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Principal Software Developer Jobs in Seattle, WA

MediaAlpha

Principal Software Engineer

Bellevue, WA · On-site

$152K - $204K/yr

Hybrid role: 3 days/week in office Role Overview As a Principal Software Engineer at MediaAlpha, you will be a technical leader accountable at the ecosystem level. You own the architecture, health ...

Microsoft AI

Principal Software Engineer

Redmond, WA · On-site

$151K - $202K/yr

The Principal Software Engineer will lead efforts to improve performance outcomes for Microsoft Edge, ensuring it remains fast and reliable for users while driving architectural changes and ...

UKG, Inc.

Principal Software Engineer- Eng

Seattle, WA · On-site

$153K - $206K/yr

Principal Software Engineer-ENG: This Principal Software Engineer- Eng role serves as a technical authority and architectural leader for UKG's Pro Foundation team, which owns HCM-level platform ...

Gradial

Principal Software Engineer

Seattle, WA · On-site

$160K - $250K/yr

The Role Gradial is seeking a Principal Software Engineer to drive the architecture and technical vision behind AI-native systems that transform how creative teams build and update websites. As a ...

Salesforce

Principal Software Engineer

Bellevue, WA · On-site

$152K - $204K/yr

Salesforce is seeking a Principal Software Engineer (PMTS) to join the Tableau Agent Analytics Agentforce Process Intelligence team. You will act as a technical leader across one or more teams ...

Salesforce, Inc.

Principal Software Engineer

Bellevue, WA · On-site

$152K - $204K/yr

Salesforce is seeking a Principal Software Engineer (PMTS) to join the Tableau Agent Analytics Agentforce Process Intelligence team. You will act as a technical leader across one or more teams ...

Microsoft

Principal Software Engineer

Redmond, WA · On-site

$142K - $274K/yr

The Azure Monitor Agents Team is looking for a Principal Software Engineer to help us accelerate modernization of reliable and cost-efficient managed telemetry pipelines delivering observability data ...

Microsoft

Principal Software Engineer

Redmond, WA · On-site

$151K - $202K/yr

Job Summary : Microsoft is seeking a Principal Software Engineer to join their Garage Team in ... GitHub, Azure DevOps, CI/CD systems, code review workflows, issue tracking, or engineering ...

Microsoft

Principal Software Engineer

Redmond, WA · On-site

$188K - $304K/yr

As a Principal Software Engineer Lead , you will design and build AI-native systems that go beyond supporting workflows-they intelligently transform them. You will work across data, systems, and ...

Microsoft

Principal Software Engineer

Redmond, WA · On-site

$188K - $304K/yr

Overview Do you describe yourself as an explorer, builder, and lifelong learner who thinks collaboratively and has a solid technical background as a software developer? We are looking for a Principal ...

Microsoft

Principal Software Engineer

Redmond, WA · On-site

$188K - $304K/yr

We are hiring a Principal Software Engineer with deep experience and expertise in designing and delivering solutions using modern software engineering practices and cloud technologies. You will be ...

Microsoft

Principal Software Engineer

Redmond, WA · On-site

$188K - $304K/yr

As a Principal Software Engineer on this team, you will get an amazing opportunity to demonstrate leadership at both the technology and business level. You will be part of a fast growing and agile ...

Microsoft

Principal Software Engineer

Redmond, WA · On-site

$220K - $331K/yr

We are hiring a Principal Software Engineer to join the Data Factory team. Data Factory team builds and operates Data Ingestion, Data transformation, and Data orchestration services. This team is ...

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Showing results 21-40

All JobsPrincipal Software Developer JobsPrincipal Software Developer Jobs in Seattle, WA

Principal Software Developer information

See Seattle, WA salary details

$107.6K

$160.7K

$211.2K

How much do principal software developer jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 13, 2026, the average yearly pay for principal software developer in Seattle, WA is $160,746.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $140,600.00 and $176,500.00 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.
What are popular job titles related to Principal Software Developer jobs in Seattle, WA? For Principal Software Developer jobs in Seattle, WA, the most frequently searched job titles are:
What job categories do people searching Principal Software Developer jobs in Seattle, WA look for? The top searched job categories for Principal Software Developer jobs in Seattle, WA are:
Principal Software Developer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Principal Software Developer job openings in Seattle, WA as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% Internship, 86% Full Time, 9% Part Time, and 4% Contract. Highlights an 88% Physical, 4% Hybrid, and 8% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $160,746 per year, or $77.3 per hour.

