Principal Jobs in Santa Clara, CA
Principal jobs in Santa Clara are concentrated in the Central Expressway corridor, the Lawrence Expressway tech belt, and the Mission District, driven by demand from semiconductor firms, enterprise software companies, and defense contractors. Employers posting openings right now include Palo Alto Networks, Oracle, and NVIDIA. See the openings below and apply to the ones that match your experience.
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Showing 5 of 776+ Principal jobs
Date: Sep 16, 2026
Location: Santa Clara, CA, US, 95054
Company: Belden Inc
Innovation Starts With You
Propel your career at Belden, where innovation creates possibilities—for our people, our customers, and the communities we serve. We connect people, information, and ideas to solve the world’s most complex connectivity challenges, turning curiosity into meaningful impact. Here, you’ll take on work that challenges you, supports your growth, and empowers you to shape what’s next. You’ll collaborate with global teams, gain diverse perspectives, and contribute to solutions that extend beyond our business—creating value in the world around us.
Together, we are shaping the future of digitization and paving the way for the next generation of innovation.
Principal Systems Engineer
In our ‘always on’ world, we believe it’s essential to have a genuine connection with the work you do. RUCKUS Networks builds and delivers purpose-driven networks that perform in the tough environments of the industries we serve.
RUCKUS Networks is seeking a Principal Systems Engineer to provide senior technical leadership across strategic customer opportunities, product adoption, field enablement, and product innovation. This role partners with sales, channel, product, engineering, QA, TAC, TME, and alliance teams to design, position, validate, and improve RUCKUS solutions for complex customer environments.
The successful candidate will combine deep expertise in wireless, wired, cloud-managed, controller-based, edge networking, automation, and customer operations with strong executive communication and cross-functional influence.
How You Will Help Us Connect the World
Partner with sales teams, channel partners, and strategic customers to drive complex opportunities from discovery through design, validation, competitive positioning, and closure.
Lead high-value vertical and enterprise opportunities, including disciplined tracking, executive engagement, technical differentiation, and measurable contribution to revenue outcomes.
Provide advanced pre-sales support, including solution architecture, network design, proof-of-concept execution, technical demonstrations, and customer-facing business-value positioning.
Serve as a subject matter expert for the RUCKUS wireless, wired, software, cloud, controller, and edge-networking portfolio, with focus on RUCKUS One adoption, product maturity, migrations, and customer success.
Lead field validation of emerging platforms, environments, large-scale deployments, and migration programs.
Translate customer and field requirements into product feedback, feature requests, defect reports, technical guidance, and quality improvements.
Drive product quality and maturity by partnering with PLM, Engineering, QA, TAC, TME, and field teams to resolve field-discovered issues and improve feature readiness.
Build organizational capability through reusable labs, demo programs, onboarding support, mentoring, and scalable enablement content.
Support technical alliance initiatives through solution guides, interoperability validation, and feature-maturity collaboration with third-party ecosystem partners.
Provide field leadership through PRD/HLD reviews, interlocks, prioritization, summary materials, and follow-up deliverables.
Required Skills
Advanced understanding of pre-sales engineering, enterprise account strategy, partner engagement, and execution of complex, high-value opportunities.
Excellent communication skills, including the ability to present technical solutions, competitive positioning, and business value to executive, technical, partner, and internal audiences.
Ability to translate customer business drivers into network architectures, migration plans, product requirements, and scalable field guidance.
Strong technical knowledge of 802.11 a/g/n/ac/ax/be wireless design, RF engineering, troubleshooting, optimization, IP routing and switching, WAN/LAN design, security authentication, RADIUS/AAA, virtualization, and cloud environments.
Working knowledge of automation, AI/ML-adjacent technologies, GitHub-based collaboration, scripting, and operational tooling.
Demonstrated ability to influence product quality and roadmap outcomes through bug reporting, feature-request development, customer-impact analysis, and cross-functional engagement.
Experience creating enablement assets such as hands-on labs, advanced training, webinars, technical guides, migration playbooks, demo scripts, and repeatable solution documentation.
Ability to build trusted relationships across sales, engineering, product, QA, TAC, alliance partner, and global SE teams.
Required Qualifications
Bachelor’s Degree along with 10+ years of relevant experience in IP networking, wireless technologies, pre-sales engineering, solution architecture, product enablement, or equivalent technical field leadership experience.
Demonstrated success supporting major customer opportunities, pipeline tracking, executive engagement, and revenue contribution across strategic vertical markets.
Ability to troubleshoot complex customer, partner, and product issues, including escalation analysis, defect documentation, reproduction support, and impact mitigation.
Effective technical presentation and enablement skills, including demos, conferences, field training, webinars, partner enablement, and executive briefings.
Strong documentation skills, including solution guides, summary decks, product feedback, and field best practices.
Ability to travel up to 40% of the time depending on business needs.
Preferred Qualifications
Experience supporting MDU, hospitality, education, public sector, service provider, enterprise, manufacturing, warehousing, or logistics environments.
Knowledge of OT environments in manufacturing and hospitality, including network design, segmentation, security, reliability, and operational support considerations.
