Principal Software Architect Jobs
Principal Software Architect jobs are open across enterprise technology, fintech, healthtech, defense, and cloud infrastructure, from senior staff engineer to distinguished architect level, with specializations in distributed systems, platform engineering, and cloud-native architecture. See the openings below and apply to the ones that match your experience.
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Showing 5 of 43+ Principal Software Architect jobs
Software Engineering — VP & ED
Wholesale Credit Risk — Core Engineering
We have multiple positions open at both Vice President (VP) and Executive Director (ED) levels. The mission is the same at both levels; the scope of ownership and influence grows with seniority (see Levels below).
Why This Role
We're looking for a hands-on engineering leader who wants to shape how one of the world's largest banks manages credit risk. You'll own the architecture of mission-critical hybrid-cloud platforms, stay close to the code, and set the technical bar for multiple engineering teams. This is a role for someone who still loves to design/build — not just direct — and who wants their decisions to matter at scale.
You'll have a strong voice in defining technical strategy and modernizing our OLTP and OLAP workloads with AI/ML, working closely with senior stakeholders to review, refine, and agree on the path forward.
What You'll Do
- Architect at scale — Design mission-critical hybrid-cloud systems that thousands of users and downstream platforms depend on.
- Stay hands-on — Contribute directly to code and solution design, setting the standard through your own work, not just review.
- Lead engineers — Guide multiple teams, mentor senior engineers and development leads, and grow the next generation of technical talent.
- Drive AI adoption — Champion the integration of AI/ML and agent-based tooling into enterprise platforms and engineering workflows.
- Set the standard — Own best practices in software engineering, security, and risk management, and enforce them through code reviews.
- Shape strategy — Prioritize competing initiatives, balance urgent delivery against long-term architecture, and present technical direction to senior leadership.
- Build the culture — Foster collaboration, integrity, and continuous improvement across the organization.
Levels: VP vs ED
These are individual-contributor technical leadership roles — you lead through architecture, code, and technical influence, not people management.
How we engineer: We codify our architecture & coding standards into the pipeline. Quality and conventions are enforced by AI agents/skills at every gate — for example, a PR review gate that stops bad code or design from reaching main. You'll help build and evolve these guardrails so good practice is automatic, not optional.
What You Bring
Core engineering
- 7+ years (VP) / 10+ years (ED) designing and building hybrid-cloud solutions at enterprise scale.
- Deep, current command of architecture and design patterns, with hands-on coding expertise in Java or Python.
- Strong data modeling skills, for example dimensional modeling and slowly changing dimensions.
- Proven experience with transactional systems, analytics platforms, and cloud-native technologies.
Risk & delivery
- Strong background in risk management, compliance, and secure software development.
- Track record of partnering with development leads and influencing senior stakeholders.
- Excellent communication and presentation skills.
AI/ML (increasingly essential)
- Hands-on builder of AI agents, skills, and agentic workloads.
- Delivered AI-driven projects from concept to production.
- Integrated AI/ML into hybrid-cloud and enterprise platforms.
- Power user of AI-assisted, spec-driven SDLC.
How You Work
- Decisive and data-driven; you turn ambiguity into a clear plan and a working solution.
- Assess risk with a big-picture, holistic view.
- Lead by example with a genuine can-do attitude.
- Separate the important from the merely urgent.
- Generous with your time; you lift up the engineers around you.
- Act with integrity, always.
We offer a competitive total rewards package including base salary determined based on the role, experience, skill set and location. Those in eligible roles may receive commission-based pay and/or discretionary incentive compensation, paid in the form of cash and/or forfeitable equity, awarded in recognition of individual achievements and contributions. We also offer a range of benefits and programs to meet employee needs, based on eligibility. These benefits include comprehensive health care coverage, on-site health and wellness centers, a retirement savings plan, backup childcare, tuition reimbursement, mental health support, financial coaching and more. Additional details about total compensation and benefits will be provided during the hiring process.
We recognize that our people are our strength and the diverse talents they bring to our global workforce are directly linked to our success. We are an equal opportunity employer and place a high value on diversity and inclusion at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of any protected attribute, including race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital or veteran status, pregnancy or disability, or any other basis protected under applicable law. We also make reasonable accommodations for applicants' and employees' religious practices and beliefs, as well as mental health or physical disability needs. Visit our FAQs for more information about requesting an accommodation.
