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Principal Network Engineer Jobs in Tennessee (NOW HIRING)

Principal Software Engineer

Nashville, TN · On-site

$130K - $174K/yr

We are looking for a Principal Engineer with cloud experience to join our development team. The ... networking, search, store). * Written and verbal communication skills with the ability to present ...

Principal Software Engineer

Nashville, TN

$130K - $174K/yr

We are looking for a Principal Engineer with cloud experience to join our development team. The ... networking, search, store). * Written and verbal communication skills with the ability to present ...

Principal Software Engineer

Nashville, TN · On-site

$130K - $174K/yr

We are looking for a Principal Engineer with cloud experience to join our development team. The ... networking, search, store). * Written and verbal communication skills with the ability to present ...

Principal Platform Software Engineer

Nashville, TN · On-site

$130K - $174K/yr

Strong fundamentals in data structures, algorithms, operating systems, networking, and distributed ... Responsibilities As a Principal Engineer on the Oracle Kubernetes Engine (OKE) team, you will:

Principal Platform Software Engineer

Nashville, TN · On-site

$130K - $174K/yr

We are seeking a Principal Platform Software Engineer (IC4) who enjoys building reliable software ... The role requires strong expertise in QEMU/KVM, container runtimes, networking, storage, systemd ...

Principal Platform Software Engineer

Nashville, TN · On-site

$130K - $174K/yr

We are seeking a Principal Platform Software Engineer (IC4) who enjoys building reliable software ... The role requires strong expertise in QEMU/KVM, container runtimes, networking, storage, systemd ...

Showing results 41-60

Principal Network Engineer information

See Tennessee salary details

$19.1K

$120.9K

$185.6K

How much do principal network engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 21, 2026, the average yearly pay for principal network engineer in Tennessee is $120,934.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $106,200.00 and $143,400.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a principal network engineer?

Principal Network Engineers are senior-level professionals responsible for designing, implementing, and managing complex network infrastructures within an organization. They lead network architecture initiatives, oversee security protocols, and ensure high availability and performance of network systems. In addition, they often mentor junior engineers, set technical standards, and collaborate with other IT teams to align network solutions with business goals. Their expertise is crucial for maintaining reliable and scalable connectivity in large enterprises.

What does a principal network engineer do?

As a principal network engineer, you are responsible for the daily operations of a computer system. Your responsibilities are to install, organize, and support systems for an organization. The systems you work with often aid a company in its communications, as with local area networks and wide area networks. Other duties include the installation of hardware, regular system maintenance, and optimization of network performance. You might also train individuals in the use of relevant software or hardware. In some cases, you might help with email and data storage.

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

To thrive as a Principal Network Engineer, you need deep expertise in network architecture, routing and switching, security protocols, and typically a bachelor's degree in computer science or a related field. Familiarity with enterprise networking hardware, software-defined networking (SDN), firewalls, and certifications such as CCNP or CCIE are essential. Outstanding problem-solving, leadership, and communication skills help you manage complex projects and guide technical teams. These competencies are critical to ensuring reliable, secure, and scalable network infrastructures that support organizational goals.

What are the main challenges principal network engineers face when leading large-scale network projects?

Principal Network Engineers often encounter challenges such as coordinating cross-functional teams, designing scalable solutions that align with business goals, and managing the integration of emerging technologies into existing infrastructure. Balancing competing priorities—like security, performance, and budget constraints—while ensuring minimal downtime is a common part of the role. Effective communication and leadership skills are essential, as Principal Network Engineers frequently serve as the technical authority and must guide both junior engineers and stakeholders through complex decisions.

What is the difference between Principal Network Engineer vs Network Architect?

AspectPrincipal Network EngineerNetwork Architect
CredentialsBS in Computer Science or related, Cisco/Juniper certificationsBS in Computer Science or related, Cisco/Juniper certifications
Work EnvironmentDesign, implement, and troubleshoot network solutions within organizationsDesign overall network infrastructure and architecture for organizations
Employer & Industry UsageUsed across industries for senior technical rolesUsed in enterprise and large organizations for planning network systems
Common Search & ComparisonOften compared for senior technical expertiseCompared for strategic network planning roles

The main difference is that a Principal Network Engineer focuses on implementing and troubleshooting network solutions, while a Network Architect designs the overall network architecture and strategy. Both roles require similar certifications and work in similar environments, but their core responsibilities differ in scope and focus.

How much does a principal network engineer make in the US?

