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Principal Software Developer Jobs in Virginia (NOW HIRING)

GCyber

Principal Software Engineer/Tech Lead

Arlington, VA · On-site

$154K - $206K/yr

As the Principal Software Engineer/Team Lead, you will: * Engineering * Experience in working on ... Experience designing, building, and deploying DevOps pipelines with Bitbucket, Git, Jenkins ...

GCyber

Principal Software Engineer/Tech Lead

Arlington, VA · On-site

$154K - $206K/yr

As the Principal Software Engineer/Team Lead, you will: * Engineering * Experience in working on ... Experience designing, building, and deploying DevOps pipelines with Bitbucket, Git, Jenkins ...

NetApp

Principal Software Engineer

Mclean, VA · On-site

$220K - $372K/yr

As a Principal Engineer in NetApp's Cloud Storage organization, you will lead and execute our most ... Built developer-facing products, APIs, or SDKs used by external customers at scale.

NetApp, Inc.

Principal Software Engineer

Mclean, VA · On-site

$220K - $372K/yr

As a Principal Engineer in NetApp's Cloud Storage organization, you will lead and execute our most ... Built developer-facing products, APIs, or SDKs used by external customers at scale.

Fairygodboss

Principal Software Engineer

Arlington, VA · On-site

$131.30 - $237.35/hr

Description We are seeking an experienced Principal Software Engineer to join our team in developing the forefront of unmanned and autonomous ship development for the US Government. Based in ...

STR

Principal Software Engineer

Arlington, VA · On-site

$220K - $280K/yr

The Role As a Principal Software Engineer, you will leverage your skills in systems and software development to operationalize advanced statistical machine learning algorithms and support production ...

New

STR

Principal Software Engineer

Arlington, VA · On-site

$220K - $280K/yr

The Role As a Principal Software Engineer, you will leverage your skills in systems and software development to operationalize advanced statistical machine learning algorithms and support production ...

New

Leidos

Principal Software Engineer

Arlington, VA · On-site

$131K - $237K/yr

We are seeking an experienced Principal Software Engineer to join our team in developing the forefront of unmanned and autonomous ship development for the US Government. Based in Arlington, VA, you ...

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Showing results 21-40

All JobsPrincipal Software Developer JobsPrincipal Software Developer Jobs in Virginia

Principal Software Developer information

See Virginia salary details

$93.7K

$140K

$183.9K

How much do principal software developer jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 22, 2026, the average yearly pay for principal software developer in Virginia is $139,960.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $122,400.00 and $153,700.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

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.

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 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.

What are popular job titles related to Principal Software Developer jobs in Virginia?

For Principal Software Developer jobs in Virginia, the most frequently searched job titles are:

What job categories do people searching Principal Software Developer jobs in Virginia look for?

The top searched job categories for Principal Software Developer jobs in Virginia are:

What are popular job titles related to Principal Software Developer jobs in VA?

For Principal Software Developer jobs in VA, the most frequently searched job titles are:

Principal Software Developer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Principal Software Developer job openings in Virginia as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% As Needed, 80% Full Time, 16% Part Time, and 3% Contract. Highlights an 87% Physical, 4% Hybrid, and 9% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $139,960 per year, or $67.3 per hour.

Principal Software Engineer - (Secret Clearance Preferred - On-site Required)

GDIT

Oakton, VA • On-site

$136K - $184K/yr

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Retirement, PTO

Posted 3 days ago

New

General Dynamics Information Technology rating

7.8

Company rating: 7.8 out of 10

Based on 63 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

88th of 225 rated it services

Job description

Type of Requisition:

Regular

Clearance Level Must Currently Possess:

None

Clearance Level Must Be Able to Obtain:

Secret

Public Trust/Other Required:

None

Job Family:

Software Engineering

Job Qualifications:

Skills:

C++ STL, Data Warehouse ETL, Extract Transform Load (ETL), Parallel Programming, Scripting Languages

Certifications:

None

Experience:

8 + years of related experience

US Citizenship Required:

Yes

Job Description:

GDIT is seeking a Principal Software Engineer to join our team.

This challenging and interesting software engineering and development position is a chance to participate in the development and operation of a high-performance big data system, and join a longstanding, stable program consisting of a team of individuals using defined Agile software principles and practices.

As a Principal Software Engineer, you will perform software requirements analysis, design, development, testing, maintenance and participate in research of an operational big data system. The Principal Software Engineer focuses on software and application development and programming to deliver solutions to complex problems. You will tailor cutting-edge solutions to the unique requirements of our clients.

