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Principal Engineer Jobs in Michigan (NOW HIRING)

Job Summary Senior level engineer responsible for planning and conducting intermediate to more complex engineering related activities requiring the use of creative techniques, as well as application ...

Principal BMS Engineer The Principal Battery Management System (BMS) Engineer provides technical leadership, architectural ownership, and long-term stewardship of advanced battery management ...

Principal BMS Engineer The Principal Battery Management System (BMS) Engineer provides technical leadership, architectural ownership, and long-term stewardship of advanced battery management ...

$98K - $128K/yr

Principal Engineer * Manages capital and expense projects ensuring sustainable growth of site automation technologies. * Maintains building automation system including lifecycle management ...

$98K - $128K/yr

Principal Engineer * Manages capital and expense projects ensuring sustainable growth of site automation technologies. * Maintains building automation system including lifecycle management ...

Showing results 21-40

Principal Engineer information

See Michigan salary details

$64.5K

$128.3K

$185.2K

How much do principal engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Sep 9, 2026, the average yearly pay for principal engineer in Michigan is $128,316.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $103,300.00 and $150,800.00 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.

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.

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.

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 does a principal engineer get paid?

A principal engineer's salary typically ranges from $120,000 to $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 compensation.

What do principal engineers do?

Principal engineers are senior technical leaders responsible for designing, developing, and overseeing complex engineering projects. They provide technical guidance, set standards, and collaborate with teams to ensure the successful implementation of solutions, often using tools like CAD, programming languages, or engineering software. They typically have extensive experience and may mentor junior staff while contributing to strategic planning.

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

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

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

The top searched job categories for Principal Engineer jobs in Michigan are:

What cities in Michigan are hiring for Principal Engineer jobs?

Cities in Michigan with the most Principal Engineer job openings:

What are popular job titles related to Principal Engineer jobs in MI?

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

Infographic showing various Principal Engineer job openings in Michigan as of September 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% Internship, 89% Full Time, 5% Part Time, 1% Temporary, 3% Contract, and 1% Nights. Highlights an 85% Physical, 4% Hybrid, and 11% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $128,316 per year, or $61.7 per hour.

Principal Engineer, Linux and Virtualization Infrastructure

Madison Heights, MI • On-site

$175K/yr

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Retirement, PTO

Re-posted 12 days ago


Job description

The Opportunity

Location Requirement: This position operates on a hybrid schedule (3 days in-office, 2 days remote). Candidates must be within 45 minutes of an office and able to regularly commute to work as required. This is not a fully remote opportunity.

At WOW! we're building and evolving the infrastructure that powers critical business and customer-facing technologies - and we're looking for a Principal

Engineer, Linux & Virtualization Infrastructure to help lead that transformation.

This is a highly visible engineering role within our enterprise infrastructure organization, supporting multiple datacenters and environments while driving the design, architecture, implementation, and optimization of modern infrastructure solutions. You'll play a key role in both greenfield deployments and the evolution of existing production environments, helping ensure our platforms remain scalable, resilient, secure, and future-ready.

What WOW! Offers

  • Base salaryup to $175,000 annually, commensurate with experience, plus short-term incentive plan, and comprehensive benefits including:

    • Medical, dental, and vision insurance

    • 401(k) with company match

    • Paid time off & company holidays

    • Tuition reimbursement for continued development

    • Employee broadband discounts

What You'll Do

As a Principal Engineer, you will be responsible for the management and evolution of compute, storage, and virtualization platforms across the enterprise.

Core Responsibilities

  • Design and configure greenfield datacenter deployments while modernizing and retrofitting existing environments

  • Lead system integration efforts for new technologies and infrastructure solutions through research, design, implementation, configuration, and ongoing maintenance

  • Maintain and manage multiple virtualization clusters with ownership of current and future capacity planning

  • Monitor enterprise infrastructure platforms and drive actionable recovery and operational improvements

  • Co-manage Fibre Channel, VxLAN, and NAS environments with a continued focus on:

    • Fault tolerance

    • High availability

    • Disaster recovery

  • Analyze user and application requirements to determine operating system, storage, memory, and CPU needs for both physical and virtual server environments

  • Lead the design, analysis, configuration, and implementation of enterprise storage architectures, including:

    • Application and end-user storage requirements

    • IO performance analysis

    • Storage layout strategy

    • Disaster recovery profiles

  • Collaborate closely with networking and security teams to deliver solutions for internal business units and external customers

  • Ensure all service platforms and applications are backed up according to established policies and procedures

  • Participate in future technology strategy discussions and provide recommendations based on industry research and engineering expertise

Additional Responsibilities

In this role, you will also:

  • Serve as an engineering-level escalation resource for the Network Operations Center (NOC) and operational teams during high-level fault analysis and incident isolation

  • Lead the deployment and configuration of high availability systems and storage architectures

  • Partner with cross-functional engineering teams on emerging technologies and infrastructure initiatives

  • Create and maintain detailed systems and application documentation

  • Provide professional technical support to both internal and external customers

  • Maintain, enhance, and deploy hardware and software technologies within lab and testing environments

  • Mentor and support fellow engineers and technical team members

  • Perform additional duties as assigned

What You Bring

Required Education & Experience

  • Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, or an equivalent combination of education, training, and experience

  • 7+ years of experience as a Linux Systems Administrator, Linux Systems Engineer, or related infrastructure engineering role

  • Expertise with Linux and/or Unix operating systems

  • Strong understanding of networking fundamentals

  • Solid knowledge of Storage Area Networks (SANs)

  • Experience with virtualization and containerization technologies including:

    • VMware

    • ProxMox

    • Docker

    • Kubernetes

  • Experience managing complex systems infrastructure projects

  • Working knowledge of Windows operating systems and Microsoft Office applications

  • Strong written and verbal communication skills

  • Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment

  • Ability to collaborate effectively across diverse technical teams

  • Strong independent problem-solving and decision-making skills

Physical Demands & Working Conditions

  • Regularly required to communicate verbally and in writing

  • Frequent use of hands for typing, handling equipment, and managing documentation

  • Ability to lift up to 50 pounds

  • Requires close vision and the ability to focus

  • Participation in on-call rotations, including occasional overnight and weekend support

  • Occasional travel may be required

Why Join WOW!?

At WOW!, you'll work alongside talented engineers solving large-scale infrastructure challenges while helping shape the future of enterprise technology. We value innovation, collaboration, operational excellence, and continuous improvement - and we empower our teams to make meaningful contributions that drive the business forward.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment
without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran