Principal Software Engineer Visa Sponsorship Jobs in Tennessee
Tennessee's principal software engineer market spans Nashville's fast-growing tech sector, Knoxville's defense and research corridor, and Memphis's logistics and healthcare technology companies. Major employers including Oracle, HCA Healthcare, and Asurion have sponsored principal-level engineers here. The state's lower cost of living relative to coastal hubs makes it an increasingly competitive destination for senior engineering talent.
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Get Access To All JobsINTRODUCTION
The Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) team offers the opportunity to build, maintain and operate massive-scale, integrated cloud services in a broadly distributed, multi-tenant cloud environment. OCI builds cloud products for customers who are solving some of the world's largest technical and business challenges. Oracle Kubernetes Engine (OKE) is OCI's managed Kubernetes service that enables customers to deploy, operate, and scale Kubernetes clusters on OCI through seamless integration with OCI Compute, Networking, Storage, Identity, Security, Observability, and Developer services. The OKE team owns a highly available 24x7 cloud service and continues to expand the platform with new capabilities, improved scalability, stronger operational excellence, deeper OCI integrations, and support for increasingly demanding cloud-native workloads.
We are looking for a Senior Software Developer (IC3) who enjoys building reliable software systems and solving challenging engineering problems. This role is ideal for engineers with strong software development fundamentals, experience building distributed systems, and a solid understanding of Kubernetes and cloud-native technologies.
As part of the OKE team, you will design, develop, test, deploy, and operate software that provisions, upgrades, and manages Kubernetes clusters across OCI regions. You'll work on Kubernetes lifecycle management, distributed control plane services, automation, developer productivity tooling, and platform capabilities while collaborating closely with engineers across OCI to deliver a secure, scalable, and highly available managed Kubernetes service. Engineers on this team have end-to-end ownership—from design and implementation through production operations—and contribute directly to the reliability, scalability, and customer experience of one of OCI's foundational cloud-native services.
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS
- BS/MS in Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent practical experience.
- 6+ years of experience building and operating production software systems, preferably distributed systems or cloud services.
- Strong programming experience in Java or Go.
- Strong fundamentals in data structures, algorithms, operating systems, networking, and distributed systems.
- Good understanding of Kubernetes fundamentals, including pods, deployments, services, controllers, cluster operations, and cloud-native application patterns.
- Experience working with containers, Docker, Kubernetes, or related cloud-native technologies.
- Experience with CI/CD systems, automated testing, and modern software development practices.
- Experience using AI-assisted software development tools to improve engineering productivity across coding, testing, debugging, and documentation while maintaining high standards for code quality, security, and engineering judgment.
- Strong debugging, troubleshooting, and problem-solving skills.
- Excellent communication skills with a strong sense of ownership and the ability to collaborate effectively across teams.
- Experience operating highly available production services, including on-call rotations, incident response, and driving operational excellence.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Experience building or operating multi-tenant cloud infrastructure or managed services.
- Experience with Kubernetes platforms such as OKE, EKS, GKE, or AKS.
- Experience with OCI or other public cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure, or GCP.
- Familiarity with Kubernetes internals, controllers/operators, cluster lifecycle management, networking, or storage.
- Experience with observability platforms, including logging, metrics, tracing, and incident response.
- Experience developing automation, developer productivity tools, or operational tooling.
- Experience contributing to open-source software or cloud-native communities.
As a Principal Engineer on the Oracle Kubernetes Engine (OKE) team, you will:
- Design, develop, test, deploy, and operate features for Oracle Kubernetes Engine and related cloud-native services.
- Build scalable distributed systems that provision, upgrade, and manage Kubernetes clusters across OCI regions.
- Improve the reliability, scalability, performance, and operational efficiency of OKE services.
- Develop automation, tooling, and testing frameworks that simplify operations, improve engineering productivity, and enhance service quality.
- Debug complex production issues across Kubernetes, networking, compute, storage, and OCI infrastructure services.
- Collaborate with partner teams across OCI to design and deliver integrated cloud platform capabilities that provide the best customer experience.
- Participate in technical design discussions, code reviews, operational reviews, and continuous improvement initiatives.
- Take ownership of features throughout their lifecycle, from design and implementation through production operations and continuous improvement.
- Contribute to operating a highly available 24x7 cloud service with a strong focus on reliability, security, scalability, and operational excellence.
- Be a versatile engineer who can troubleshoot issues across multiple layers of the technology stack and drive problems to resolution.
INTRODUCTION
The Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) team offers the opportunity to build, maintain and operate massive-scale, integrated cloud services in a broadly distributed, multi-tenant cloud environment. OCI builds cloud products for customers who are solving some of the world's largest technical and business challenges. Oracle Kubernetes Engine (OKE) is OCI's managed Kubernetes service that enables customers to deploy, operate, and scale Kubernetes clusters on OCI through seamless integration with OCI Compute, Networking, Storage, Identity, Security, Observability, and Developer services. The OKE team owns a highly available 24x7 cloud service and continues to expand the platform with new capabilities, improved scalability, stronger operational excellence, deeper OCI integrations, and support for increasingly demanding cloud-native workloads.
We are looking for a Senior Software Developer (IC3) who enjoys building reliable software systems and solving challenging engineering problems. This role is ideal for engineers with strong software development fundamentals, experience building distributed systems, and a solid understanding of Kubernetes and cloud-native technologies.
As part of the OKE team, you will design, develop, test, deploy, and operate software that provisions, upgrades, and manages Kubernetes clusters across OCI regions. You'll work on Kubernetes lifecycle management, distributed control plane services, automation, developer productivity tooling, and platform capabilities while collaborating closely with engineers across OCI to deliver a secure, scalable, and highly available managed Kubernetes service. Engineers on this team have end-to-end ownership—from design and implementation through production operations—and contribute directly to the reliability, scalability, and customer experience of one of OCI's foundational cloud-native services.