US Citizenship is required. Active Secret clearance is preferred. If a candidate does not have an active clearance, GDIT will sponsor the clearance upon contingent offer. The work must be performed onsite (no remote work).

WHAT YOU'LL NEED TO SUCCEED:

  • Demonstrated understanding of software engineering concepts, principles and applications
  • Experience with database technologies, SQL, ETL, indexing and performance
  • Demonstrated understanding of software engineering concepts, principles and applications
  • In-depth understanding of object-oriented and functional programming, design patterns, data structures and algorithms
  • Proven Modern C++ experience (Modern C++ versions 11/14/17/20) applied in a Linux development environment
  • Experience with parallel and multi-threaded programming and multi-process applications
  • Proven experience in scripting languages including Bash, Ruby and Python
  • Proven experience with very large databases/big data/enterprise data warehouses
  • Required Experience: Minimum of 8+ years of related experience

Preferred Skills:

  • Education: Bachelor's (4 year) degree in software engineering or related technical field OR a minimum of 12 years of equivalent work experience
  • Experience with Azure Cloud development
  • Experience with memory architectures (NUMA) and caching
  • Working knowledge of techniques for improving performance such as profiling, avoiding memory allocation/de-allocation, parallelization and algorithms
  • Experience with data modeling and NoSQL database technologies such as MongoDB

What sets you apart:

  • Ability to interact and collaborate effectively with project teams, managers, and end users
  • Maintain commitment to ongoing professional development
  • Be able to grasp and apply new information quickly and handle increasing responsibilities with growing complexity
  • Be a creative and innovative thinker with the ability to multi-task

CLEARANCE REQUIREMENTS:

Department of War Secret security clearance is required before starting on program. Applicants selected will be subject to a government background investigation and must meet eligibility and suitability requirements. Due to the nature of work performed within our facilities, U.S. citizenship is required.

GDIT IS YOUR PLACE:

  • 401K with company match
  • Comprehensive health and wellness packages
  • Internal mobility team dedicated to helping you own your career
  • Professional growth opportunities including paid education and certifications
  • Cutting-edge technology you can learn from
  • Rest and recharge with paid vacation and holiday
The likely salary range for this position is $136,000 - $184,000. This is not, however, a guarantee of compensation or salary. Rather, salary will be set based on experience, geographic location and possibly contractual requirements and could fall outside of this range.

Scheduled Weekly Hours:

40

Travel Required:

None

Telecommuting Options:

Onsite

Work Location:

USA VA Oakton

Additional Work Locations:

Total Rewards at GDIT:

Our benefits package for all US-based employees includes a variety of medical plan options, some with Health Savings Accounts, dental plan options, a vision plan, and a 401(k) plan offering the ability to contribute both pre and post-tax dollars up to the IRS annual limits and receive a company match. To encourage work/life balance, GDIT offers employees full flex work weeks where possible and a variety of paid time off plans, including vacation, sick and personal time, holidays, paid parental, military, bereavement and jury duty leave. To ensure our employees are able to protect their income, other offerings such as short and long-term disability benefits, life, accidental death and dismemberment, personal accident, critical illness and business travel and accident insurance are provided or available. We regularly review our Total Rewards package to ensure our offerings are competitive and reflect what our employees have told us they value most.

Our Identity Verification Process:

As part of the hiring process, we will ask you to complete an identity verification process that leverages advanced biometrics and artificial intelligence to ensure authenticity and protect against identity fraud. You are expected to be on camera during virtual interviews. We reserve the right to take your picture to verify your identity and prevent fraud. By proceeding, you authorize the collection, processing, and use of your biometric data for identity verification and security purposes.

About Our Work:

We are GDIT. A global technology and professional services company that delivers technology solutions and mission services to every major agency across the U.S. government, defense and intelligence community. Our 26,000 experts extract the power of technology to create immediate value and deliver solutions at the edge of innovation. We operate across 50+ countries worldwide, offering leading mission-ready capabilities in AI, cloud, cyber and software development.Join our Talent Community to stay up to date on our career opportunities and events at

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Equal Opportunity Employer / Individuals with Disabilities / Protected Veterans

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About General Dynamics Information Technology

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GDIT is a global technology and professional services company that delivers technology solutions and mission services to every major agency across the U.S. government, defense, and intelligence community. Its 30,000 experts extract the power of technology to create immediate value and deliver solutions at the edge of innovation. The company operates across 50+ countries worldwide, offering leading capabilities in digital modernization, AI/ML, cloud, cyber, and application development.

Industry

It services

Company size

10,000+ Employees

Headquarters location

Falls Church, VA, US

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