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Principal Application Developer Jobs (NOW HIRING)

VSE

The Principal Application Developer is accountable for the design, coding/build, and scale-out of a modern e-commerce platform backend. In this role you will be responsible for the software ...

Oracle

Principal Application Software Engineer

Reston, VA · On-site

$140K - $188K/yr

Principal Application Software Engineer Position Overview Oracle Government Defense & Intelligence is seeking a Principal Application Software Engineer to design, build, and operate secure ...

Oracle

Principal Application Software Engineer

Reston, VA · On-site

$140K - $188K/yr

Principal Application Software Engineer Position Overview Oracle Government Defense & Intelligence is seeking a Principal Application Software Engineer to design, build, and operate secure ...

Oracle

Principal Application Software Engineer

Reston, VA

$140K - $188K/yr

Principal Application Software Engineer Position Overview Oracle Government Defense & Intelligence is seeking a Principal Application Software Engineer to design, build, and operate secure ...

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Principal Application Developer information

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$72K

$120.8K

$158K

How much do principal application developer jobs pay per year?

As of Sep 14, 2026, the average yearly pay for principal application developer in the United States is $120,809.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $102,000.00 and $141,500.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a principal application developer?

Principal Application Developers are senior-level software engineers responsible for leading the design, development, and implementation of complex software applications. They often set technical direction, mentor other developers, and ensure that coding standards and best practices are followed. In addition to hands-on programming, they collaborate with stakeholders to align technical solutions with business goals. Their role also involves troubleshooting high-level issues and making architectural decisions to ensure scalability and maintainability of applications.

What skills and qualifications are needed to be a principal application developer?

To thrive as a Principal Application Developer, you need extensive experience in software development, advanced programming skills in multiple languages, and a strong understanding of application architecture, typically supported by a relevant degree. Mastery of development frameworks, cloud platforms (like AWS or Azure), DevOps tools, and often certifications such as AWS Certified Solutions Architect are highly valued. Leadership, effective communication, and problem-solving skills help you guide teams and collaborate across departments. These competencies ensure the successful delivery of robust, scalable applications and effective mentorship within development teams.

How does a principal application developer collaborate with cross-functional teams on large-scale projects?

Principal Application Developers play a critical role in coordinating with cross-functional teams, including product managers, UX designers, quality assurance engineers, and infrastructure specialists. They often lead technical discussions, set architectural standards, and ensure that development aligns with business objectives. Effective collaboration involves frequent communication, agile ceremonies, code reviews, and mentoring team members. This collaborative environment enables Principal Application Developers to guide projects from conception to deployment while fostering a culture of technical excellence.

What is the difference between Principal Application Developer vs Senior Application Developer?

AspectPrincipal Application DeveloperSenior Application Developer
CredentialsBachelor's or Master's in Computer Science, relevant certificationsBachelor's or Master's in Computer Science, relevant certifications
Work EnvironmentLeads project architecture, mentors teams, influences technical strategyDevelops applications, troubleshoots, and implements solutions under guidance
Industry UsageUsed across industries for senior technical leadership rolesCommonly employed for experienced developers executing complex tasks

The Principal Application Developer typically holds a higher level of responsibility, focusing on architecture, leadership, and strategic technical decisions. In contrast, the Senior Application Developer primarily concentrates on coding, problem-solving, and project execution. Both roles require strong technical skills and relevant experience, but the Principal role involves more leadership and strategic planning.

What does a principal application developer do?

A principal application developer designs, develops, and maintains complex software applications, often providing technical leadership within a team. They analyze user requirements, create system architecture, and ensure code quality, typically using programming languages like Java, C#, or Python. They also mentor junior developers and collaborate with stakeholders to deliver scalable solutions.

What states have the most Principal Application Developer jobs?

States with the most job openings for Principal Application Developer jobs include:

What are popular job titles related to Principal Application Developer jobs?

For Principal Application Developer jobs, the most frequently searched job titles are:

Principal Application Developer jobs near you

Principal Application Developer

Roseland, NJ • On-site

Fairygodboss
Recruiting and Staffing Services • 11 - 50 employees
Learn more about Fairygodbossexternal

Other

Posted 6 days ago

Job description

Applications for this role will be accepted on an ongoing basis.
ADP Technology Services, Inc. is hiring a Principal Application Developer in our Roseland, NJ location.
  • Are you empathetic to client needs and inspired by transformation and impacting the lives of millions of people every day?
  • Are you looking to join a dynamic, inclusive team environment with a culture of collaboration and belonging?