JPMorgan Chase & Co. is an Equal Opportunity Employer, including Disability/Veterans
ABOUT THE TEAM
Our professionals in our Corporate Functions cover a diverse range of areas from finance and risk to human resources and marketing. Our corporate teams are an essential part of our company, ensuring that we're setting our businesses, clients, customers and employees up for success.
Software Engineering — VP & ED
Wholesale Credit Risk — Core Engineering
We have multiple positions open at both Vice President (VP) and Executive Director (ED) levels. The mission is the same at both levels; the scope of ownership and influence grows with seniority (see Levels below).
Why This Role
We're looking for a hands-on engineering leader who wants to shape how one of the world's largest banks manages credit risk. You'll own the architecture of mission-critical hybrid-cloud platforms, stay close to the code, and set the technical bar for multiple engineering teams. This is a role for someone who still loves to design/build — not just direct — and who wants their decisions to matter at scale.
You'll have a strong voice in defining technical strategy and modernizing our OLTP and OLAP workloads with AI/ML, working closely with senior stakeholders to review, refine, and agree on the path forward.
What You'll Do
- Architect at scale — Design mission-critical hybrid-cloud systems that thousands of users and downstream platforms depend on.
- Stay hands-on — Contribute directly to code and solution design, setting the standard through your own work, not just review.
- Lead engineers — Guide multiple teams, mentor senior engineers and development leads, and grow the next generation of technical talent.
- Drive AI adoption — Champion the integration of AI/ML and agent-based tooling into enterprise platforms and engineering workflows.
- Set the standard — Own best practices in software engineering, security, and risk management, and enforce them through code reviews.
- Shape strategy — Prioritize competing initiatives, balance urgent delivery against long-term architecture, and present technical direction to senior leadership.
- Build the culture — Foster collaboration, integrity, and continuous improvement across the organization.
Levels: VP vs ED
These are individual-contributor technical leadership roles — you lead through architecture, code, and technical influence, not people management.
How we engineer: We codify our architecture & coding standards into the pipeline. Quality and conventions are enforced by AI agents/skills at every gate — for example, a PR review gate that stops bad code or design from reaching main. You'll help build and evolve these guardrails so good practice is automatic, not optional.
What You Bring
Core engineering
- 7+ years (VP) / 10+ years (ED) designing and building hybrid-cloud solutions at enterprise scale.
- Deep, current command of architecture and design patterns, with hands-on coding expertise in Java or Python.
- Strong data modeling skills, for example dimensional modeling and slowly changing dimensions.
- Proven experience with transactional systems, analytics platforms, and cloud-native technologies.
Risk & delivery
- Strong background in risk management, compliance, and secure software development.
- Track record of partnering with development leads and influencing senior stakeholders.
- Excellent communication and presentation skills.
AI/ML (increasingly essential)
- Hands-on builder of AI agents, skills, and agentic workloads.
- Delivered AI-driven projects from concept to production.
- Integrated AI/ML into hybrid-cloud and enterprise platforms.
- Power user of AI-assisted, spec-driven SDLC.
How You Work
- Decisive and data-driven; you turn ambiguity into a clear plan and a working solution.
- Assess risk with a big-picture, holistic view.
- Lead by example with a genuine can-do attitude.
- Separate the important from the merely urgent.
- Generous with your time; you lift up the engineers around you.
- Act with integrity, always.
We offer a competitive total rewards package including base salary determined based on the role, experience, skill set and location. Those in eligible roles may receive commission-based pay and/or discretionary incentive compensation, paid in the form of cash and/or forfeitable equity, awarded in recognition of individual achievements and contributions. We also offer a range of benefits and programs to meet employee needs, based on eligibility. These benefits include comprehensive health care coverage, on-site health and wellness centers, a retirement savings plan, backup childcare, tuition reimbursement, mental health support, financial coaching and more. Additional details about total compensation and benefits will be provided during the hiring process.
We recognize that our people are our strength and the diverse talents they bring to our global workforce are directly linked to our success. We are an equal opportunity employer and place a high value on diversity and inclusion at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of any protected attribute, including race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital or veteran status, pregnancy or disability, or any other basis protected under applicable law. We also make reasonable accommodations for applicants' and employees' religious practices and beliefs, as well as mental health or physical disability needs. Visit our FAQs for more information about requesting an accommodation.
JPMorgan Chase & Co. is an Equal Opportunity Employer, including Disability/Veterans
ABOUT THE TEAM
Our professionals in our Corporate Functions cover a diverse range of areas from finance and risk to human resources and marketing. Our corporate teams are an essential part of our company, ensuring that we're setting our businesses, clients, customers and employees up for success.
