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Principal Development Engineer Jobs (NOW HIRING)

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Principal Development Engineer information

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$74K

$147.2K

$212.5K

How much do principal development engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Jul 14, 2026, the average yearly pay for principal development engineer in the United States is $147,220.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $118,500.00 and $173,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is the difference between Principal Development Engineer vs Senior Software Engineer?

AspectPrincipal Development EngineerSenior Software Engineer
Required CredentialsBachelor's or Master's in Engineering, extensive experience, possibly certifications in specific technologiesBachelor's or Master's in Computer Science or related field, several years of experience
Work EnvironmentLead technical projects, influence architecture, collaborate across teamsDevelop software, implement features, troubleshoot issues
Employer & Industry UsageTech companies, manufacturing, R&D departmentsSoftware development firms, tech startups, IT departments
Search & Comparison IntentUnderstanding senior technical roles, career progressionTechnical expertise, hands-on development focus

The Principal Development Engineer typically holds a higher level of responsibility, focusing on leading projects and strategic technical decisions, whereas a Senior Software Engineer primarily concentrates on coding and implementing solutions. Both roles require strong technical skills, but the Principal role involves broader influence and leadership within the organization.

What engineer makes $500,000 a year?

Principal Development Engineers in certain industries, such as technology or aerospace, can earn $500,000 or more annually, especially with extensive experience, specialized skills, and leadership responsibilities. Compensation at this level often includes base salary, bonuses, stock options, or profit sharing.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a Principal Development Engineer, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Principal Development Engineer, you need extensive experience in software or hardware development, advanced problem-solving abilities, and typically a bachelor's or master's degree in engineering or a related field. Mastery of relevant programming languages, development frameworks, and project management tools, as well as certifications like PMP or Agile, is highly valuable. Leadership, collaboration, and strong communication skills are essential for guiding teams and managing complex projects. These competencies are crucial for driving technical innovation, ensuring project success, and fostering a high-performing engineering environment.

How does a Principal Development Engineer typically collaborate with cross-functional teams during product development?

As a Principal Development Engineer, you'll frequently work with cross-functional teams including product managers, designers, QA engineers, and operations staff. Your role involves translating product requirements into technical solutions, providing technical leadership, and ensuring alignment across departments. Effective communication and the ability to balance technical constraints with business priorities are key. You'll also mentor junior engineers and help set coding standards to maintain high-quality deliverables throughout the development lifecycle.

What is a principal development engineer?

A principal development engineer is a senior technical role responsible for leading complex engineering projects, designing solutions, and guiding development teams. They typically possess advanced technical skills, extensive experience, and often contribute to strategic planning, code reviews, and mentoring. This role may require expertise in specific tools, programming languages, and industry standards.

What engineers make $200,000 a year?

Principal Development Engineers and senior software engineers in specialized fields such as machine learning, cloud infrastructure, or cybersecurity often earn $200,000 or more annually, especially with extensive experience, advanced skills, and relevant certifications. Compensation can vary based on industry, location, and company size, with some roles also including bonuses and stock options.

What are Principal Development Engineers?

Principal Development Engineers are senior-level professionals who lead technical development efforts within engineering teams. They are responsible for designing and overseeing the implementation of complex systems or products, providing technical guidance to other engineers, and ensuring that engineering best practices are followed. In addition to their technical expertise, they often collaborate with stakeholders, manage project timelines, and help set the technical direction for their organization. Their role is critical in bridging the gap between engineering execution and strategic business goals.

What engineers make $300,000 a year?

Principal Development Engineers and senior software engineers with extensive experience, specialized skills, and leadership responsibilities can earn $300,000 or more annually. High compensation often reflects expertise in areas like cloud computing, AI, or large-scale system design, along with advanced certifications and a strong track record of project delivery.
More about Principal Development Engineer jobs
What states have the most Principal Development Engineer jobs? States with the most job openings for Principal Development Engineer jobs include:
What job categories do people searching Principal Development Engineer jobs look for? The top searched job categories for Principal Development Engineer jobs are:
Infographic showing various Principal Development Engineer job openings in the United States as of July 2026, with employment types broken down into 95% Full Time, and 5% Contract. Highlights an 100% In-person job distribution, with an average salary of $147,220 per year, or $70.8 per hour.
Principal Development Engineer - Sustainable Infrastructure

