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Principal Software Developer Jobs in Massachusetts

Principal Software Engineer

Waltham, MA · Hybrid

$145K - $195K/yr

Xometry is seeking a Principal Software Engineer to join our Xometry Partner Experience Technology Organization. In this role as a senior individual contributor, you will guide software ...

Principal Software Engineer

Cambridge, MA · On-site

$148K - $199K/yr

They are seeking a Principal Software Engineer to take full, hands-on ownership of critical production-grade systems and deliver high-leverage features that improve customer outcomes and engineering ...

Principal Software Engineer

Wellesley Hills, MA · On-site

$146K - $196K/yr

CVS Health is building a world of health around every individual, seeking a Principal Software ... CI/CD and DevOps pipelines. • Experience related to security-oriented projects. • Master ...

Principal Software Engineer

Boston, MA · On-site

$146K - $196K/yr

They are seeking a Principal Software Engineer to join their Engineering team, responsible for building and scaling the pipelines that power the Security Intelligence Graph, ensuring the platform ...

Principal Software Engineer

Waltham, MA · On-site

$145K - $195K/yr

Xometry is seeking a Principal Software Engineer to join our Xometry Partner Experience Technology Organization. In this role as a senior individual contributor, you will guide software ...

Principal Software Engineer, Data

Cambridge, MA · On-site

$147K - $197K/yr

We are seeking Principal Software Engineers with backend experience to join our Data Platform Team ... Leverage AWS services, Kubernetes and modern DevOps practices to build and deploy production-grade ...

Showing results 41-60

Principal Software Developer information

See Massachusetts salary details

$103.2K

$154.2K

$202.6K

How much do principal software developer jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 10, 2026, the average yearly pay for principal software developer in Massachusetts is $154,176.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $134,900.00 and $169,300.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

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

AspectPrincipal Software DeveloperSenior Software Engineer
CredentialsBachelor's or Master’s in Computer Science; extensive experienceBachelor's or Master’s in Computer Science; 5+ years experience
Work EnvironmentLeads technical strategy, mentors teams, influences architectureDevelops features, writes code, mentors junior staff
Industry UsageUsed in large organizations, tech companies, and enterprise settingsCommon across startups, mid-sized, and large companies

The Principal Software Developer typically holds a higher-level role focused on technical leadership, architecture, and strategic planning, whereas the Senior Software Engineer primarily focuses on coding, feature development, and mentoring. Both roles require strong technical skills, but the Principal position involves broader responsibilities and influence within the organization.

How does a principal software developer typically balance hands-on coding with leadership and mentorship responsibilities?

As a Principal Software Developer, you’ll often split your time between writing high-impact code and guiding technical direction for the team. While you remain involved in architecting and developing complex features, a significant portion of your role will also involve mentoring less-experienced developers, leading code reviews, and fostering best practices. You’ll collaborate closely with cross-functional teams to align technical solutions with business goals, and you’re expected to influence the overall engineering culture. This balance requires strong time management skills and a passion for both technical excellence and team development.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a principal software developer?

To thrive as a Principal Software Developer, you need advanced expertise in software engineering, architecture design, and problem-solving, typically backed by a degree in computer science or a related field and extensive industry experience. Mastery of programming languages (such as Java, Python, or C#), software development frameworks, cloud platforms, and familiarity with tools like Git, Docker, and CI/CD systems is critical. Leadership, effective communication, and mentorship abilities are vital soft skills that set top performers apart in this role. These competencies ensure scalable solutions, effective project delivery, and the growth of high-performing development teams.
Infographic showing various Principal Software Developer job openings in Massachusetts as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% Internship, 88% Full Time, 8% Part Time, and 3% Contract. Highlights an 87% Physical, 4% Hybrid, and 9% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $154,176 per year, or $74.1 per hour.

AI Development & Agent Ops - Principal Software Engineer

Dell, Inc.

