tooling or distributed systems, accelerates the transition considerably.
Which industries hire the most principal engineers in Cambridge?
The sectors hiring the most principal engineers in Cambridge are Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of September 2026. Cambridge's concentration of world-class research institutions and venture-backed life sciences and technology companies creates persistent demand for senior technical leadership across both product and platform engineering.
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