Well, this may be the role for you! Ready to design what's next?
To thrive in this career, you'll need to be enthusiastic, eager to learn, and take on stretch assignments. You strive to learn new technologies and find ways to incorporate what you learn into building your results. You'll be curious, persistent, and at times persuasive.
  • Influence and inspire confidence. You are comfortable presenting to senior leaders, product owners, and peers with a compelling voice that you demonstrate through executive presence, leading change, and creating clear executive-level communications on milestone achievements.
  • Challenges. Inevitable challenges will arise, and we'll rely on you to look for a solution.
  • Responsibilities. Responsible for developing, training and iterating on natural language processing models, chatbots and generative AI models using state-of-the-art techniques. Setting standards and best practices for chatbot development across the company. Continuously improving our NLP and chatbot capabilities by leveraging large datasets, optimizing model architectures, and experimenting with the latest advances in deep learning. Owning end-to-end development of AI projects, serving as the technical lead and resource for other team members. Working closely with product managers and UX designers to ensure our AI applications provide an engaging, intuitive and human-like conversational experience. Using analytical skills to interpret chatbot and NLP model data, identify issues, and recommend improvements. Optimizing system performance for scalability, speed and accuracy as user interactions grow over time. Keeping up-to-date on the latest research and techniques in NLP, neural networks, reinforcement learning and other AI fields. Guiding junior members of the NLP/AI team.

TO SUCCEED IN THIS ROLE:
  • Education and Qualifications/Skills and Competencies. Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Information Systems, or related field of study plus six (6) years of related experience required. The company will also accept a Master's degree and four (4) years of related experience.
  • Work Experience. Two (2) years of experience must include: Building, optimizing and deploying production chatbots and NLP models; Python, NLP libraries, neural network architectures and reinforcement learning techniques; Data interpretation; Generative AI models such as GPT-3; Dialogflow; Microsoft Bot Framework; IBM Watson; Natural language processing, machine learning, and AI principles; and Build and curate knowledge base for Generative AI platforms.

YOU'LL LOVE WORKING HERE BECAUSE YOU CAN:
  • Have courageous team collaboration. Courage comes from how associates are willing to have difficult conversations, speak up, be an owner, and challenge one another's ideas to find the best solution.
  • Deliver at an epic scale. We deliver real user outcomes using strong judgment and good instincts. We're obsessed with the art of achieving simplicity with a focus on client happiness and productivity.
  • Be surrounded by curious learners. We align ourselves with other smart people in an environment where we grow and elevate one another to the next level. We encourage our associates to listen, stay agile, and learn from mistakes.
  • Act like an owner & doer. Mission-driven and committed to leading change, you will be encouraged to take on any challenge and solve complex problems. No tasks are beneath or too great for us. We are hands-on and willing to master our craft.
  • Give back to others. Always do the right thing for our clients and our community and humbly give back to the community where we live and work. Support our associates in times of need through ADP's Philanthropic Foundation.
  • Join a company committed to equality and equity. Our goal is to impact lasting change through our actions.

A little about ADP: We are a global leader in HR technology, offering the latest AI and machine learning-enhanced payroll, tax, HR, benefits, and much more. We believe our people make all the difference in cultivating an inclusive, down-to-earth culture that welcomes ideas, encourages innovation, and values belonging. ADP has a deep commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion as a global Best Places to Work, DiversityInc ® Top 50 Company, Best CEO and company for women, LGBTQ+, multicultural talent, and more. Learn more about ADP's commitment on our YouTube channel: http://adp.careers/DEI_Videos
What are you waiting for? Apply today!
Find out why people come to ADP and why they stay: https://youtu.be/ODb8lxBrxrY
(ADA version: https://youtu.be/IQjUCA8SOoA )
For more information please visit: jobs.adp.com
#DNS
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Equal Employment Opportunity at ADP: ADP is committed to an inclusive, diverse and equitable workplace, and is further committed to providing equal employment opportunities regardless of any protected characteristic including: race, color, genetic information, creed, national origin, religion, sex, affectional or sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, lawful alien status, ancestry, age, marital status, protected veteran status or disability. Hiring decisions are based upon ADP's operating needs, and applicant merit including, but not limited to, qualifications, experience, ability, availability, cooperation, and job performance.
Ethics at ADP: ADP has a long, proud history of conducting business with the highest ethical standards and full compliance with all applicable laws. We also expect our people to uphold our values with the highest level of integrity and behave in a manner that fosters an honest and respectful workplace. Click https://jobs.adp.com/life-at-adp/ to learn more about ADP's culture and our full set of values.
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