Principal Engineer Jobs in San Antonio, TX
Principal Engineer jobs in San Antonio are in strong demand, concentrated in the South Texas Medical Center, the Pearl District tech corridor, and the northern suburbs around Stone Oak and Loop 1604, across defense, cybersecurity, healthcare IT, and enterprise software. Employers hiring right now include Northrop Grumman, Oracle, and Southwest Research Institute. Scan the live roles below and apply to whichever ones fit.
Find Principal Engineer JobsOverview
Showing 5 of 291+ Principal Engineer jobs











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.At the heart of Defining Possible is our commitment to missions. In rapidly changing global security environments, Northrop Grumman brings informed insights and software-secure technology to enable strategic planning. We’re looking for innovators who can help us keep building on our wide portfolio of secure, affordable, integrated, and multi-domain systems and technologies that fuel those missions. By joining in our shared mission, we’ll support yours of expanding your personal network and developing skills, whether you are new to the field, or an industry thought leader. At Northrop Grumman you’ll have the resources, support, and team to do some of the best work of your career.
Northrop Grumman Mission Systems would like you to join our team as a Principal Cyber Software Engineer (Level 0 CNO Analyst/Programmer) . Places of performance for this position are Annapolis Junction MD, San Antonio TX, Aurora CO, and Carey, NC.
What You’ll Get to Do:
Provides custom software design and development of specialized tools and techniques. Designs and develops end-to-end data flow and tasking into the tools developed. Provides/authors documentation, participates in design, code, and software readiness reviews in accordance with the Government's software development procedures and processes. Programs in Assembly, C, C++, Java, Perl, or Python. Develop Windows applications using Visual Studio or .NET environments; UNIX applications using make files or comparable build environments; or, Embedded or mobile platform development using proprietary, GOTS, or open source build environments. Bachelor's Degree should be in a relevant discipline (e.g., computer science, information systems, network engineering).
Basic Qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree in computer science, information systems, or network engineering with 2 years of experience, Masters degree with 0 years of experience, PhD with 0 year of experience.
- Current/active TS/SCI w/Polygraph security clearance and be willing and able to obtain another polygraph
- Experience in Python or C/C++ programming
- Experience with troubleshooting and debugging systems
Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience analyzing user requirements to derive software design and performance requirements
- Software analysis or reverse engineering
- CNO development concepts, tools and techniques
- Unit testing frameworks and practices
This position description does not represent a current opening but may be used to identify candidates with skills and experience for positions within Northrop Grumman that frequently become available. Candidates who express an interest may be considered for future positions at Northrop Grumman.
What We Can Offer You:
Northrop Grumman provides a comprehensive benefits package and a work environment which encourages your growth and supports the mutual success of our people and our company. Northrop Grumman benefits give you the flexibility and control to choose the benefits that make the most sense for you and your family.
Your benefits will include the following: Health Plan, Savings Plan, Paid Time Off and Additional Benefits including: Education Assistance, Training and Development, 9/80 Work Schedule (where available), and much more!
Primary Level Salary Range: $119,600.00 - $187,900.00 The above salary range represents a general guideline; however, Northrop Grumman considers a number of factors when determining base salary offers such as the scope and responsibilities of the position and the candidate's experience, education, skills and current market conditions. Depending on the position, employees may be eligible for overtime, shift differential, and a discretionary bonus in addition to base pay. Annual bonuses are designed to reward individual contributions as well as allow employees to share in company results. Employees in Vice President or Director positions may be eligible for Long Term Incentives. In addition, Northrop Grumman provides a variety of benefits including health insurance coverage, life and disability insurance, savings plan, Company paid holidays and paid time off (PTO) for vacation and/or personal business. The application period for the job is estimated to be 20 days from the job posting date. However, this timeline may be shortened or extended depending on business needs and the availability of qualified candidates. Northrop Grumman is an Equal Opportunity Employer, making decisions without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, or any other protected class. For our complete EEO and pay transparency statement, please visit http://www.northropgrumman.com/EEO. U.S. Citizenship is required for all positions with a government clearance and certain other restricted positions.
See All 291+ Principal Engineer Jobs in San Antonio
Find roles in San Antonio that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find Principal Engineer JobsPrincipal Engineer Job Market in San Antonio
Who's Hiring
- Northrop Grumman106

- Oracle53

- Southwest Research Institute53

- Poulos & Bennett26

- Atlas Technical Consultants26

Top Industries Hiring
- Technology & Software
Principal Engineer Jobs in San Antonio: Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a principal engineer job in San Antonio?
San Antonio's strongest hiring pockets for principal engineers are defense and federal contracting around JBSA and Port San Antonio, cybersecurity firms concentrated in the Alamo City's growing tech corridor, and health systems clustered in the South Texas Medical Center. Candidates who combine deep technical depth with systems-level architecture experience and any prior federal or DoD project exposure stand out in this market.
Which companies hire principal engineers in San Antonio?
Employers hiring principal engineers in San Antonio right now include Northrop Grumman, Oracle, and Southwest Research Institute, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of September 2026. San Antonio's employer base skews toward defense primes, federal IT contractors, regional health networks, and a growing cohort of cybersecurity-focused tech firms.
How can I get a principal engineer job in San Antonio with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path in San Antonio is through mid-level engineer roles at defense contractors or health IT vendors, where project scale creates clear promotion ladders to principal-level. Targeting firms that hold large federal contracts at Port San Antonio or near JBSA gives early-career engineers exposure to the complex, multi-system environments that build the technical depth hiring managers look for at the principal level.
Which industries hire the most principal engineers in San Antonio?
The sectors hiring the most principal engineers in San Antonio are Technology & Software, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of September 2026. San Antonio's concentration of military installations, a large regional hospital network, and a rapidly expanding cybersecurity industry all drive consistent demand for senior technical leadership at the principal engineer level.
Related Jobs in Texas
See All 291+ Principal Engineer Jobs in San Antonio
Find roles in San Antonio that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find Principal Engineer Jobs