A principal network engineer in the US typically earns between $120,000 and $180,000 annually, with salaries varying based on experience, location, and industry. They often hold advanced certifications like CCNP or CCIE and have extensive knowledge of network architecture, security, and troubleshooting tools.

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

The most popular types of Principal Network Engineer jobs in Tennessee are:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Infographic showing various Principal Network Engineer job openings in Tennessee as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% As Needed, 84% Full Time, 10% Part Time, and 5% Contract. Highlights an 92% Physical, 3% Hybrid, and 5% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $120,934 per year, or $58.1 per hour.

Principal Software Engineer

Oracle

Nashville, TN • On-site

$130K - $174K/yr

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Retirement, PTO

Re-posted 27 days ago


Oracle rating

8.7

Company rating: 8.7 out of 10

Based on 152 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

55th of 245 rated software companies


Job description

At Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI), we build the future of the cloud for enterprises as a diverse team of fellow creators and inventors. We act with the speed and attitude of a start-up, with the scale and customer focus of the leading enterprise software company in the world. Values are OCI's foundation and how we deliver excellence. We strive for equity, inclusion, and respect for all. We are committed to the greater good in our products and our actions. We are constantly learning and taking opportunities to grow our careers and ourselves. We challenge each other to stretch beyond our past to build our future.
The App Configuration Service team is building a new platform service for OCI. The service will help OCI teams manage configuration safely, consistently, and reliably across distributed cloud environments. As a new service, the team is aiming to build and operate in an AI-first way from the start, using AI-assisted development, automation, and intelligent operational workflows to improve how we design, build, test, review, document, release, and run the service. This creates a strong opportunity for engineers to learn, experiment, and shape modern AI-enabled engineering practices while working on a high-impact cloud platform service.
Do you want to build great things in a vibrant, smart, high-energy team? Are you an experienced developer looking for a role with significant technical impact? We are looking for a Principal Engineer with cloud experience to join our development team. The ideal candidate will be technically strong, comfortable working on large-scale distributed systems, and able to take ambiguous requirements from product definition through design, implementation, rollout, and production operation.
This role will help drive the technical direction and delivery of major App Configuration Service capabilities for Oracle's IaaS cloud environment. You will contribute to product strategy, service architecture, and the development of next-generation platform features while partnering with OCI service teams that depend on safe, reliable, and auditable configuration management.
This role will also help drive practical AI adoption across the team and partner engineering teams. The ideal candidate will identify high-value opportunities to apply AI-assisted development, LLM-based automation, agentic workflows, and internal developer productivity tools to improve how teams design, build, test, review, operate, and document cloud services. They should be comfortable evaluating AI solutions for correctness, security, reliability, cost, maintainability, and measurable engineering impact, while helping teams adopt these tools safely and effectively.
As a Principal Member of Technical Staff, you will be responsible for ensuring that App Configuration Service capabilities are designed and built with scalability, reliability, security, auditability, and operational excellence in mind. You will partner with other development teams to architect, design, and implement solutions within a distributed cloud environment. You will conduct threat modeling for systems under development and ensure systems align with OCI standards for security, identity, metrics, observability, and operational readiness. You will help define and implement AI-enabled engineering workflows, including code review support, test generation, documentation automation, operational triage, release support, configuration analysis, and engineering knowledge retrieval, while ensuring these workflows meet OCI standards for security, privacy, observability, and operational excellence.
Qualifications
 
  • 6 to 10 years distributed cloud engineering experience in a software development environment.

  • Strong experience and detailed technical knowledge in PaaS engineering.

  • Experience developing service-oriented architectures and web services security solutions.

  • Development experience in Java/C++/C# as well as scripting languages.

  • Experience working with other cloud platform teams and accommodating requirements from those teams (compute, networking, search, store).

  • Written and verbal communication skills with the ability to present complex information in a clear, concise manner to all audiences.

  • Comfortably in a collaborative, agile development environment.

  • Hands-on experience applying AI-assisted development tools, agents, or automation to real software engineering workflows.

  • Ability to evaluate AI solutions using concrete measures such as correctness, reliability, latency, cost, security, maintainability, and productivity impact.

  • Ability to drive adoption across teams through prototypes, documentation, demos, training, design reviews, and hands-on engineering support.

    Preferred Qualifications
     

  • Deep understanding of object-oriented design and SDK development, specifically within a cloud environment.

  • Familiarity and understanding of distributed computing and cloud-based platforms.