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS
- BS/MS in Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent practical experience.
- 6+ years of experience building and operating production software systems, preferably distributed systems or cloud services.
- Strong programming experience in Java or Go.
- Strong fundamentals in data structures, algorithms, operating systems, networking, and distributed systems.
- Good understanding of Kubernetes fundamentals, including pods, deployments, services, controllers, cluster operations, and cloud-native application patterns.
- Experience working with containers, Docker, Kubernetes, or related cloud-native technologies.
- Experience with CI/CD systems, automated testing, and modern software development practices.
- Experience using AI-assisted software development tools to improve engineering productivity across coding, testing, debugging, and documentation while maintaining high standards for code quality, security, and engineering judgment.
- Strong debugging, troubleshooting, and problem-solving skills.
- Excellent communication skills with a strong sense of ownership and the ability to collaborate effectively across teams.
- Experience operating highly available production services, including on-call rotations, incident response, and driving operational excellence.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Experience building or operating multi-tenant cloud infrastructure or managed services.
- Experience with Kubernetes platforms such as OKE, EKS, GKE, or AKS.
- Experience with OCI or other public cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure, or GCP.
- Familiarity with Kubernetes internals, controllers/operators, cluster lifecycle management, networking, or storage.
- Experience with observability platforms, including logging, metrics, tracing, and incident response.
- Experience developing automation, developer productivity tools, or operational tooling.
- Experience contributing to open-source software or cloud-native communities.
As a Principal Engineer on the Oracle Kubernetes Engine (OKE) team, you will:
- Design, develop, test, deploy, and operate features for Oracle Kubernetes Engine and related cloud-native services.
- Build scalable distributed systems that provision, upgrade, and manage Kubernetes clusters across OCI regions.
- Improve the reliability, scalability, performance, and operational efficiency of OKE services.
- Develop automation, tooling, and testing frameworks that simplify operations, improve engineering productivity, and enhance service quality.
- Debug complex production issues across Kubernetes, networking, compute, storage, and OCI infrastructure services.
- Collaborate with partner teams across OCI to design and deliver integrated cloud platform capabilities that provide the best customer experience.
- Participate in technical design discussions, code reviews, operational reviews, and continuous improvement initiatives.
- Take ownership of features throughout their lifecycle, from design and implementation through production operations and continuous improvement.
- Contribute to operating a highly available 24x7 cloud service with a strong focus on reliability, security, scalability, and operational excellence.
- Be a versatile engineer who can troubleshoot issues across multiple layers of the technology stack and drive problems to resolution.
Principal Software Engineer Job Roles in Tennessee
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Search Principal Software Engineer Jobs in TennesseePrincipal Software Engineer Jobs in Tennessee: Frequently Asked Questions
Which companies sponsor visas for principal software engineers in Tennessee?
Companies with a track record of sponsoring principal software engineers in Tennessee include Oracle, HCA Healthcare, Asurion, Optum, and Bridgestone Americas. Defense contractors operating near Oak Ridge and Huntsville also hire at the principal level, though security clearance requirements can complicate sponsorship eligibility for some visa categories. Larger enterprises are generally better positioned to manage the H-1B visa petition process for senior roles.
Which visa types are most common for principal software engineer roles in Tennessee?
The H-1B is the most common visa category for principal software engineers in Tennessee, given the role's clear specialty occupation classification requiring a relevant bachelor's degree or higher. Candidates with extraordinary ability may qualify for the O-1A. Those already holding an H-1B elsewhere can transfer to a Tennessee employer without waiting for a new lottery cycle, which matters at the principal level where employers often need to move quickly.
Which cities in Tennessee have the most principal software engineer sponsorship jobs?
Nashville concentrates the largest share of principal software engineer sponsorship activity, driven by its healthcare IT sector and growing startup ecosystem. Knoxville sees demand tied to Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the University of Tennessee, and adjacent defense contractors. Memphis has a smaller but active market in logistics technology and healthcare. Franklin and Brentwood, suburban Nashville, also host significant corporate technology operations that hire at the principal level.
How to find principal software engineer visa sponsorship jobs in Tennessee?
Migrate Mate filters job listings specifically by visa sponsorship availability, making it straightforward to browse principal software engineer roles in Tennessee without sorting through positions that don't offer sponsorship. Because principal-level roles move quickly and aren't always widely advertised, checking Migrate Mate regularly for new Tennessee listings gives you an early view of openings at companies already set up to sponsor senior engineering talent in the state.
Are there any Tennessee-specific considerations for principal software engineers pursuing visa sponsorship?
Tennessee has no state income tax on wages, which affects the prevailing wage calculation context employers consider when budgeting for sponsored roles. The Oak Ridge research corridor creates demand for principal engineers with specialized backgrounds, but some positions there require eligibility for federal security clearances, which can restrict sponsorship pathways. Nashville's healthcare technology concentration means principal engineers with domain experience in clinical systems or health data infrastructure are particularly sought after by local sponsors.
What is the prevailing wage for sponsored principal software engineer jobs in Tennessee?
U.S. employers sponsoring a visa must pay at least the prevailing wage, which is what workers in the same role, area, and experience level typically earn. The Department of Labor sets this rate to make sure companies aren't hiring foreign workers simply because they'd accept lower pay than a U.S. worker. It varies by job title, location, and experience. You can look up current prevailing wage rates for any occupation and location using the OFLC Wage Search page.