Senior Level Principal Scientist Jobs

Senior level principal scientist jobs place scientists at the helm of research programs, where they own experimental direction, drive cross-functional decisions, and guide the teams executing complex scientific work. Openings concentrate in Technology & Software, Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals, and Consulting & Professional Services, with a mix of on-site, remote, and hybrid settings, and employers like Amazon, AbbVie, and Exponent hiring at this level now.

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Overview

Open roles77
Top stateCalifornia
Top employerAmazon
Top citySan Francisco, CA
Work type82% On-site
Top industryTechnology

Showing 5 of 77+ Senior Level Principal Scientist jobs

Principal Data Scientist
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Added 4d ago
Principal Data Scientist
Intuit
San Diego, California
Data Science & Analytics
Software Engineering
Cloud & DevOps
Technical Product & Program Management
Data Science
AI (Artificial Intelligence)
Customer Success
Data Engineering
$248k - $335k/yr
On-Site
Bachelor's
10,000+

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Principal Applied Scientist
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Added 5d ago
Principal Applied Scientist
Amazon.com
Boston, Massachusetts
Software Engineering
Data Science & Analytics
Data Engineering
Technical Product & Program Management
AI (Artificial Intelligence)
ML (Machine Learning)
Data Science
Technical Program Management
$199k - $269k/yr
On-Site
Doctorate
10,000+

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Principal Data Scientist
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Added 5d ago
Principal Data Scientist
Sutter Health
Sacramento, California
Data Science & Analytics
Software Engineering
Data Science
AI (Artificial Intelligence)
ML (Machine Learning)
$182k - $291k/yr
Hybrid
Bachelor's

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Principal Data Scientist - Remote
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Added 1w ago
Principal Data Scientist - Remote
Optum
San Diego, California
Data Analytics
Data Science
$113k - $193k/yr
Hybrid
Doctoral degree in statistics
10,000+

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Principal Applied Scientist
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Added 1w ago
Principal Applied Scientist
Amazon.com
Denver, Colorado
Data Science & Analytics
Software Engineering
Data Science
AI (Artificial Intelligence)
$199k - $269k/yr
On-Site
Doctorate
10,000+

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See All 77 Senior Level Principal Scientist Jobs

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Senior Level Principal Scientist Job Market

Who's Hiring

Amazon7 open roles
AbbVie4 open roles
Exponent4 open roles

Top Industries Hiring

  • Technology & Software23
  • Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals17
  • Consulting & Professional Services8
  • Retail6
  • Healthcare & Medical Services6

Senior Level Principal Scientist Jobs: Frequently Asked Questions

How do I get a senior level principal scientist job?

Employers at this level look for scientists who have led multi-year research programs from hypothesis to publication or product, not just contributed to them. A strong candidate brings a record of independent scientific judgment, demonstrated mentorship of junior researchers, and cross-functional credibility with engineering, regulatory, or commercial teams. Framing your experience around outcomes you owned, not tasks you supported, is what separates competitive applicants at this stage.

Which companies hire senior level principal scientists?

Companies hiring senior level principal scientists right now include Amazon, AbbVie, and Exponent, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. Hiring at this level tends to come from large R&D-intensive organizations, biotech and pharmaceutical companies, advanced technology firms, and government contractors with active research pipelines.

Are there remote senior level principal scientist jobs?

Yes, though availability varies by discipline and employer. About 18% of senior level principal scientist openings are remote or hybrid as of November 2026, with lab-based and instrumentation-heavy roles more likely to require on-site presence while computational, data science, and research strategy roles tend to offer greater location flexibility.

What makes a principal scientist role senior level?

A senior level principal scientist role is defined by autonomous ownership of a research domain rather than execution within someone else's program. Expectations include setting the scientific agenda, making binding technical decisions, publishing or presenting as a primary author or named lead, and actively developing the skills of scientists earlier in their careers. The role carries accountability for program outcomes, not just individual contributions.

Which industries hire the most senior level principal scientists?

Senior Level principal scientist roles concentrate in Technology & Software, Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals, and Consulting & Professional Services, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. These sectors drive hiring at this level because they sustain large-scale, long-horizon research programs that require experienced scientists capable of leading complex studies and translating findings into commercial or regulatory impact.