Hands-on experience with RUCKUS One, SmartZone-to-RUCKUS One migrations, cloud-managed networking, product readiness, customer adoption, and field-led maturity efforts.
Experience validating emerging architectures, including large-scale AP deployments, edge networking, cloud-managed services, and migrations.
Experience working with technical alliance partners and ecosystem tools for wireless design, simulation, security integration, network planning, and operational validation.
Advance innovation through automation assets, scripts, repositories, and operational tools that improve customer, partner, and SE productivity.
Certifications through CWNP or other network certifications.
Compensation
Our salary ranges consider a wide variety of factors, including but not limited to benchmarking by independent third-party consultants, skill sets, years of experience, training, education, geography, and other business needs. Depending on experience, the range can be higher for candidates with exceptional experience and a demonstrated history of successful performance. This position's expected total compensation, including base salary and commission range, is $220,000 - $300,000.
Benefits
The candidate will be rewarded with a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, and vision plans, life and accidental death insurance, a 401(k) plan, and participation in the Company’s Incentive Plan. Candidates starting with the Company will be eligible for eleven paid holidays in a full calendar year, two weeks of paid vacation, prorated based on start date, as well as other leave options.
#LI-MK1
#LI-Remote
Let’s Create Possibilities Together.
Join a global community shaping the future of intelligent connectivity. At Belden, you’ll help push the boundaries of technology and write the next chapter of innovation, creating possibilities for your career, your future, and the world around you.
These statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work involved for this job. It is not an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required of this job.
Nearest Major Market: San Jose
Nearest Secondary Market: Palo Alto
Date: Sep 16, 2026
Location: Santa Clara, CA, US, 95054
Company: Belden Inc
Innovation Starts With You
Propel your career at Belden, where innovation creates possibilities—for our people, our customers, and the communities we serve. We connect people, information, and ideas to solve the world’s most complex connectivity challenges, turning curiosity into meaningful impact. Here, you’ll take on work that challenges you, supports your growth, and empowers you to shape what’s next. You’ll collaborate with global teams, gain diverse perspectives, and contribute to solutions that extend beyond our business—creating value in the world around us.
Together, we are shaping the future of digitization and paving the way for the next generation of innovation.
Principal Systems Engineer
In our ‘always on’ world, we believe it’s essential to have a genuine connection with the work you do. RUCKUS Networks builds and delivers purpose-driven networks that perform in the tough environments of the industries we serve.
RUCKUS Networks is seeking a Principal Systems Engineer to provide senior technical leadership across strategic customer opportunities, product adoption, field enablement, and product innovation. This role partners with sales, channel, product, engineering, QA, TAC, TME, and alliance teams to design, position, validate, and improve RUCKUS solutions for complex customer environments.
The successful candidate will combine deep expertise in wireless, wired, cloud-managed, controller-based, edge networking, automation, and customer operations with strong executive communication and cross-functional influence.
How You Will Help Us Connect the World
Partner with sales teams, channel partners, and strategic customers to drive complex opportunities from discovery through design, validation, competitive positioning, and closure.
Lead high-value vertical and enterprise opportunities, including disciplined tracking, executive engagement, technical differentiation, and measurable contribution to revenue outcomes.
Provide advanced pre-sales support, including solution architecture, network design, proof-of-concept execution, technical demonstrations, and customer-facing business-value positioning.
Serve as a subject matter expert for the RUCKUS wireless, wired, software, cloud, controller, and edge-networking portfolio, with focus on RUCKUS One adoption, product maturity, migrations, and customer success.
Lead field validation of emerging platforms, environments, large-scale deployments, and migration programs.
Translate customer and field requirements into product feedback, feature requests, defect reports, technical guidance, and quality improvements.
Drive product quality and maturity by partnering with PLM, Engineering, QA, TAC, TME, and field teams to resolve field-discovered issues and improve feature readiness.
Build organizational capability through reusable labs, demo programs, onboarding support, mentoring, and scalable enablement content.
Support technical alliance initiatives through solution guides, interoperability validation, and feature-maturity collaboration with third-party ecosystem partners.
Provide field leadership through PRD/HLD reviews, interlocks, prioritization, summary materials, and follow-up deliverables.
Required Skills
Advanced understanding of pre-sales engineering, enterprise account strategy, partner engagement, and execution of complex, high-value opportunities.
Excellent communication skills, including the ability to present technical solutions, competitive positioning, and business value to executive, technical, partner, and internal audiences.
Ability to translate customer business drivers into network architectures, migration plans, product requirements, and scalable field guidance.
Strong technical knowledge of 802.11 a/g/n/ac/ax/be wireless design, RF engineering, troubleshooting, optimization, IP routing and switching, WAN/LAN design, security authentication, RADIUS/AAA, virtualization, and cloud environments.
Working knowledge of automation, AI/ML-adjacent technologies, GitHub-based collaboration, scripting, and operational tooling.
Demonstrated ability to influence product quality and roadmap outcomes through bug reporting, feature-request development, customer-impact analysis, and cross-functional engagement.