  • Understanding of cross-functional platform feature areas in cloud platforms.

  • Experience integrating AI into engineering processes such as code review, testing, incident response, documentation, release management, support triage, or operational analysis.

Only Oracle brings together the data, infrastructure, applications, and expertise to power everything from industry innovations to life-saving care. And with AI embedded across our products and services, we help customers turn that promise into a better future for all. Discover your potential at a company leading the way in AI and cloud solutions that impact billions of lives.

True innovation starts when everyone is empowered to contribute. That's why we're committed to growing a workforce that promotes opportunities for all with competitive benefits that support our people with flexible medical, life insurance, and retirement options. We also encourage employees to give back to their communities through our volunteer programs.

We're committed to including people with disabilities at all stages of the employment process. If you require accessibility assistance or accommodation for a disability at any point, let us know by emailing accommodation-request_mb@oracle.com or by calling 1-888-404-2494 in the United States.

Oracle is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability and protected veterans' status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Oracle will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records pursuant to applicable law.

Disclaimer:
Certain U.S. based or U.S. customer or client-facing roles may be required to comply with applicable requirements, such as immunization/occupational health mandates, and/or drug testing requirements.
Range and benefit information provided in this posting are specific to the stated locations only
US: Hiring Range in USD from: $114,600 to $234,600 per annum. May be eligible for bonus, equity, and compensation deferral.
Oracle maintains broad salary ranges for its roles in order to account for variations in knowledge, skills, experience, market conditions and locations, as well as reflect Oracle's differing products, industries and lines of business.
Candidates are typically placed into the range based on the preceding factors as well as internal peer equity.
Oracle US offers a comprehensive benefits package which includes the following:
1. Medical, dental, and vision insurance, including expert medical opinion
2. Short term disability and long term disability
3. Life insurance and AD&D
4. Supplemental life insurance (Employee/Spouse/Child)
5. Health care and dependent care Flexible Spending Accounts
6. Pre-tax commuter and parking benefits
7. 401(k) Savings and Investment Plan with company match
8. Paid time off: Flexible Vacation is provided to all eligible employees assigned to a salaried (non-overtime eligible) position. Accrued Vacation is provided to all other employees eligible for vacation benefits. For employees working at least 35 hours per week, the vacation accrual rate is 13 days annually for the first three years of employment and 18 days annually for subsequent years of employment. Vacation accrual is prorated for employees working between 20 and 34 hours per week. Employees working fewer than 20 hours per week are not eligible for vacation.
9. 11 paid holidays
10. Paid sick leave: 72 hours of paid sick leave upon date of hire. Refreshes each calendar year. Unused balance will carry over each year up to a maximum cap of 112 hours.
11. Paid parental leave
12. Adoption assistance
13. Employee Stock Purchase Plan
14. Financial planning and group legal
15. Voluntary benefits including auto, homeowner and pet insurance
The role will generally accept applications for at least three calendar days from the posting date or as long as the job remains posted.

Career Level - IC4


As a member of the software engineering division, you will take an active role in the definition and evolution of standard practices and procedures. You will be responsible for defining and developing software for tasks associated with the developing, designing and debugging of software applications or operating systems.

What Oracle employees say

Pay

Benefits

Hours and flexibility

Workplace

Get the full story on Breakroom


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About Oracle

Sourced by ZipRecruiter

An Oracle career can span industries, roles, Countries and cultures, giving you the opportunity to flourish in new roles and innovate, while blending work life in. Oracle has thrived through 40+ years of change by innovating and operating with integrity while delivering for the top companies in almost every industry. In order to nurture the talent that makes this happen, we are committed to an inclusive culture that celebrates and values diverse insights and perspectives, a workforce that inspires thought leadership and innovation. Oracle offers a highly competitive suite of Employee Benefits designed on the principles of parity, consistency, and affordability. The overall package includes certain core elements such as Medical, Life Insurance, access to Retirement Planning, and much more. We also encourage our employees to engage in the culture of giving back to the communities where we live and do business. At Oracle, we believe that innovation starts with diversity and inclusion and to create the future we need talent from various backgrounds, perspectives, and abilities. We ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to successfully participate in the job application, interview process, and in potential roles. to perform crucial job functions. That's why we're committed to creating a workforce where all individuals can do their best work. It's when everyone's voice is heard and valued that we're inspired to go beyond what's been done before.

Industry

It services

Company size

10,000+ Employees

Headquarters location

Redwood City, CA, US

Year founded

1977

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