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Principal Designer Jobs in Washington (NOW HIRING)

Shield AI

Principal Designer (R5250)

Washington, DC

Hands-on experience designing LLM-powered experiences: streaming, progressive rendering, loading states, context and conversation management. * Deep knowledge of client and UI state management, the ...

Shield AI

Principal Designer (R5250)

Washington, DC · On-site

$230K - $340K/yr

Hands-on experience designing LLM-powered experiences: streaming, progressive rendering, loading states, context and conversation management. * Deep knowledge of client and UI state management, the ...

Range

Principal Product Designer

Mclean, VA · On-site

They are seeking a Principal Product Designer to own the end-to-end design process, collaborating with product managers and engineers to define project work and design timelines. Responsibilities ...

Range

Principal Product Designer

Mclean, VA · On-site

Designers at Range are catalysts, creating momentum and moving ideas forward. We think big, but we ship small and incrementally. You'll operate as a design leader across pods and product surfaces ...

Range

Principal Product Designer

Mclean, VA · On-site

$100 - $130/hr

Strong collaborator with product managers, engineering teams, and fellow designers * Communicates concisely with both pixel and words * Systems thinker: Able to see the big picture, understanding how ...

HDR

Federal Principal, Science

Arlington, VA

Watch Our Story:' We believe architecture is more than designing buildings, it's about providing ... In the role of Federal Principal, we'll count on you to focus on: * Project Leadership ...

HDR

Federal Principal, Science

Arlington, VA · On-site

Watch Our Story:' We believe architecture is more than designing buildings, it's about providing ... In the role of Federal Principal, we'll count on you to focus on: * Project Leadership ...

Zetier

Principal Vulnerability Researcher

Arlington, VA · On-site

Principal Vulnerability Researcher Zetier is seeking Principal Vulnerability Researchers to analyze ... Candidates will demonstrate practical experience designing, developing, and deploying tools ...

Zetier

Principal Vulnerability Researcher

Arlington, VA · On-site

Principal Vulnerability Researcher Zetier is seeking Principal Vulnerability Researchers to analyze ... Candidates will demonstrate practical experience designing, developing, and deploying tools ...

Zetier

Principal Vulnerability Researcher

Arlington, VA · On-site

Principal Vulnerability Researcher Zetier is seeking Principal Vulnerability Researchers to analyze ... Candidates will demonstrate practical experience designing, developing, and deploying tools ...

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Showing results 1-20

All JobsPrincipal Designer JobsPrincipal Designer Jobs in Washington

Principal Designer information

See Washington salary details

$41.3K

$123.9K

$206.1K

How much do principal designer jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 26, 2026, the average yearly pay for principal designer in Washington is $123,898.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $96,300.00 and $141,600.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a principal designer?

A Principal Designer is a senior professional in the design industry responsible for leading and overseeing the design process on major projects. They guide creative direction, manage design teams, and ensure that design solutions align with client goals and industry standards. Principal Designers often collaborate with clients, stakeholders, and other departments to deliver high-quality, innovative results. Their role typically includes mentorship, project management, and strategic planning to ensure successful project delivery.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a principal designer?

To thrive as a Principal Designer, you need advanced design expertise, a strong portfolio, and experience leading creative projects, often supported by a relevant degree in design or a related field. Mastery of design tools like Adobe Creative Suite, Figma, and prototyping software, as well as familiarity with design systems and industry standards, is typically required. Exceptional leadership, communication, and collaboration skills help Principal Designers guide teams and influence stakeholders. These skills are crucial for driving innovative design solutions, maintaining brand consistency, and ensuring project success across multidisciplinary teams.

How does a principal designer typically collaborate with cross-functional teams on large-scale projects?

As a Principal Designer, collaboration with cross-functional teams—such as product managers, engineers, researchers, and other designers—is a core aspect of the role. You will often lead design vision workshops, facilitate alignment on user experience goals, and ensure that design solutions are feasible and aligned with business objectives. Effective communication and the ability to advocate for user-centered design across disciplines are key to overcoming challenges and driving cohesive project outcomes. This collaborative environment not only fosters innovation but also provides opportunities to mentor junior team members and influence strategic decision-making.

What is the difference between Principal Designer vs Lead Designer?

AspectPrincipal DesignerLead Designer
CredentialsDesign degree, relevant certifications, extensive experienceDesign degree, experience, leadership skills
Work EnvironmentStrategic planning, cross-team collaboration, high-level project oversightProject execution, team management, creative direction
Industry UsageUsed across industries for senior design roles with strategic responsibilitiesCommonly used for team leadership in design projects

The Principal Designer typically holds a senior, strategic role focusing on overall design direction and cross-team collaboration, often with advanced credentials. The Lead Designer is more involved in managing design teams and executing creative projects. Both roles are vital in the design process but differ mainly in scope and focus.

What does a principal designer do?

A principal designer leads the design team and oversees the development of user experience and visual design for products or services. They set design strategies, ensure consistency, and collaborate with stakeholders, often using tools like Adobe Creative Suite or Figma. This role requires strong leadership, communication skills, and a deep understanding of design principles.

What are popular job titles related to Principal Designer jobs in Washington?

For Principal Designer jobs in Washington, the most frequently searched job titles are:

What job categories do people searching Principal Designer jobs in Washington look for?

