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Principal Engineer Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Ironclad

Principal Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$285K - $315K/yr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Retirement

  • PTO

Engineering @ Ironclad As a Principal Engineer at Ironclad, you'll work cross-functionally to identify business problems and architect, build, and verify solutions. You'll architect and evolve a ...

DocuSign, Inc.

Principal Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$212.10 - $342.65/hr

  • Medical

  • Life

  • Retirement

  • PTO

As a Principal Engineer, you will own and evolve the long‑term technical vision for marketing, sales, and downstream commerce technology, with a strong emphasis on AI enablement, data platforms ...

City of Pasadena, CA

Principal Engineer

Pasadena, CA · On-site

$157K - $196K/yr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Life

  • Retirement

  • PTO

... of Principal Engineer (Water Resources and Planning ) . with the The Principal Enginee r leads the Water Resources and Planning Division, overseeing critical water resource programs, capital ...

DocuSign

Principal Engineer

San Francisco, CA · Hybrid

  • Medical

  • Life

  • Retirement

  • PTO

As a Principal Engineer, you will own and evolve the long-term technical vision for marketing, sales, and downstream commerce technology, with a strong emphasis on AI enablement, data platforms, and ...

Docusign

Principal Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

  • Medical

  • Life

  • Retirement

  • PTO

As a Principal Engineer, you will own and evolve the long-term technical vision for marketing, sales, and downstream commerce technology, with a strong emphasis on AI enablement, data platforms, and ...

Pomona College

Principal Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$139 - $249.26/hr

We are looking for a Principal Engineer specializing in web development for a Design System. You will be a member of the team that builds and maintains the software implementation of a Design System ...

Freshworks

Principal Engineer

San Mateo, CA · On-site

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Life

  • PTO

We are seeking a Sr. Staff / Principal AI Systems Engineer to build, scale, and operate the AI Agent Platform that powers reasoning-driven assistants and autonomous agents across Freshworks -- and to ...

Freshworks

Principal Engineer

San Mateo, CA · On-site

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Life

  • PTO

We are seeking a Sr. Staff / Principal AI Systems Engineer to build, scale, and operate the AI Agent Platform that powers reasoning-driven assistants and autonomous agents across Freshworks - and to ...

Freshworks

Principal Engineer

San Mateo, CA · On-site

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Life

  • PTO

We are seeking a Sr. Staff / Principal AI Systems Engineer to build, scale, and operate the AI Agent Platform that powers reasoning-driven assistants and autonomous agents across Freshworks - and to ...

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Showing results 21-40

All JobsPrincipal Engineer JobsPrincipal Engineer Jobs in California

Principal Engineer information

See California salary details

$73K

$145.3K

$209.7K

How much do principal engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 13, 2026, the average yearly pay for principal engineer in California is $145,292.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $116,900.00 and $170,700.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a principal engineer?

A principal engineer oversees the research, development, and design of engineering projects for a company or organization. These engineering experts are leaders in their industries and need an advanced understanding of their discipline to manage projects and guide team members. As a principal engineer, your job duties include creating budgets, negotiating with vendors, and delegating work. You may also train staff members, set project deadlines, and work to improve engineering application processes.

What is the difference between Principal Engineer vs Senior Engineer?

AspectPrincipal EngineerSenior Engineer
CredentialsTypically requires 8+ years of experience, advanced technical skills, and often leadership or mentorship experienceUsually requires 3-7 years of experience with strong technical skills
Work EnvironmentLeads complex projects, influences technical strategy, collaborates across teamsFocuses on executing technical tasks, supporting project development, and mentoring junior staff
Employer & Industry UsageCommon in large tech companies, engineering firms, and organizations with advanced technical hierarchiesWidely used across industries for experienced technical contributors

The main difference between a Principal Engineer and a Senior Engineer lies in their level of responsibility, experience, and influence. Principal Engineers typically lead complex projects and shape technical strategies, while Senior Engineers focus on executing technical tasks and supporting team efforts. Both roles require strong technical skills, but Principal Engineers often have more leadership and strategic responsibilities.

How much do principal engineers get paid?

Principal engineers typically earn between $120,000 and $180,000 annually, depending on experience, industry, and location. They often have advanced technical skills, leadership responsibilities, and may receive bonuses or stock options as part of their compensation package.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a principal engineer, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Principal Engineer, you need deep technical expertise in your engineering discipline, strong problem-solving abilities, and typically an advanced degree or equivalent experience. Familiarity with complex software development tools, architectural frameworks, and industry certifications like AWS Certified Solutions Architect or relevant PE licenses is common. Exceptional leadership, communication, and mentorship skills help Principal Engineers guide teams and influence project direction. These competencies are essential for driving innovation, ensuring technical excellence, and delivering large-scale, high-impact solutions.

How does a principal engineer typically collaborate with cross-functional teams to drive project success?

Principal Engineers play a key role in collaborating with cross-functional teams, such as product management, design, and operations, to ensure technical solutions align with business objectives. They often lead architectural discussions, mentor team members, and facilitate communication between engineering and non-engineering stakeholders. This collaboration helps identify potential challenges early, streamline development processes, and deliver high-quality products. Additionally, Principal Engineers are often involved in setting technical standards and guiding teams through complex problem-solving.
More about Principal Engineer jobs

What are the most commonly searched types of Principal Engineer jobs in California?

The most popular types of Principal Engineer jobs in California are:

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

What job categories do people searching Principal Engineer jobs in California look for?

