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Principal Application Developer Jobs (NOW HIRING)

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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 Jul 11, 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 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.

How does a Principal Application Developer typically 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 are Principal Application Developers?

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 are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a Principal Application Developer, and why are they important?

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.
What states have the most Principal Application Developer jobs? States with the most job openings for Principal Application Developer jobs include:
Principal Application Software Engineer

Principal Application Software Engineer

Oracle

Seattle, WA

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Retirement, PTO

Posted 12 days ago


Oracle rating

8.7

Company rating: 8.7 out of 10

Based on 148 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

45th of 209 rated software companies


Job description

Adheres to and improves execution of all phases of the application software development lifecycle; provides guidance and coaching to engineers to drive application-focused improvements. Utilizes advanced knowledge to develop and guide new application features and enhancements, leading design specifications, ensuring accessibility, and developing documents to clarify application design and code. Leads code reviews across multiple application areas to drive improvements. Conducts debugging and troubleshooting to identify and fix complex application issues. Develops fixes for identified issues. Troubleshoots and resolves complex issues related to application programming interface (API) functionality, integration, and service-to-service interactions. Implements and contributes to developing application software, systems, and services, ensuring review by manager and/or senior technical leaders upon completion. Recommends project or design scope for application components. Collaborates with stakeholders to understand customer use cases and align application solutions. May provide advanced technical guidance and support to customers regarding application-related issues. Collaborates with the team and externally to follow application development practices, secure coding standards, and code quality, providing coaching to less experienced team members. Performs periodic maintenance and testing operations for application systems that require upgrading or patching (e.g., for critical vulnerabilities), sharing results with manager upon completion.

Only Oracle brings together the data, infrastructure, applications, and expertise to power everything from industry innovations to life-saving care. And with AI embedded across our products and services, we help customers turn that promise into a better future for all. Discover your potential at a company leading the way in AI and cloud solutions that impact billions of lives.

True innovation starts when everyone is empowered to contribute. That's why we're committed to growing a workforce that promotes opportunities for all with competitive benefits that support our people with flexible medical, life insurance, and retirement options. We also encourage employees to give back to their communities through our volunteer programs.

We're committed to including people with disabilities at all stages of the employment process. If you require accessibility assistance or accommodation for a disability at any point, let us know by emailing accommodation-request_mb@oracle.com or by calling 1-888-404-2494 in the United States.

Oracle is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability and protected veterans' status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Oracle will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records pursuant to applicable law.

Disclaimer:
Certain U.S. based or U.S. customer or client-facing roles may be required to comply with applicable requirements, such as immunization/occupational health mandates, and/or drug testing requirements.
Range and benefit information provided in this posting are specific to the stated locations only
US: Hiring Range in USD from: $99,600 to $209,500 per annum. May be eligible for bonus and equity.
Oracle maintains broad salary ranges for its roles in order to account for variations in knowledge, skills, experience, market conditions and locations, as well as reflect Oracle's differing products, industries and lines of business.
Candidates are typically placed into the range based on the preceding factors as well as internal peer equity.
Oracle US offers a comprehensive benefits package which includes the following:
1. Medical, dental, and vision insurance, including expert medical opinion
2. Short term disability and long term disability
3. Life insurance and AD&D
4. Supplemental life insurance (Employee/Spouse/Child)
5. Health care and dependent care Flexible Spending Accounts
6. Pre-tax commuter and parking benefits
7. 401(k) Savings and Investment Plan with company match
8. Paid time off: Flexible Vacation is provided to all eligible employees assigned to a salaried (non-overtime eligible) position. Accrued Vacation is provided to all other employees eligible for vacation benefits. For employees working at least 35 hours per week, the vacation accrual rate is 13 days annually for the first three years of employment and 18 days annually for subsequent years of employment. Vacation accrual is prorated for employees working between 20 and 34 hours per week. Employees working fewer than 20 hours per week are not eligible for vacation.
9. 11 paid holidays
10. Paid sick leave: 72 hours of paid sick leave upon date of hire. Refreshes each calendar year. Unused balance will carry over each year up to a maximum cap of 112 hours.
11. Paid parental leave
12. Adoption assistance
13. Employee Stock Purchase Plan
14. Financial planning and group legal
15. Voluntary benefits including auto, homeowner and pet insurance
The role will generally accept applications for at least three calendar days from the posting date or as long as the job remains posted.

Career Level - IC4


Key Responsibilities
Application Software Development:

  • Drives feature development within an application.

  • Provides global production support to cloud-based applications as needed for critical issues by applying a working knowledge of at least one specialty area.

  • Troubleshoots and debugs routine and non-routine Oracle applications services and Oracle Cloud infrastructure, end-user application integrations, or acquisitions.

  • Partners across QA and engineering teams to discuss changes impacting an application's functionality and ensures quality and consistency across specific applications.

  • Considers designs of the existing software architecture when developing code for applications.

  • Translates requirements and features into a structured, scalable, maintainable, and performant code plan for an application.

  • Contributes to establishing the dependencies (e.g., API) associated with the functionality of an application.

  • Discusses application requirements with the customer while considering scalability and reliability, and recommends build priorities within teams and defines build priorities within team.

  • References and shares other sources of feedback (e.g., online forums, live site maintenance reports) to refine application requirements.

  • Collaborates with Designers, Product Managers, Software Engineers, and stakeholders when evaluating and integrating customer specifications and business requirements.

Software Development and Coding - Design, Testing, and Optimization:

  • Designs software solutions and analyzes and identifies requirements to achieve business and operational goals, sharing results with manager upon completion.