The top searched job categories for Principal Designer jobs in Washington are:

Principal Designer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Principal Designer job openings in Washington as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 87% Full Time, 10% Part Time, 1% Temporary, and 2% Contract. Highlights an 89% Physical, 3% Hybrid, and 8% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $123,898 per year, or $59.6 per hour.

Principal Designer (R5250)

Shield AI

Washington, DC

Full-time

Re-posted 8 days ago

Job description

Shield AI is a venture-backed defense-tech company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include Hivemind autonomy software, V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, and Aechelon simulation and synthetic reality technologies. With offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific, Shield AI's technology actively supports operations worldwide. For more information, visit www.shield.ai. Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and YouTube. 

Job Description:

The Special Projects team at Shield AI is an elite force within the office of the CTO. It consists of a group of very senior (L5-L8) and highly experienced software engineering experts from diverse fields (aerospace, robotics, cloud infrastructure, game development, interactive media design, ...). The charter of this group is to steer technology development towards strategic alignment with the CTO's vision, through tactical insertion into teams and technologies across the organization. Individuals within this team make direct and at times forward-sprinting contributions to all three pillars of Hivemind, Shield AI's software ecosystem for developing and deploying resilient intelligent teaming for aircrafts. Hivemind consists of four products: EdgeOS (C++ based high-performance middleware for autonomy development), Pilot (autonomy for the edge built atop EdgeOS; a models-based, modular and open architecture C++ codebase), Forge (Shield AI's AI Factory for the design, development, and testing of Hivemind Edge systems; a service-oriented architecture leveraged through an SDK, CLI, and web portal; a Go, Python, Typescript codebase), Commander (Software and hardware to support rich human-in-the-loop and human-on-the-loop interactions with the Hivemind; a C++-based back-end for interaction with Pilot; and a web-application UI for mission planning, command and control by operators implemented in a Typescript/React codebase).

The Special Projects team is chartered to operate effectively within ambiguity. While this team does not own any software products, it tactically and strategically impacts the development of all foundational Hivemind products and leverages those technologies to rapidly deliver low-TRL solutions. This work happens shoulder-to-shoulder with the product teams in some cases, and in a forward-sprinting manner within the Special Projects team in other cases. The result is direct contribution to products in the former case, and development of reference implementations in the latter. The Special Projects team also functions as a pipeline for product and solution engineering teams across the organization. Individuals who enter the Special Projects team rapidly gain depth and breadth in their understanding of the Hivemind software ecosystem. This positions them well for leading technology development effort across the product and solution organization.

What you'll do:
  • Design and build the user experience for agentic AI products across the office of the CTO: an enterprise knowledge assistant (Brain), an agent-driven engineering platform (Springboard), and enterprise AI/data applications.
  • Prototype in code. Ship working React/TypeScript implementations, not mockups - then land them in production with the product teams.
  • Design the core interaction patterns of agentic software: streaming responses, citations and provenance, multi-modal input, artifact sharing, and human-in-the-loop review and approval surfaces.
  • Design interfaces for foundation-model based autonomy architectures and model lifecycle tooling: evaluation dashboards, trace inspection, observability, and verification surfaces.
  • Conduct user research across engineers, operators, and executives; define personae and translate findings into design decisions.
  • Investigate competing agentic and enterprise AI products; synthesize findings for engineering and product leadership.
  • Establish reusable design patterns and a component vocabulary for AI applications across the organization.
  • Drive adoption: instrument what you ship, watch real usage, and iterate daily.
Required qualifications:
  • 12+ years designing and building production software interfaces, with end-to-end ownership from research through shipped product.
  • Expert-level React/TypeScript; you write production-quality front-end code, not just prototypes.
  • Portfolio of shipped tools or applications demonstrating strong interaction design and visual craft.
  • Hands-on experience designing LLM-powered experiences: streaming, progressive rendering, loading states, context and conversation management.
  • Deep knowledge of client and UI state management, the DOM, browser APIs, WebSockets, and Server-Sent Events.
  • Experience running user research and usability testing, and acting on the results.
  • Strong software hygiene: Git, code review, testing, CI/CD.
  • Fluid intelligence that allows one to operate effectively in ambiguous conditions while finding opportunities to drive technical efforts and force multiply.
  • Experience with Linux, Docker, and a major cloud platform (Azure, GCP, AWS).
  • This role requires travel to a Shield AI location 1-3 times per quarter
Preferred qualifications:
  • Experience designing developer tools, IDEs, or engineering workflow products.
  • Data visualization experience (D3, WebGL, dashboards); geospatial a plus.
  • Experience building or maintaining a design system.
  • Experience designing debugging/inspection UIs for generative AI systems.
  • Experience with Electron (or similar).
  • Experience with user experience design for video games or interactive media.
  • Experience designing for "low code" or "no code" systems.
  • Comfort reading C++ and/or Python and/or Go.
$230,000 - $340,000 a year
#LI-KC3
#LF

Full-time regular employee offer package:
Pay within range listed + Bonus + Benefits + Equity
 
Temporary employee offer package:
Pay within range listed above + temporary benefits package (applicable after 60 days of employment)
 
Salary compensation is influenced by a wide array of factors including but not limited to skill set, level of experience, licenses and certifications, and specific work location. All offers are contingent on a cleared background and possible reference check. Military fellows and part-time employees are not eligible for benefits. Please speak to your talent acquisition representative for more information.
 
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Shield AI is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know. 
We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.
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