Principal Software Engineer Jobs

Principal Software Engineer jobs are open across fintech, healthtech, enterprise software, and cloud infrastructure, from senior engineer to staff and principal level, with specializations in distributed systems, platform engineering, and machine learning infrastructure. Find a role that fits from the openings below and apply directly.

Find JobsLooking for remote work? View remote principal software engineer jobs →

Overview

Open roles1,165+
Top stateCalifornia
Top employerNorthrop Grumman
Top citySanta Clara, CA
Work type43% On-site
Top industryTechnology

Showing 5 of 1,165+ Principal Software Engineer jobs

Oracle
Principal Software Engineer
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Oracle
New 21h ago
Principal Software Engineer
Oracle
Nashville, Tennessee
Software Engineering
Cloud & DevOps
Technical Product & Program Management
Cloud Engineering
Backend Engineering
On-Site
Bachelor's
10,000+

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MidAmerican Energy
Principal Software Engineer-Infrastructure
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MidAmerican Energy
New 23h ago
Principal Software Engineer-Infrastructure
MidAmerican Energy
Des Moines, Iowa
Customer Service
Customer Support
Bachelor's degree in management information systems
1,001-5,000

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Hewlett Packard Enterprise | HPE
Principal Software Engineer, Inference
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Hewlett Packard Enterprise | HPE
New 23h ago
Principal Software Engineer, Inference
Hewlett Packard Enterprise | HPE
Spring, Texas
Compliance & Risk
Cybersecurity
Security Engineering
$160k - $303k/yr
10,000+

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NVR, Inc
Principal Software Engineer
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NVR, Inc
Added 1d ago
Principal Software Engineer
NVR, Inc
Reston, Virginia
Project Management
Solutions Engineering & Architecture
Technical Program Management
$175k - $185k/yr
On-Site
5,001-10,000

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Abbott
Principal Software Architect Pleasanton, CA / Sunnyvale, CA
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Abbott
Added 1d ago
Principal Software Architect Pleasanton, CA / Sunnyvale, CA
Abbott
Pleasanton, California
Engineering (Non-Software)
Mechanical Engineering
Specialized Engineering
$131k - $261k/yr
Master's degree
10,000+

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Principal Software Engineer Job Market

Who's Hiring

  • Northrop Grumman
    Northrop Grumman148
  • CVS Health
    CVS Health72
  • Oracle
    Oracle50
  • Collins Aerospace
    Collins Aerospace44
  • Raytheon
    Raytheon37

Top Industries Hiring

  • Technology & Software94
  • Electronics & Hardware15
  • Insurance14
  • Banking & Financial Services12
  • Manufacturing8

What Employers Look For

The qualifications that appear most often in principal software engineer jobs.

  • 8 or more years of software engineering experience with demonstrated technical leadership
  • Deep expertise in distributed systems design, scalability, and reliability engineering
  • Proficiency in one or more of Java, Python, Go, or C++ at production scale
  • Experience driving cross-team technical strategy and defining engineering standards
  • Strong communication skills for aligning engineering work with business objectives
  • Bachelor's or master's degree in computer science, software engineering, or a related field

Tips for Your Principal Software Engineer Job Search

Reframe your resume around scope

Principal-level hiring managers want to see the blast radius of your decisions. Replace feature-level accomplishments with org-wide or multi-team impact: systems you designed that other teams now depend on, architectural calls you made that held up at scale.

Apply early to roles that fit

Migrate Mate lists principal software engineer openings from across the United States in one place, so you can find roles that match and apply directly to each listing.

Match your search to your technical depth

Filter openings by the domain where your system-design credibility is strongest. A principal with deep expertise in distributed storage competes differently than one who owns developer platforms. Targeting roles that match your actual depth gets you past the first screen faster.

Prepare a system design narrative

Principal interviews almost always include an open-ended system design round where you're expected to drive the conversation, handle ambiguity, and articulate trade-offs. Practice narrating a real architecture decision you owned, not a textbook example, out loud before your first interview.

Negotiate scope and reporting line, not just pay

At the principal level, what you own matters as much as the offer. Before accepting, clarify who you report to, whether you have a technical charter, and how much autonomy you have over roadmap. These details determine your actual ability to do the job well.

Follow up with a technical take

After your final-round interview, send a follow-up that references a specific technical problem the team mentioned and adds one concrete thought on it. It signals you were listening and that you think about problems beyond the interview room.

Principal Software Engineer Jobs: Frequently Asked Questions

Which companies are hiring the most principal software engineers?

The companies hiring the most principal software engineers right now include Northrop Grumman, CVS Health, and Oracle, with the largest share of openings in California, Texas, and Washington, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of September 2026. Demand is concentrated in companies scaling cloud infrastructure, developer tooling, and enterprise platform teams.

How many principal software engineer jobs are remote?

About 57% of principal software engineer openings are fully remote or hybrid as of September 2026, reflecting the senior nature of the role and employer trust in experienced engineers to work autonomously. Platform engineering, infrastructure, and developer tools roles tend to have the highest share of remote arrangements compared to product-embedded or on-site architecture positions.

How do you become a principal software engineer?

You become a principal software engineer by demonstrating consistent impact beyond your immediate team. That means shipping systems other engineers depend on, making architectural decisions that outlast any single project, and mentoring engineers who grow because of your involvement. Most engineers reach this level after spending several years as a senior engineer where they've owned cross-cutting technical problems and built a reputation for sound judgment under ambiguity.

Can you get a principal software engineer job without prior principal-level experience?

You can get a principal software engineer job without the exact title if your work history reflects principal-level scope. Hiring teams look for evidence you've owned systems with broad organizational impact, influenced technical direction across teams, and operated with minimal oversight. Strong portfolio artifacts like design documents, architectural review records, or open-source projects you've led carry more weight than a matching title on your resume.

What does the principal software engineer interview process look like?

The principal software engineer interview process typically includes a recruiter screen, one or more technical phone interviews focused on system design and past architectural decisions, a coding round that tests depth rather than speed, and a final loop with engineering leadership and cross-functional partners. The system design and leadership rounds carry the most weight at this level, and many loops include a conversation about how you've influenced technical culture or mentored other engineers.

Where can I find and apply to principal software engineer jobs?

You can find and apply to principal software engineer jobs on Migrate Mate, which lists current openings from companies across the United States. Search the listings to find roles that match your technical background and seniority, then apply directly to each opening that fits.

See All 1,165+ Principal Software Engineer Jobs

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