Hopkinton, MA • On-site

$148K - $198K/yr

Full-time

Posted 18 days ago


Job description


AI Development & Agent Ops - Principal Software Engineer
Why This Role
This is not a support role. Dell's AI Development & Agents Ops organization is operating at the frontier of what it means to build software with AI - and this individual will be in the engine room making it work. You will partner directly with a VP who is deeply engaged in the work, contribute to shaping how one of the world's largest technology companies builds software, and operate at a scale where your individual contributions have outsized organizational impact.
You will also be joining at the right moment: early enough to shape the architecture of the transformation, with enough organizational commitment that the work has real resources and real stakes.
About Dell Technologies - ISG Developer Experience
Dell's Infrastructure Solutions Group is a global leader in Solutions, Storage, Compute, and Networking. The Developer Experience organization within ISG is responsible for developer productivity, tooling, observability, and platform engineering for approximately 9,000 engineers. Our current mandate spans agentic SDLC transformation, AI tooling governance, and the operating model changes required to make AI-assisted development the norm - not the exception.
Infrastructure Solutions Group (ISG) builds the products that power infrastructure, solutions, and data management our customers need most. Our teams design and develop the hardware and software that connect infrastructure, accelerate computational workloads, integrate across the stack, protect data continuity, and deliver the platforms, applications, and diagnostics our customers rely on every day at enterprise scale.
Some product builders follow the rules. Ours rewrite them.
Within ISG, innovation isn't just about creating new technology- it's about challenging assumptions and reimagining how work gets done. Engineers define intent, author precise specifications, and orchestrate AI agents that execute at speed and scale. AI is embedded throughout our development process, helping us move faster, learn quicker, and deliver greater impact. Yet the most important contribution remains uniquely human: deciding what to build, designing how it should work, and applying the judgment needed to earn our customers' trust. When your products power critical infrastructure around the world, that responsibility matters.
We move quickly toward the work that matters most. We reward experimentation, encourage bold thinking, and remove unnecessary barriers so great ideas can become reality faster. Our teams embrace a customer-first, first-to-market mindset, transforming rapid feedback into better products and better outcomes. We aren't looking for people who are content with the status quo- we look for builders who question it, improve it, and occasionally rewrite it.
If you're energized by solving complex systems challenges, excited to work alongside AI to amplify your impact, and motivated by the opportunity to shape what's next instead of simply maintaining what's been done before, you'll find your place here.
Join us and help build the future of enterprise technology.
Join us to do the best work of your career and make a profound social impact as a Principal Software Engineer on our AI Development & Agent Ops team in Hopkinton MA, or Austin TX.
What You'll Achieve
As a Principal Software Engineer - AI Development & Agent Ops, you will be responsible for designing, building, and refining the services, platforms, and practices that enable ~9,000 engineers to develop with AI agents at scale. You will work with product, architecture, security, and engineering teams on Dell's agentic SDLC transformation - operating at the frontier of what it means to build software with AI.
You will:
  • Engineer and operate the agentic harness including CI/CD integrations, pipeline quality gates, orchestration capabilities, and Model Context Protocol (MCP) integrations that support end-to-end agent workflows.
  • Develop and manage the agent lifecycle framework, including agent versioning, testing, validation, compliance reviews, deployment processes, and release management within the enterprise agent registry.
  • Build and maintain shared services, reusable frameworks, developer tooling, and cross-platform integrations that accelerate adoption and ensure consistency across product and engineering teams.
  • Define, implement, and maintain technical standards for knowledge base content, metadata, structure, and accessibility to ensure high-quality inputs for agentic systems and workflows.
  • Drive engineering best practices across the agentic ecosystem - including automation, testing, observability, reliability, and continuous improvement of platform performance and developer experience.

Take the First Step Towards Your Dream Career
Every Dell Technologies team member brings something unique to the table. Here's what we are looking for with this role:
Essential Requirements
  • 8+ years in a software engineering role.
  • Deep hands-on familiarity with modern software development practices - CI/CD, DevOps, developer tooling - and a strong working knowledge of the current AI/agentic development landscape.
  • Demonstrated ability to take ambiguous problems, structure them, and deliver concrete outputs: analyses, prototypes, specifications, or frameworks.
  • Experience working cross-functionally with engineering, product, security, and infrastructure stakeholders.
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills - able to translate technical complexity into clear documentation for both technical and non-technical audiences.

Desirable Requirements
  • Direct, hands-on experience with agentic development tools and platforms (e.g., Windsurf/Codeium, Claude Code, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, or equivalent).
  • Familiarity with MCP ecosystems, LLM token economics, and AI governance frameworks at enterprise scale.
  • Experience in a large enterprise environment with gated release cycles, compliance requirements, and non-negotiable human oversight needs.
  • Background in developer experience, platform engineering, or internal developer tooling.
  • Experience building dashboards, measurement frameworks, or data instrumentation for developer productivity.
  • Comfort operating in ambiguity: defining structures and processes where few exist, and creating clarity without waiting for it.

Compensation
Dell is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices. The salary range for this position is $168,000 to $231,000.
Benefits and Perks of Working at Dell Technologies
Your life. Your health. Supported by your benefits. You can explore the overall benefits experience that awaits you as a Dell Technologies team member - right now at MyWellatDell.com
About Us
Who We Are
We believe that each of us has the power to make an impact. That's why we put our team members at the center of everything we do. If you're looking for an opportunity to grow your career with some of the best minds and most advanced tech in the industry, we're looking for you.
Dell Technologies is a unique family of businesses that helps individuals and organizations transform how they work, live and play. Join us to build a future that works for everyone because Progress Takes All of Us.
Dell Technologies is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all employees and to providing employees with a work environment free of discrimination and harassment. Read the full Equal Employment Opportunity Policy.
Visit our Culture Code page to learn more about how we work and lead.

DELL logo

About DELL

Sourced by ZipRecruiter

Dell Technologies helps organizations and individuals build a brighter digital tomorrow. Our company is made up of more than 150,000 people, located in over 180 locations around the world. We're proud to be a diverse and inclusive team and have an endless passion for our mission to drive human progress.

Industry

Computer and computer peripheral equipment and software wholesalers

Company size

10,000+ Employees

Headquarters location

Round Rock, TX, US

Year founded

1984