Principal Engineer Jobs in Texas
Principal Engineer jobs in Texas are in strong demand, with active hiring concentrated in energy, defense, semiconductor manufacturing, and enterprise technology across a wide seniority range from mid-career to distinguished technical fellow. The largest hiring markets are Houston, Austin, and Dallas-Fort Worth, where employers like ExxonMobil, Texas Instruments, and Raytheon Technologies maintain significant engineering headcount. The most sought-after specializations include systems engineering, software architecture, and process engineering tied to oil and gas and advanced manufacturing. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.
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Principal Electrical Engineer – Chillers
Location: Plano, TX (Hybrid; onsite for the first 30 days)
Employment Type: Direct Hire
Compensation: $171,000 – $192,000 base
Relocation: Up to $25,000 in relocation assistance
Travel: Up to 25%
About the Opportunity
Our client, a global leader in industrial and energy technology, is building a new division focused on data center cooling solutions across North America. As a new division, it offers long-term stability and room to grow. They are seeking a Principal Electrical Engineer to be the U.S. electrical engineering lead for their centrifugal chiller business. This is not a role spent entirely on detailed design. The focus is translating U.S. codes, standards, and customer requirements into clear design inputs for the engineering team in Japan, and owning the electrical side of each project from quotation through commissioning and field support.
What You'll Do
- Translate U.S. electrical and safety requirements (UL, NEC, IEEE) into clear quotation specifications and design inputs.
- Lead electrical engineering from customer requirements through quotation and detailed design, in partnership with the engineering team in Japan.
- Create and maintain electrical interface specifications and clear scope definitions across subsystems.
- Own electrical change control to prevent unmanaged changes and design drift.
- Build certification, compliance, and test requirements into design deliverables and FAT/SAT documentation.
- Serve as the main electrical technical contact for U.S. customers, system integrators, and key suppliers.
- Lead engagement with certification bodies and AHJs, including submissions, technical questions, and corrective actions.
- Represent the electrical side during FAT, installation, commissioning, and early field issues, driving root-cause analysis and design updates.
- Help develop U.S.-specific electrical design rules and standard architectures.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree or higher in electrical engineering, controls engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
- 12+ years of related experience, including 7+ years leading electrical engineering scope across quotation, design, and change management for industrial or packaged equipment.
- Proven ability to turn codes and standards into specifications, design documents, and quotation inputs.
- Hands-on experience with industrial electrical systems, including power distribution, protection, control panels, VFDs, and instrumentation.
- Ability to review and judge single-line diagrams, panel layouts, wiring diagrams, and I/O documentation.
- Strong engineering execution skills: requirements definition, risk management, technical decision-making, and change control.
- Comfort serving as a customer-facing technical lead and working with an overseas design team.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience with UL certification, NEC compliance, and NRTL/AHJ interactions for U.S.-market industrial equipment.
- Background in centrifugal chillers, large HVAC equipment, rotating machinery, or complex packaged systems.
- FAT, SAT, and field commissioning experience, including feeding field issues back into design.
- Experience building standard electrical architectures and configurable design options.
- Professional Engineer (PE) license or related certification.
Benefits
Medical, dental, and vision coverage; 401(k) with company match; paid vacation and sick time; 15 paid holidays; and strong growth potential in a newly launched division.
Candidates must be authorized to work in the U.S. without current or future sponsorship.
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Find Principal Engineer JobsPrincipal Engineer Jobs by City in Texas
Where Texas roles are concentrated, by current openings.
Principal Engineer Job Market in Texas
A snapshot from current Texas openings, updated as new roles post.
Who's Hiring
- Raytheon21

- Dell Technologies17

- Jabil11

- Micron Technology10

- AT&T7

Top Industries Hiring
- Electronics & Hardware11
- Technology & Software4
- Banking & Financial Services4
- Automotive2
- Insurance1
What Texas Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in principal engineer jobs across Texas.
- Bachelor's or master's degree in engineering, computer science, or a closely related technical field
- Professional Engineer license issued or recognized by the Texas Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors preferred for infrastructure and energy roles
- Ten or more years of progressive engineering experience with demonstrated technical leadership
- Deep expertise in at least one domain such as systems architecture, embedded software, or process engineering
- Proven ability to define technical strategy and mentor engineers across multiple teams or projects
- Experience with large-scale system design, trade-off analysis, and cross-functional stakeholder alignment
Principal Engineer Jobs in Texas: Frequently Asked Questions
How do you become a principal engineer in Texas?
Most principal engineer roles in Texas require a bachelor's degree in an engineering discipline plus a substantial track of progressively senior technical work. For roles in civil, structural, mechanical, or process engineering, the Texas Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors administers the Professional Engineer license, which typically requires passing the Fundamentals of Engineering exam, gaining supervised experience, and then passing the Principles and Practice of Engineering exam. Software-focused principal engineer roles generally do not require state licensure but reward deep domain expertise and leadership scope.
Which companies hire principal engineers in Texas?
Employers hiring principal engineers in Texas right now include Raytheon, Dell Technologies, and Jabil, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of September 2026. Texas's concentration of energy majors, defense contractors, and semiconductor firms means demand is particularly consistent for engineers with systems, embedded, or process specializations.
Which Texas cities have the most principal engineer jobs?
Austin, Houston, and Dallas have the most principal engineer openings in Texas. Houston's dominance reflects the energy sector's deep engineering workforce, while Austin's rapid growth in semiconductor and enterprise software firms drives strong demand there, and Dallas-Fort Worth's mix of corporate headquarters and defense contractors sustains consistent hiring across specializations.
Are there remote principal engineer jobs in Texas?
Yes, and they're more common than in many engineering fields, particularly for software and systems architecture roles that don't require on-site lab or plant access. About 63% of principal engineer openings tied to Texas are remote or hybrid as of September 2026, reflecting the high proportion of software-intensive and enterprise technology employers in the state. Roles in energy operations, semiconductor fabrication, and defense hardware tend to require on-site presence.
How can I get hired as a principal engineer in Texas with little or no experience?
The most realistic path is entering as an associate or staff engineer and building toward the principal level through demonstrated ownership of progressively complex technical problems. In Texas, large energy companies like ExxonMobil and Chevron run structured new-graduate rotational programs, and defense firms like Lockheed Martin and Raytheon Technologies hire entry-level engineers into career development tracks. Earning your Engineer-in-Training designation through the Texas Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors signals commitment and strengthens applications for engineering-track roles that lead to principal-level positions.
Where can I find and apply to principal engineer jobs in Texas?
You can find and apply to principal engineer jobs in Texas on Migrate Mate, which lists current Texas openings across industries and metro areas. Find roles that fit your specialization and experience level and apply directly.
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