Experience creating enablement assets such as hands-on labs, advanced training, webinars, technical guides, migration playbooks, demo scripts, and repeatable solution documentation.
Ability to build trusted relationships across sales, engineering, product, QA, TAC, alliance partner, and global SE teams.
Required Qualifications
Bachelor’s Degree along with 10+ years of relevant experience in IP networking, wireless technologies, pre-sales engineering, solution architecture, product enablement, or equivalent technical field leadership experience.
Demonstrated success supporting major customer opportunities, pipeline tracking, executive engagement, and revenue contribution across strategic vertical markets.
Ability to troubleshoot complex customer, partner, and product issues, including escalation analysis, defect documentation, reproduction support, and impact mitigation.
Effective technical presentation and enablement skills, including demos, conferences, field training, webinars, partner enablement, and executive briefings.
Strong documentation skills, including solution guides, summary decks, product feedback, and field best practices.
Ability to travel up to 40% of the time depending on business needs.
Preferred Qualifications
Experience supporting MDU, hospitality, education, public sector, service provider, enterprise, manufacturing, warehousing, or logistics environments.
Knowledge of OT environments in manufacturing and hospitality, including network design, segmentation, security, reliability, and operational support considerations.
Hands-on experience with RUCKUS One, SmartZone-to-RUCKUS One migrations, cloud-managed networking, product readiness, customer adoption, and field-led maturity efforts.
Experience validating emerging architectures, including large-scale AP deployments, edge networking, cloud-managed services, and migrations.
Experience working with technical alliance partners and ecosystem tools for wireless design, simulation, security integration, network planning, and operational validation.
Advance innovation through automation assets, scripts, repositories, and operational tools that improve customer, partner, and SE productivity.
Certifications through CWNP or other network certifications.
Compensation
Our salary ranges consider a wide variety of factors, including but not limited to benchmarking by independent third-party consultants, skill sets, years of experience, training, education, geography, and other business needs. Depending on experience, the range can be higher for candidates with exceptional experience and a demonstrated history of successful performance. This position's expected total compensation, including base salary and commission range, is $220,000 - $300,000.
Benefits
The candidate will be rewarded with a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, and vision plans, life and accidental death insurance, a 401(k) plan, and participation in the Company’s Incentive Plan. Candidates starting with the Company will be eligible for eleven paid holidays in a full calendar year, two weeks of paid vacation, prorated based on start date, as well as other leave options.
#LI-MK1
#LI-Remote
Let’s Create Possibilities Together.
Join a global community shaping the future of intelligent connectivity. At Belden, you’ll help push the boundaries of technology and write the next chapter of innovation, creating possibilities for your career, your future, and the world around you.
These statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work involved for this job. It is not an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required of this job.
Nearest Major Market: San Jose
Nearest Secondary Market: Palo Alto
See All 776+ Principal Jobs in Santa Clara
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Find Principal JobsPrincipal Job Market in Santa Clara
Who's Hiring
- Palo Alto Networks185
- Oracle148
- NVIDIA111
- ServiceNow86
- Amazon37
Top Industries Hiring
- Technology & Software
Principal Jobs in Santa Clara: Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a principal job in Santa Clara?
Focus on Santa Clara's dominant sectors: semiconductor design, enterprise software, and defense technology, which concentrate along the Lawrence Expressway corridor and the Central Expressway strip. Candidates who stand out typically bring deep domain expertise in one of these verticals, experience leading cross-functional initiatives at scale, and familiarity with the fast-paced engineering culture common at Santa Clara's largest employers. Tailoring your application to show technical depth and leadership scope gives you a clear edge locally.
Which companies hire principals in Santa Clara?
Santa Clara principal roles are posted by Palo Alto Networks, Oracle, and NVIDIA and others right now, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of September 2026. The local market skews heavily toward large semiconductor manufacturers, cloud infrastructure firms, and defense primes that maintain significant engineering operations within Santa Clara city limits.
Are there remote principal jobs in Santa Clara?
Yes, though availability depends heavily on the type of principal role, with strategy and program-focused positions far more remote-friendly than lab, hardware, or facilities-based ones. About 57% of principal openings tied to Santa Clara are remote or hybrid as of September 2026, reflecting the mix of on-site and distributed work common across the city's tech employers. Product and software principal roles tend to offer the most scheduling flexibility locally.
How can I get a principal job in Santa Clara with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path is moving into a senior individual contributor role at one of Santa Clara's mid-size semiconductor or enterprise software companies and building toward principal designation from within. Look for senior engineer, senior architect, or senior program manager titles at growing Santa Clara firms that promote from within rather than only hiring externals. Contract or project-based roles with local defense contractors can also provide the high-visibility work needed to build a portfolio that supports a principal-level candidacy.
Which industries hire the most principals in Santa Clara?
The sectors hiring the most principals in Santa Clara are Technology & Software, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of September 2026. Santa Clara's status as a global hub for semiconductor fabrication and enterprise cloud infrastructure means these sectors consistently generate principal-level demand well above what you'd find in comparable Bay Area cities.
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