  • Adheres to and improves execution of all phases of the software development lifecycle; provides guidance and coaching to engineers to drive improvements.

  • Utilizes advanced knowledge to develop and guide new software features and enhancements leading design specifications, ensuring accessibility, and develops documents to clarify software design and code.

  • Leads code reviews in multiple areas to help drive improvements.

  • Conducts debugging and troubleshooting to identify and fix complex software issues.

  • Develops fixes for identified issues.

  • Implements comprehensive software testing (e.g., functional and non-functional testing), quality assurance processes, software error logging, monitoring, and observability for effective debugging, sharing work with manager and/or lead upon completion.

  • Conducts performance profiling and optimization of coding, building scalable solutions, and anticipating and resolving potential outcomes.

  • Troubleshoots and resolves complex issues related to application programming interface (API) functionality and integration. Implements complex API versioning, lifecycle, and interoperability strategies.

Software Architecture - Software System Structural Design:

  • Implements and contributes to developing software, systems, and services, ensuring review by manager and/or senior technical leaders upon completion. Recommends project or design scope.

  • Provides technical guidance and coaching to less experienced developers in existing software architecture.

  • Contributes to periodic reviews and ensures adherence to architectural standards.

  • Collaborates with stakeholders and networks externally to ensure work aligns with software architecture.

  • Implements complex performance optimization and scalability strategies in software design.

  • Occasionally conducts technology research and evaluation for potential architectural changes that may have an impact on results for the team.

Issue/Defect Collaboration - Software Products Support:

  • Collaborates with stakeholders to understand customer issues and align solutions.

  • May provide advanced technical guidance and support to customers regarding customer-reported issues.

  • Advocates for customers' interests and suggests product enhancements based on feedback.

  • Provides input to ensure customer satisfaction through timely resolution of issues and effective communication.

  • Identifies and implements customer issue and/or defect handling and training processes.

  • Investigates and troubleshoots complex and broad-reaching/scoped maintenance issues to ensure customer agreement on short- and long-term solutions (e.g., future enhancements).

Practices and Standards Compliance - Security and Compliance:

  • Collaborates with the team and externally to follow development practices and coding standards, providing coaching to less experienced team members.

  • Participates in peer review processes, provides technical leadership, and ensures code quality and adherence to broad acceptance criteria during development, independently.

  • Demonstrates and shares advanced knowledge of industry best practices and applies them to software development processes.

  • Implements complex secure coding practices to prevent security vulnerabilities.

Development Operations - System Maintenance:

  • Performs periodic maintenance and testing operations for systems that require upgrading or patching (e.g., for critical vulnerabilities), sharing results with manager upon completion.

  • Drives improvements, ensures automation, testing, and debugging of systems to ensure service/product availability, health, support, and reliability.

Core Responsibilities
Planning & Execution:

  • Manages and coordinates moderately complex tasks, monitoring timelines and deliverables to ensure timely completion and adherence to requirements for a moderately sized project or initiative. Efficiently delegates, monitors, and prioritizes work across multiple projects, providing technical oversight and adjusting plans to address shifts in resources or timelines.

Collaboration & Partnership:

  • Collaborates across the organization to align on expectations and achieve shared objectives. Leverages understanding of business leaders, stakeholders, and/or customers to ensure proposed solutions meet their needs. Supports inclusivity by actively seeking and listening to diverse perspectives, ensuring others feel heard and respected.

Problem Solving:

  • Identifies and addresses moderately complex issues by analyzing a wide range of data and/or information to identify solutions in accordance with standard practices. Proactively escalates unresolved or critical issues with a thorough assessment and suggests potential solutions. Reviews, contributes to, and documents problem-solving strategies.

Continuous Learning:

  • Pursues learning opportunities to expand knowledge and skills and/or tools in new areas and stays abreast of the latest industry trends and best practices. Proactively seeks and leverages ongoing feedback and training to improve skills. Coaches and mentors junior team members, fostering continuous learning and knowledge sharing within and across teams.

Continuous Improvement:

  • Develops ideas, recommends updates, and/or collaborates on the implementation of process improvements to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of processes, protocols, and workflows across teams, and evaluates the impact on key stakeholders. Solicits feedback from others on ideas for alternative approaches and methods for continued improvement.

Performance and Development:

  • Contributes to the talent development pipeline by participating in candidate interviews, assessing candidates, and providing hiring recommendations.


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About Oracle

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An Oracle career can span industries, roles, Countries and cultures, giving you the opportunity to flourish in new roles and innovate, while blending work life in. Oracle has thrived through 40+ years of change by innovating and operating with integrity while delivering for the top companies in almost every industry. In order to nurture the talent that makes this happen, we are committed to an inclusive culture that celebrates and values diverse insights and perspectives, a workforce that inspires thought leadership and innovation. Oracle offers a highly competitive suite of Employee Benefits designed on the principles of parity, consistency, and affordability. The overall package includes certain core elements such as Medical, Life Insurance, access to Retirement Planning, and much more. We also encourage our employees to engage in the culture of giving back to the communities where we live and do business. At Oracle, we believe that innovation starts with diversity and inclusion and to create the future we need talent from various backgrounds, perspectives, and abilities. We ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to successfully participate in the job application, interview process, and in potential roles. to perform crucial job functions. That's why we're committed to creating a workforce where all individuals can do their best work. It's when everyone's voice is heard and valued that we're inspired to go beyond what's been done before.

Industry

It services

Company size

10,000+ Employees

Headquarters location

Redwood City, CA, US

Year founded

1977

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