See All 43 Principal Software Architect Jobs
Find roles that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find JobsPrincipal Software Architect Job Market
Who's Hiring
Top Industries Hiring
- Fintech
- Technology & Software
- Electronics & Hardware
- Banking & Financial Services
- Human Resources
What Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in principal software architect jobs.
- 10 or more years of software engineering experience with at least five in architecture roles
- Deep expertise in distributed systems design, microservices, and cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure, or GCP
- Demonstrated ability to define technical strategy and lead cross-functional engineering teams
- Proficiency in multiple programming languages and familiarity with polyglot persistence patterns
- Experience driving system design reviews, architectural governance, and engineering standards at enterprise scale
- Strong communication skills with the ability to present technical roadmaps to non-technical executive stakeholders
Tips for Your Principal Software Architect Job Search
Quantify architectural impact on your resume
Hiring managers for principal-level roles need to see scale, not just scope. Replace vague claims with specifics: systems you designed that handled peak throughput, latency reductions you achieved, or the number of engineering teams whose roadmaps depended on your decisions.
Tailor your resume to each domain
A principal software architect resume that worked in fintech will read as misaligned to a healthtech team. Swap in domain-specific terminology, compliance contexts like HIPAA or PCI-DSS, and the system constraints most relevant to each company's infrastructure before you apply.
Apply early to roles that fit
Migrate Mate lists principal software architect openings from across the United States in one place, so you can find roles that match and apply directly to each listing.
Target companies by architectural maturity
Principal architect roles differ sharply between greenfield startups and legacy modernization programs. Read engineering blogs, public RFCs, or recent engineering hiring patterns to gauge whether a company needs someone to build from scratch or untangle existing systems, then apply where your experience matches that need.
Prepare a system design narrative for interviews
Principal-level interviews almost always include open-ended design sessions. Develop two or three detailed war stories covering a system you designed end to end, the tradeoffs you made, and what you would do differently, so you can adapt them to whatever scenario the interviewer introduces.
Negotiate scope and reporting structure, not just salary
At the principal level, your ability to influence product and engineering strategy matters as much as compensation. Before accepting an offer, clarify whether you have direct access to leadership, budget authority, and a mandate that lets you drive architectural decisions across teams.
Principal Software Architect Jobs: Frequently Asked Questions
Which companies are hiring the most principal software architects?
AMD, NVIDIA, and Divergent are hiring the most principal software architects right now, with openings concentrated in California, Texas, and Massachusetts, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. Demand is especially strong at large cloud providers, defense contractors, and enterprise SaaS companies scaling their platform organizations.
How many principal software architect jobs are remote?
About 72% of principal software architect openings are fully remote or hybrid as of November 2026, reflecting strong employer flexibility at the senior individual-contributor level. Cloud infrastructure, platform engineering, and API design roles within the discipline tend to have the highest concentration of fully remote arrangements compared to embedded systems or on-premises enterprise architecture positions.
How do you become a principal software architect?
Most principal software architects progress from senior software engineer through staff or lead engineer roles, building a portfolio of system design decisions that prove judgment at scale. Developing cross-team influence, contributing to public design documents or RFCs, earning a cloud architecture certification, and taking ownership of at least one large-scale migration or platform initiative are the most direct ways to build the credibility this title requires.
Can you get hired as a principal software architect without prior principal-level experience?
Yes, candidates coming from staff engineer or lead architect roles at smaller companies can be competitive if they can demonstrate scope equivalent to a principal at the target company. The key is reframing your experience around decisions that affected multiple teams or products, documenting architectural tradeoffs you owned, and showing that your past scope matches the demands of the role you are targeting.
What does the principal software architect interview process look like?
Most companies run a multi-stage process that includes a recruiter screen, a technical phone interview focused on systems thinking, one or two in-depth system design sessions where you architect a complex distributed system from a prompt, a cross-functional panel that tests your ability to influence product and engineering leaders, and a final leadership or executive conversation about technical vision and organizational impact.
Where can I find and apply to principal software architect jobs?
You can find and apply to principal software architect jobs on Migrate Mate, which lists current openings from companies across the United States. Search for roles that match your domain experience and architectural focus, then apply directly to each listing that fits your background.
See All 43 Principal Software Architect Jobs
Find roles that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
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