Principal Software Engineer Jobs in Santa Clara, CA

Principal Software Engineer jobs in Santa Clara are in high demand, concentrated in the Central Expressway corridor, the Lawrence Expressway tech belt, and the Santa Clara Square and Mission College districts across semiconductors, cloud infrastructure, and enterprise software. Employers hiring right now include Palo Alto Networks, NVIDIA, and Ampere Computing. See the openings below and apply to the ones that match your experience.

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Overview

Open roles330+
Top employerPalo Alto Networks
Work type79% On-site
Top credentialBachelor of Science
Companies hiring15

Showing 5 of 330+ Principal Software Engineer jobs

Palo Alto Networks
Principal Software Automation/Test Engineer (Prisma Access)
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Palo Alto Networks
Added 1d ago
Principal Software Automation/Test Engineer (Prisma Access)
Palo Alto Networks
Santa Clara, California
Clinical Support
Healthcare Administration
Medical Assistant
$147k - $238k/yr
Hybrid
Bachelor of Science
10,000+

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NVIDIA
Principal Software Engineer, DGX Cloud Production Engineering
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NVIDIA
Added 1d ago
Principal Software Engineer, DGX Cloud Production Engineering
NVIDIA
Santa Clara, California
Engineering (Non-Software)
Manufacturing Operations
Quality Assurance & Testing (QA Testing)
Specialized Engineering
$272k - $431k/yr
Bachelor of Science
10,000+

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Oracle
Principal Platform Software Engineer
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Oracle
Added 2d ago
Principal Platform Software Engineer
Oracle
Santa Clara, California
Engineering (Non-Software)
Product Management
Technical Product & Program Management
10,000+

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Oracle
Lead Principal Platform Software Engineer
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Oracle
Added 5d ago
Lead Principal Platform Software Engineer
Oracle
Santa Clara, California
Business Operations
10,000+

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Marvell Technology
Senior Principal Embedded Firmware Software Engineer - Networking PAM4 DSP/data center/ODSP/AEC/Microled/AI connectivity
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Marvell Technology
Added 1w ago
Senior Principal Embedded Firmware Software Engineer - Networking PAM4 DSP/data center/ODSP/AEC/Microled/AI connectivity
Marvell Technology
Santa Clara, California
Software Engineering
Technical Program Management
$155k - $232k/yr
Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering
5,001-10,000

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See All 330+ Principal Software Engineer Jobs in Santa Clara

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Principal Software Engineer Job Market in Santa Clara

Who's Hiring

  • Palo Alto Networks
    Palo Alto Networks186
  • NVIDIA
    NVIDIA33
  • Ampere Computing
    Ampere Computing28
  • Oracle
    Oracle23
  • Roche
    Roche9

Top Industries Hiring

  • Technology & Software158
  • Agriculture & Farming116
  • Electronics & Hardware23
  • Artificial Intelligence14
  • Manufacturing5

Principal Software Engineer Jobs in Santa Clara: Frequently Asked Questions

How do I get a principal software engineer job in Santa Clara?

Focus your search on Santa Clara's dominant hiring sectors: semiconductor design, cloud infrastructure, networking hardware, and enterprise SaaS. Companies clustered along the Central Expressway, near Great America Parkway, and in the Mission College area fill the most principal engineering roles. Candidates who can demonstrate system-level architecture ownership and cross-functional technical leadership stand out in this market, where deep specialization in silicon or large-scale distributed systems is especially valued.

Which companies hire principal software engineers in Santa Clara?

Employers hiring principal software engineers in Santa Clara right now include Palo Alto Networks, NVIDIA, and Ampere Computing, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of August 2026. Santa Clara's employer mix skews heavily toward established semiconductor firms, networking giants, and cloud platform companies rather than early-stage startups.

Are there remote principal software engineer jobs in Santa Clara?

Yes, though principal software engineer roles are moderately remote-friendly, since many involve close collaboration with hardware teams or on-site lab access, particularly in semiconductor and networking companies. About 21% of principal software engineer openings tied to Santa Clara are remote or hybrid as of August 2026, with the most flexibility concentrated in pure software and cloud platform roles rather than chip design or systems integration.

How can I get a principal software engineer job in Santa Clara with little or no experience?

The most realistic entry path is landing a senior software engineer role at one of Santa Clara's large semiconductor or cloud infrastructure companies, then building toward principal through internal promotion. Employers like those in the Mission College and Great America Parkway corridors often develop senior engineers into principal roles over two to four years. Gaining hands-on experience in system design, architecture reviews, or technical mentorship within those organizations accelerates that progression locally.

Which industries hire the most principal software engineers in Santa Clara?

Santa Clara principal software engineer roles concentrate in Technology & Software, Agriculture & Farming, and Electronics & Hardware, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of August 2026. Santa Clara's position as a global hub for semiconductor manufacturing, networking equipment, and cloud platform development makes those sectors the primary drivers of principal-level engineering hiring in the city.

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