Senior Principal Data Engineer Jobs in California

Senior Principal Data Engineer jobs in California sit at the top of one of the most active data engineering markets in the country, concentrated in enterprise technology, cloud infrastructure, financial services, and biotech across a seniority range from mid-level to staff and principal. The Bay Area, Los Angeles, and San Diego account for the largest share of openings, with anchor employers such as Google, Apple, and Meta consistently hiring at this level. Distributed systems architecture, large-scale data platform design, and real-time streaming pipelines are the most in-demand specialties across California listings. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.

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Overview

Open roles11
Top employerNorthrop Grumman
Top citySan Mateo, CA
Cities hiring8
Work type80% Hybrid
Top industryTechnology

Showing 5 of 11+ Senior Principal Data Engineer jobs

Sr. Principal Data Scientist
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Added 2d ago
Sr. Principal Data Scientist
Skyworks Solutions
Irvine, California
Data Analytics
IT Support
Technical Program Management
$136k - $295k/yr
Doctoral degree in statistics
5,001-10,000

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Senior Principal Data Systems Software Engineer - Exadata Database
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Added 3d ago
Senior Principal Data Systems Software Engineer - Exadata Database
Oracle
Redwood City, California
Software Engineering
Systems Administration
Technical Program Management
Hybrid
Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering
10,000+

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Sr Principal Data Insight Analyst
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Added 6d ago
Sr Principal Data Insight Analyst
Northrop Grumman
Redondo Beach, California
Business Development
Customer Success
$129k - $194k/yr
Master's degree in business
10,000+

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Senior Principal Engineer, Data & Machine Learning
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Added 1w ago
Senior Principal Engineer, Data & Machine Learning
Sony Interactive Entertainment
San Mateo, California
Software Engineering
Solutions Architecture
Technical Product & Program Management
$304k - $456k/yr
Hybrid
Master's degree in computer science
1,001-5,000

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Senior Principal Engineer- Autonomous Driving (ADAS) Data Loop & Flywheel
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Added 1mo ago
Senior Principal Engineer- Autonomous Driving (ADAS) Data Loop & Flywheel
Bosch
Sunnyvale, California
Engineering (Non-Software)
Mechanical Engineering
Specialized Engineering
$240k - $320k/yr
Hybrid
Master's degree
10,000+

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See All 11 Senior Principal Data Engineer Jobs in California

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Senior Principal Data Engineer Jobs by City in California

Where California roles are concentrated, by current openings.

San Mateo
3 jobs
Irvine
2 jobs
San Diego
1 job
Sunnyvale
1 job
Emeryville
1 job
Edwards AFB
1 job
Redwood City
1 job
Redondo Beach
1 job

Senior Principal Data Engineer Job Market in California

A snapshot from current California openings, updated as new roles post.

Who's Hiring

Northrop Grumman3 open roles
Roblox2 open roles
Bosch1 open role

Top Industries Hiring

  • Technology & Software
  • Electronics & Hardware
  • Transportation & Logistics

What California Employers Look For

The qualifications that appear most often in senior principal data engineer jobs across California.

  • Bachelor's or master's degree in computer science, data engineering, or a related technical field
  • Eight or more years of experience designing and leading large-scale data platforms
  • Deep expertise in distributed systems and cloud data infrastructure on AWS, GCP, or Azure
  • Proficiency in Python, Scala, or Java alongside SQL and big data frameworks like Spark
  • Experience mentoring engineers and influencing technical roadmaps across multiple teams
  • Demonstrated ownership of real-time streaming pipelines using Kafka or similar technologies

Senior Principal Data Engineer Jobs in California: Frequently Asked Questions

How do you become a senior principal data engineer in California?

Senior principal data engineer is a senior individual-contributor role that does not require a California state license or credential. The typical path starts with a bachelor's or master's degree in computer science, data engineering, or a closely related field, followed by progressive experience building and leading data infrastructure at scale. California employers at this level look for a demonstrated history of owning platform architecture decisions, leading cross-functional technical initiatives, and mentoring senior engineers across a large organization.

How much do senior principal data engineers make in California?

Senior principal data engineers in California earn a median of about $170,160 a year, based on May 2025 Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data, ranging from around $101,200 for the lowest 10% to over $227,900 for the top 10%. Pay rises with experience, specialty, and employer.

Which companies hire senior principal data engineers in California?

Employers hiring senior principal data engineers in California right now include Northrop Grumman, Roblox, and Bosch, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. California's concentration of large technology headquarters, enterprise software companies, and data-intensive financial services firms means demand for this role is consistently distributed across both established tech giants and high-growth scale-ups.

Which California cities have the most senior principal data engineer jobs?

San Mateo, Irvine, and San Diego have the most senior principal data engineer openings in California. The Bay Area leads because it is home to the highest density of large technology company headquarters and cloud infrastructure teams in the state, while Los Angeles draws demand from entertainment technology, e-commerce, and fintech employers, and San Diego contributes through its biotech and defense technology sectors.

Are there remote senior principal data engineer jobs in California?

Yes, and more than most fields. Senior principal data engineering is a fully desk-based, analytical, and architectural role, making it well suited to remote arrangements. About 80% of senior principal data engineer openings tied to California are remote or hybrid as of November 2026, reflecting the broad adoption of distributed team structures across California's technology sector. Platform architecture, data modeling, and technical leadership functions are the areas most commonly performed remotely.

How can I get hired as a senior principal data engineer in California with little or no experience?

The most realistic path for candidates without senior-level experience is entering through a data engineer or software engineer role at a large California technology or cloud company and building upward. Employers such as Google, Meta, and Salesforce run structured new-graduate programs and associate engineering tracks that develop engineers toward the principal level over time. Adjacent roles in data analytics engineering, platform engineering, or machine learning infrastructure provide lateral entry points, and proficiency in Spark, Kafka, and a major cloud platform strengthens a candidate's positioning significantly.

Where can I find and apply to senior principal data engineer jobs in California?

You can find and apply to senior principal data engineer jobs in California on Migrate Mate, which lists current California openings at this level. Search the listings to find roles that match your experience and specialization, then apply directly to the ones that fit.

See All 11 Senior Principal Data Engineer Jobs in California

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