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Cities in California with the most Principal Engineer job openings:

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Principal Engineer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Principal Engineer job openings in California as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 92% Full Time, 2% Part Time, and 6% Contract. Highlights an 87% Physical, 4% Hybrid, and 9% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $145,292 per year, or $69.9 per hour.

Principal Engineer

Ironclad

San Francisco, CA • On-site

$285K - $315K/yr

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Retirement, PTO

Re-posted 13 days ago

Job description

Ironclad is the leading AI contracting platform that transforms agreements into assets. Contracts move faster, insights surface instantly, and agents push work forward, all with you in control. Whether you're buying or selling, Ironclad unifies the entire process on one intelligent platform, providing leaders with the visibility they need to stay one step ahead. That's why the world's most transformative organizations, from Rivian to the World Health Organization and the Associated Press, trust Ironclad to accelerate their business.
We're consistently recognized as a leader in the industry: a Leader in the Forrester Wave and Gartner Magic Quadrant for Contract Lifecycle Management, a Fortune Great Place to Work, and one of Fast Company's Most Innovative Workplaces. Ironclad has also been named to Forbes' AI 50 and Business Insider's list of Companies to Bet Your Career On. We're backed by leading investors including Accel, Y Combinator, Sequoia, BOND, and Franklin Templeton. For more information, visit www.ironcladapp.com or follow us on LinkedIn.
This is a hybrid role. Office attendance is required at least twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays for collaboration and connection. There may be additional in-office days for team or company events.
Engineering @ Ironclad
As a Principal Engineer at Ironclad, you'll work cross-functionally to identify business problems and architect, build, and verify solutions. You'll architect and evolve a platform that lets lawyers scale themselves and their businesses 100x more effectively, with AI at the core. At Ironclad, we've built a product that brings a two thousand year old profession into the digital age, and you'll play a pivotal role in driving the foundation forward by building the next wave of AI-powered contract intelligence features and the platform capabilities that support them.
We seek an experienced principal engineer with strong coding fundamentals, deep platform architecture experience, and a track record of shipping high quality AI-powered products. We work in a highly collaborative environment, and strive to foster a positive, inclusive culture and offer remote work flexibility. If you'd like to join us on our mission to build the product that legal teams love, let's talk!
What you'll do:
  • Collaborate cross functionally with product managers, designers, and other engineers to spec, design, architect and build features and systems.
  • Own and evolve core platform architecture (service boundaries, data models, multi-tenant scale, reliability) to support AI capabilities safely and efficiently across our product surface area.
  • Partner with quality engineers to define, build and maintain testing strategy.
  • Lead technical discussions, mentor and provide thoughtful feedback to other engineers on the team.
  • Grow the team by interviewing and recruiting talented engineers to Ironclad.
  • Work on a modern stack built upon: TypeScript, ReactJS, Node.js, Java, and Docker containers in Kubernetes on Google Cloud Platform (experience with these specific technologies not required).
  • Build AI solutions and apply AI tools and features (e.g., LLMs, retrieval-augmented generation, semantic search, and classification) to power the future of contract intelligence.
  • Drive end-to-end delivery of AI-powered product experiences, from problem definition and experimentation to reliable, scalable production systems.

What we look for:
  • At least 10+ years of software experience architecting, building, launching and maintaining complex systems (a formal degree is not required, we are prioritizing industry experience).
  • Experience operating at a Principal , with a track record of driving technical strategy and architectural evolution across entire organizations.
  • Demonstrated leadership across teams and a drive towards improving overall technical architecture and achieving company-wide goals.
  • Deep experience designing and evolving large-scale, distributed SaaS or platform architectures (e.g., multi-tenant systems, event-driven systems, or data platforms).
  • Passion for software engineering to build and ship great product.
  • Experience in building AI applications and shipping AI-powered product features to production (ideally including LLM integration, retrieval, experimentation, and measurement).
  • Hands-on experience shipping valuable products to production with real user feedback.
  • A high bar for quality.
  • Strong cross-team communication and collaboration skills.
  • Alignment with Ironclad's values: drive, intent, integrity, and empathy.

Base Salary Range: $285,000 - $315,000
The base salary range represents the minimum and maximum of the salary range for this position based at our San Francisco headquarters. The actual base salary offered for this position will depend on numerous factors, including individual proficiency, anticipated performance, and the location of the selected candidate. Our base salary is just one component of Ironclad's competitive total rewards package, which also includes equity awards (a new hire grant, along with opportunities for additional awards throughout your tenure), competitive health and wellness benefits, and a commitment to career growth and development.
US Full-Time Employee Benefits at Ironclad:
  • 100% health coverage for employees (medical, dental, and vision), and 75% coverage for dependents with buy-up plan options available
  • Market-leading leave policies, including gender-neutral parental leave and compassionate leave
  • Family forming support through Maven for you and your partner
  • Paid time off - take the time you need, when you need it
  • Monthly stipends for wellbeing, hybrid work, and (if applicable) cell phone use
  • Mental health support through Modern Health, including therapy, coaching, and digital tools
  • Pre-tax commuter benefits (US Employees)
  • 401(k) plan with Fidelity with employer match (US Employees)
  • Regular team events to connect, recharge, and have fun
  • And most importantly: the opportunity to help build the company you want to work at

**UK Employee-specific benefits are included on our UK job postings
Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

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