ZipRecruiter

Log In

1

Principal Desktop Engineer Jobs (NOW HIRING)

ARK Infotech Spectrum

Principal Engineer

Irving, TX · On-site

Principal Engineer - Irving, TX (Onsite) Local candidates preferred. The Principal Engineer will ... desktop, and on-premises environments. · Design scalable, resilient, secure, and compliant ...

Addison Group

Enterprise Endpoint Engineer

Dallas, TX · Remote

$109K - $136K/yr

Design Citrix / VMware / Azure Virtual Desktop solutions * Define remote access architecture ... Senior Architect / Principal Architect * Enterprise Architect track * Director track feeder role ...

Microsoft

Principal Software Engineer

Redmond, WA · On-site

$142K - $274K/yr

Windows 365 and Azure Virtual Desktop are redefining personal computing by making a complete ... We are looking for a Principal Software Engineer who will shape how this product comes together as ...

Addison Group

Enterprise Endpoint Engineer

Dallas, TX · On-site

$105K - $131K/yr

Design Citrix / VMware / Azure Virtual Desktop solutions * Define remote access architecture ... Senior Architect / Principal Architect * Enterprise Architect track * Director track feeder role ...

The EDH, LLC

The primary responsibility of the PC Builds Technician, is to image new desktops & laptops ... The technician is the principal owner of the service request as well as the customer's overall ...

Quevera LLC

Principal EDR Engineer

Annapolis Junction, MD · On-site

$191K - $230K/yr

... desktop infrastructure, air-gapped, and other highly restricted environments. You will bridge ... As a Principal EDR Engineer, you will advise Government stakeholders on system risks and ...

previous pagenext page

Showing results 21-40

All JobsPrincipal Desktop Engineer Jobs

Principal Desktop Engineer information

See salary details

$10

$45

$81

How much do principal desktop engineer jobs pay per hour?

As of Sep 11, 2026, the average hourly pay for principal desktop engineer in the United States is $45.20, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $27.88 and $57.93 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is the difference between Principal Desktop Engineer vs Desktop Support Manager?

AspectPrincipal Desktop EngineerDesktop Support Manager
CredentialsBachelor's in IT or related field, certifications like CompTIA A+, Microsoft CertifiedBachelor's in IT, Business, or related field, certifications like HDI Support Center Manager
Work EnvironmentDesigning, implementing, and maintaining desktop infrastructure, often in enterprise settingsManaging support teams, overseeing helpdesk operations, ensuring service quality
Employer & IndustryTech companies, large enterprises, government agenciesIT service providers, large corporations, government agencies

The Principal Desktop Engineer focuses on technical design and implementation of desktop systems, while the Desktop Support Manager oversees support teams and service delivery. Both roles require strong technical skills, but differ in leadership scope and daily responsibilities.

Is principal desktop engineering a good career?

Principal desktop engineering is a senior IT role focused on managing and optimizing desktop environments, often requiring expertise in operating systems, scripting, and enterprise tools. It offers opportunities for leadership, specialized technical skills, and competitive compensation, making it a viable career path for experienced IT professionals. Career growth can include moving into management or specialized technical roles depending on skills and certifications.

What cities are hiring for Principal Desktop Engineer jobs?

Cities with the most Principal Desktop Engineer job openings:

What states have the most Principal Desktop Engineer jobs?

States with the most job openings for Principal Desktop Engineer jobs include:

What are popular job titles related to Principal Desktop Engineer jobs?

For Principal Desktop Engineer jobs, the most frequently searched job titles are:

Infographic showing various Principal Desktop Engineer job openings in the United States as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 92% Full Time, 2% Part Time, and 6% Contract. Highlights an 86% Physical, 5% Hybrid, and 9% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $94,019 per year, or $45.2 per hour.

Principal Software Engineer, AI Email Applications, Artificial Intelligence (AI) Required - Work ...

San Francisco, CA • Remote

Next Step Systems
IT Services • 11 - 50 employees
Learn more about Next Step Systemsexternal

$159K - $213K/yr

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, PTO

Posted 4 days ago

Job description

Job Description

Principal Software Engineer, AI Email Applications, Artificial Intelligence (AI) Required - Work From Home

As the Principal Software Engineer, AI Email Applications, you own the engineering layer that turns Artificial Intelligence (AI) capability into a reliable product.  You will shape the architecture across backend services, APIs, and client applications, while leading a small team of senior engineers.  This is a hands-on leadership role.  You stay close to the code, make critical architectural decisions, and ensure the system remains fast, reliable, and coherent as it scales.  This position is 100% Remote.

MUST BE WILLING TO TAKE A 60 MINUTE CODING ASSESSMENT.

Principal Software Engineer Responsibilities:

- Own the application engineering strategy and execution across backend, mobile, and desktop.

- Design reliable systems for AI-powered workflows, including state, orchestration, tool use, retries, fallbacks, and failure handling.

- Build the APIs and abstractions that connect Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems to real-world product experiences.

- Lead a small, senior engineering team and raise the technical bar through design reviews, code reviews, and hands-on mentorship.

- Make high-impact trade-offs across latency, reliability, cost, security, and user experience.

- Establish strong production foundations: observability, monitoring, testing, and operational excellence.

- Partner closely with Machine Learning (ML) leadership to turn model capabilities into robust, shippable product experiences.

- Move quickly while keeping the architecture simple, maintainable, and ready to scale.

Principal Software Engineer Outcomes:

- Production systems are observable, monitored, and stable under real-world load.

- Decisions consistently balance speed, cost, reliability, and user experience.

- Features across backend, mobile, and desktop work smoothly and reliably.

- Latency and reliability improve measurably over time.

Qualifications

Principal Software Engineer Qualifications:

- Artificial Intelligence (AI) experience is required.

- Significant experience leading application or product engineering for complex systems.

- Strong hands-on background building and shipping backend systems used in production.

- Experience building AI-powered products or systems that integrate with modern Machine Learning (ML)/Large Language Model (LLM) capabilities.

- Strong technical judgment and the ability to make decisions with incomplete information.

- Comfortable working across backend and client platforms, with deep expertise in at least one.

- A strong bias toward ownership, shipping, and learning from real-world usage.

- High standards for code quality, reliability, and engineering fundamentals.

Benefits include medical insurance, Dental, Vision, Savings Plan Options, PTO, etc.

Keywords:  San Francisco CA Jobs, AI, Artificial Intelligence, AI Email Applications, APIs, Backend, Desktop, IT Lead, LLM, Large Language Model, ML, Machine Learning, Mobile, Principal Software Engineer, Work From Home, Remote, California Recruiters, IT Jobs, California Recruiting

Looking to hire a Principal Software Engineer in San Francisco, CA or in other cities?  Our IT recruiting agencies and staffing companies can help.

We help companies that are looking to hire Principal Software Engineers for jobs in San Francisco, California and in other cities too.  Please contact our IT recruiting agencies and IT staffing companies today!

Additional Information

Please check out all of our jobs at www.nextstepsystems.com.

Apply