ZipRecruiter

Log In

1

Principal Java Engineer Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Northrop Grumman Corporation

$103K - $155K/yr

Northrop Grumman is seeking a Software Engineer/Principal Software Engineer with strong Java experience to design, develop, and maintain mission-critical software systems supporting the National Air ...

previous page

Showing results 41-60

All JobsPrincipal Java Engineer Jobs

Principal Java Engineer information

See salary details

$83K

$149.7K

$201.5K

How much do principal java engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 6, 2026, the average yearly pay for principal java engineer in the United States is $149,680.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $128,500.00 and $165,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

How does a principal Java engineer typically contribute to architectural decisions and cross-team collaboration?

A Principal Java Engineer is often a key decision-maker when it comes to designing and evolving the software architecture. They regularly collaborate with product managers, other engineering teams, and stakeholders to ensure technical solutions align with business goals. In addition to providing technical leadership, Principal Java Engineers mentor junior developers, participate in code reviews, and help resolve complex technical challenges across teams. Their role is highly collaborative and strategic, making them instrumental in guiding project direction and maintaining code quality.

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

To thrive as a Principal Java Engineer, you need deep expertise in Java programming, software architecture, and system design, usually backed by a computer science degree and extensive industry experience. Familiarity with frameworks like Spring, build tools such as Maven or Gradle, cloud platforms (AWS, Azure), and relevant certifications (e.g., Oracle Certified Professional Java SE) is often required. Strong leadership, communication, and mentoring abilities are crucial soft skills to guide teams and drive technical excellence. These skills and qualities are vital for delivering robust, scalable solutions and ensuring the success of complex software projects.

What is the difference between Principal Java Engineer vs Senior Java Developer?

AspectPrincipal Java EngineerSenior Java Developer
Required CredentialsBachelor's/Master's in Computer Science, Java certificationsBachelor's in Computer Science, Java certifications
Work EnvironmentLead technical projects, architecture design, cross-team collaborationDevelops features, writes code, fixes bugs
Employer & Industry UsageTech companies, large enterprises, consulting firmsStartups, mid-sized companies, tech teams
Common Search & ComparisonLeadership, architecture, high-level technical expertiseHands-on coding, feature development, troubleshooting

The Principal Java Engineer typically holds a higher-level, strategic role focusing on architecture and leadership, while a Senior Java Developer concentrates on coding and implementing features. Both roles require strong Java skills and relevant certifications, but their responsibilities and scope differ significantly.

What does a principal Java engineer do?

A Principal Java Engineer is a senior-level software engineer responsible for designing, developing, and overseeing complex Java-based applications and systems. They lead technical teams, make high-level architectural decisions, and ensure best practices in coding and software design are followed. Principal Java Engineers mentor junior developers, collaborate with stakeholders to define technical requirements, and play a key role in troubleshooting and optimizing application performance. Their expertise in Java and related technologies is critical for delivering scalable and reliable software solutions.
More about Principal Java Engineer jobs
What cities are hiring for Principal Java Engineer jobs? Cities with the most Principal Java Engineer job openings:
What job categories do people searching Principal Java Engineer jobs look for? The top searched job categories for Principal Java Engineer jobs are:
Principal Java Engineer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Principal Java 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 87% Physical, 4% Hybrid, and 9% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $149,680 per year, or $72 per hour.

Principal Java Microservices Architect - AI & Agentic Platforms

Starcom Mediavest Group Germany Gmbh

New York, NY • On-site

$165K - $205K/yr

Full-time

PTO

This job post has expired 1 day ago. Applications are no longer accepted.

Job description

Company Description

We at Publicis Sapient, enable our clients to thrive in Next and to create business value through expert strategies, customer-centric experience design, and world-class product engineering.  The future of business is disruptive, transformative and becoming digital to the core. In our 20 + years in IT, never before have we seen such a dire need for transformation in every major industry - from financial services to automotive, consumer products, retail, energy, and travel.

To make this transformative journey a reality in these exciting times, we seek Rockstars who will:

brave it out to go do the next; "what will be" from "what is" exhibit the optimism that says there is no limit to what we can achieve deeply skilled, bold, collaborative, flexible. Reimagine the way the world works to help businesses improve the daily lives of people and the world. Our people thrive because of the belief that it is both our privilege and responsibility to usher our clients and the world into Next. 

Our work is fueled by challenging boundaries, multidisciplinary collaboration, highly agile teams, and the power of the newest technologies and platforms. If that's you, come talk to us. This is the world-class engineering team where you should build your career!

Job Description

We are seeking a Principal Java Microservices Architect - AI & Agentic Platforms to lead the architecture, design, and implementation of our core distributed microservices ecosystem.

Responsibilities

Hands-on and possesses deep expertise in:

  • Enterprise Java microservices architecture,
  • Agentic AI systems & tool-calling backend frameworks,
  • AI orchestration frameworks,
  • Cloud-native distributed architectures,
  • Enterprise automation platforms, and
  • High-throughput backend system engineering.

This role requires strong experience with:

  • Java 17+/21+ and Spring Boot 
  • Google GCP and AI ecosystem,
  • Agent Development Kit (ADK) & Model Context Protocol (MCP),
  • Modern AI application microservices architectures.
Qualifications
  • 12+ years of software engineering experience.
  • 7+ years in microservices architecture, system design, or technical leadership roles.
  • Strong hands-on development experience with:
    • Java (17/21), Spring Boot, Spring Cloud, Reactive Java (Project Reactor / RxJava), gRPC, GraphQL, WebSockets, REST APIs.
    • TypeScript, Python (for AI framework bindings, orchestration, and scripting).
    • Node.js ecosystems (nice to have for cross-platform integration).
  • Deep expertise in distributed backend microservices architecture, fault tolerance (Resilience4j), caching (Redis), and database design (Relational & NoSQL).
  • Strong experience building enterprise-grade, high-concurrency Java backend systems.
  • Experience designing AI-powered conversational and agentic backend applications.
  • Strong cloud-native architecture experience (Google Cloud / AWS / Azure).
  • Hands-on expertise with Docker, Kubernetes (GKE), Service Mesh (Istio), Cloud CI/CD, and monitoring/observability tools (Prometheus, Grafana, OpenTelemetry, Datadog).
  • Hands-on expertise (preferred) with :
    • AI Agents, Tools, and Model Context Protocols (MCPs).
    • Google Agent Development Kit (ADK).
    • AI copilots, autonomous business workflows, and intelligent enterprise search systems.
    • Scalable, resilient cloud-native backend platforms.
Additional Information

Pay Range: $165,000 - $205,000

The range shown represents a grouping of relevant ranges currently in use at Publicis Sapient. Actual range for this position may differ, depending on location and specific skillset required for the work itself.

Benefits of Working Here:

  • Flexible vacation policy; time is not limited, allocated, or accrued
  • 16 paid holidays throughout the year
  • Generous parental leave and new parent transition program
  • Tuition reimbursement
  • Corporate gift matching program 

As part of our dedication to an inclusive and diverse workforce, Publicis Sapient is committed to Equal Employment Opportunity without regard for race, color, national origin, ethnicity, gender, protected veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, or religion. We are also committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans in our job application procedures. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, you may contact us at hiring@publicissapient.com or you may call us at +1-617-621-0200.

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

Employment Type: FULL_TIME

Apply