Principal Development Engineer - Sustainable Infrastructure

Johnson Controls

Indianapolis, IN • On-site

Full-time

Re-posted 9 days ago


Johnson Controls rating

8.1

Company rating: 8.1 out of 10

Based on 399 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

107th of 527 rated manufacturers


Job description

What you will do
Under general direction, participates as a leader of the Development Team to achieve department and project objectives on large projects. Leads engineering, process, or financial tasks during both preliminary & detailed development phases of projects. Supports the team in achieving business goals by following the Solutions Playbook and Best Business Practices methodology. Performs high level analysis, promotes project quality and innovative scope to support closing bundled Sustainability Infrastructure projects. Supports engineering, process, or financial tasks during solution design or during detailed development on large complex projects. Responsible to establish an ongoing partnership with the customer on assigned projects. Leads and mentors Development Engineer personnel. Conducts all activities with the highest of Professional and Ethical standards. Additional Duties will include improving project development processes, conducting appropriate research for unique technology applications and innovative solutions.
How you will do it
1. Provides technical, process or financial support to the Sales team during the design process. Assists as needed in developing the customer business case for the conceptual solution.
2. Leads preliminary data collection, auditing, and modeling efforts for assigned opportunities. Leads or supports detailed development of projects. Validates assumptions made during solution design. Builds a detailed development budget and schedule. Works with operations team and outside partners to develop project estimate and scope of work, as well as energy savings and financial models (ROI). Assists in preparing proposals and other customer communication documents. Utilizes specialized functional expertise as a development team member.
3. Understands the full range of JCI offerings and their applications in customer solutions. Devises multiple offerings to meet specific program requirements as identified by the Solutions Design Specialist.
4. Leads cross-functional teams in the development of multiple components of the bundled sale.
5. Performs detailed engineering or financial analysis to quantify project cost / project savings or other customer benefits. Assists in technical or financial benchmarking as needed. Leads in the development of customer baselines.
6. Provides peer reviews of the design for complex project bundles, and other Advanced Solutions. Scope includes System Design, Scope Development, Engineering Calculations, Guide Specifications, Plant Performance values, Cost Estimation, and Risk Assessment. Also includes code and regulatory conformance plans.
7. Utilizes specialized functional expertise as a project development team member. Has a high degree of technical competence in multiple functional areas, capable of assessing design risk and being accountable for all elements of large complex projects.
8. Leads project risk reviews and contract reviews including measured energy savings calculations; non-measured project benefits; establishment of base line energy consumption; scopes of work; construction schedules, construction cost estimates
9. Provides risk analysis for the complete solution.
10. Presents to technical buyer as required. Assists in presentations to economic buyers or C-level clients.
11. Participates in transition meetings with Operations to ensure project scope and objectives, timeline and customer requirements are properly understood.
12. Responsibility for creating and managing budgets, timelines, and quality of assigned opportunities.
13. Utilizes document management tools and standard JCI development processes to perform tasks. Will mentor others to maintain high quality work flow and compliance.
14. Develops and maintains relationships with suppliers and vendors as well as customer facility technical managers.
15. Responsible for remaining current with relevant engineering or design standards and practices.
16. Mentors less experienced Program Development staff.
17. Provide post-contract design review support.
18. Actively participates in relevant professional organizations, takes on leads roles within those organizations.
19. Maintains relevant professional certifications and licenses (e.g., Professional Engineering license).
20. Responsible for the promotion and adherence of JCI safety policies.
21. Possesses a strong understanding of the solutions performance contracting regulatory, legislative and business environment, as well as procurement requirements.
What we look for
Bachelor's degree in engineering. Minimum of ten years experience in designing / selling building systems, HVAC, energy modeling, construction, or facility management. Experience in performing building modeling preferred, CEM Certification required, P.E., LEED AP preferred. Function-specific licenses or certifications preferred (e.g., Professional Engineering license for engineering-related roles, etc.) Demonstrated vertical market expertise required. Possesses strong analytical capabilities and ability to manage tasks associated with development of projects. Fully competent in analysis and assessment of facility systems. Demonstrated ability to lead engineering teams, work effectively with others, drive for results, focus on the customer, and acts ethically. Has excellent written and verbal communication skills and is comfortable working in customer-facing situations. Demonstrated subject matter expert (SME) in specific specialty or line-of-business area. Possess strong analytical capabilities and ability to manage tasks associated with development of projects. Fully competent in analysis and assessment of facility systems. Solid computer skills, including an understanding of MS Word, MS Excel, MS Visio, MS PowerPoint, MS Project, EQuest, & benchmarking tools. Demonstrated ability to review contract and subcontract schedules. Ability to travel approximately 30%.
Who we are
Johnson Controls is an equal employment opportunity and affirmative action employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, protected veteran status, status as a qualified individual with a disability, or any other characteristic protected by law. For more information, please view EEO is the Law. If you are an individual with a disability and you require an accommodation during the application process, please visit www.johnsoncontrols.com/tomorrowneedsyou.
HIRING SALARY RANGE: $112,100 - $168,400 (Salary to be determined by the education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities of the applicant, internal equity, and alignment with market data.) This position includes a competitive benefits package. The posted salary range reflects the target compensation for this role. However, we recognize that exceptional candidates may bring unique skills and experiences that exceed the typical profile. If you believe your background warrants consideration beyond the stated range, we encourage you to apply. To support an efficient and fair hiring process, we may use technology assisted tools, including artificial intelligence (AI), to help identify and evaluate candidates. All hiring decisions are ultimately made by human reviewers. For details, please visit the About Us tab on the
Johnson Controls Careers site at https://jobs.johnsoncontrols.com/about-us
#LI-Hybrid
#LI-RS1
Johnson Controls International plc. is an equal employment opportunity and affirmative action employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, protected veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, status as a qualified individual with a disability or any other characteristic protected by law. To view more information about your equal opportunity and non-discrimination rights as a candidate, visit EEO is the Law. If you are an individual with a disability and you require an accommodation during the application process, please visit here.

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About Johnson Controls

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Johnson Controls is a world leader in smart buildings, creating safe, healthy and sustainable spaces. For nearly 140 years, we’ve made buildings better and now we’re transforming them again with our award-winning digital technologies and services. We’re using artificial intelligence and data driven solutions to give you deeper insight into your building’s health, sustainability and performance. It’s changing the way we design, operate and maintain indoor environments and driving to a new era of autonomous buildings. We deliver the blueprint of the future for industries such as healthcare, schools, data centers, airports, stadiums, hotels, manufacturing and beyond through OpenBlue, our comprehensive suite of connected solutions. Johnson Controls offers the world’s largest portfolio of building technology, software and services. Supported by a team of more than 100,000 dedicated employees working across 150 countries, we’re helping customers achieve their sustainability goals and power their mission.

Industry

Machinery manufacturing, water transportation, public safety statistics centers and offices and manufacturing

Company size

10,000+ Employees

Headquarters location

Milwaukee, WI, US