Principal Software Engineer

MediaAlpha

Bellevue, WA • On-site

$152K - $204K/yr

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Retirement, PTO

Posted 9 days ago

Job description

MediaAlpha is a customer acquisition solutions provider powered by technology and data science. The company provides industry-leading solutions designed to reach consumers shopping within high-consideration categories such as property and casualty insurance, health insurance, life insurance, and more.
Hybrid role: 3 days/week in office
Role Overview
As a Principal Software Engineer at MediaAlpha, you will be a technical leader accountable at the ecosystem level. You own the architecture, health, and strategic technical direction across large and complex systems that span multiple teams-ensuring sound design, operational excellence, and alignment with business needs across the ecosystem. You will shape broad architecture, partner with engineering and business leaders to define roadmaps, and drive technical standards that the organization builds on.
Principal Engineers are hands-on technical leaders. You write code, make architectural decisions, and solve the hardest technical problems in the ecosystem. Your work sets the standard for engineering quality and shapes how systems evolve. The difference at this level is that your technical contributions have ecosystem-wide impact-you define the patterns, frameworks, and architectural direction that other engineers build within.
Everything we build, decide, and deliver is measured against four pillars: Fast, Flexible, Robust, and Transparent. Principal Engineers serve these pillars through architectural clarity that eliminates wasted motion, systems designed for change and adaptability, patterns and standards that ensure long-term health, and active ambassadorship that makes technical direction visible across the organization.
The ideal candidate is a masterful engineer who operates at ecosystem scope-driving technical strategy across teams and groups, shaping architecture that spans organizational boundaries, and developing senior technical leaders. You operate effectively across organizational boundaries, mentor and lead engineers throughout the organization, and drive technical excellence at ecosystem scale. We are an intentionally small organization, designed for agility, speed, collaboration, and workability, where Principal Engineers serve as the technical authorities and go-to leaders across multiple teams and groups.
Responsibilities
Ecosystem Architecture & Technical Ownership
  • Own large and complex systems end to end with accountability at the ecosystem level-ensuring sound requirements, design, architecture, coding, processes, and operations for holistically complete solutions
  • Shape broad architecture by leading projects involving multiple large components, complex libraries, or major pieces of application infrastructure, with multi-quarter strategic vision
  • Proactively monitor and maintain the health of all systems within your area of accountability, identifying and driving high-risk, long-term tradeoff decisions at the ecosystem level
Engineering Standards & Technical Strategy
  • Define new patterns and advanced methodologies that ensure all engineering work maintains standards for maintainability, scalability, security, reliability, privacy, and compliance at ecosystem scale
  • Partner with technical leaders to establish and evangelize standards for architecture, code quality, and system design across the engineering organization
  • Identify and proactively tackle system-wide and organizational technical debt, driving measurable improvements in platform health and engineering effectiveness
Leadership & Cross-Organizational Influence
  • Lead at the group level as a role model; actively mentor engineers throughout the organization and guide senior technical leaders in decision-making at the feature and component level
  • Develop senior technical leaders toward broader impact-growing their ability to own systems, set standards, and influence architecture beyond their immediate team
  • Engage cross-team and cross-organizational stakeholders to define strategy, principles, goals, and requirements that align technical direction with business needs
  • Represent groups and ecosystems to the broader company; be accountable for ecosystem infrastructure, design, and architecture and serve as the go-to technical authority across teams
Requirements
  • 10+ years experience in software development with a track record of increasing technical scope and organizational influence
  • Demonstrated ability to own and drive ecosystem-level technical initiatives spanning multiple teams and multiple quarters from conception through completion
  • Track record of defining architectural patterns, engineering standards, and frameworks that are adopted and referenced across an organization
  • Experience mentoring and developing engineers at multiple levels, including guiding senior technical decision-making
  • Proven ability to shape broad architecture and lead complex, multi-component projects that span organizational boundaries
  • Strong understanding of software engineering methodologies, system design, and architecture at the ecosystem level
  • Strong SQL skills and understanding of database and query optimizations
  • Excellent communication skills with the ability to represent technical strategy and architectural direction to both engineering and business audiences
  • Ability to identify and drive high-risk, long-term tradeoff decisions with sound judgment and clear rationale
  • A self-starter, comfortable with ambiguity, who creates clarity and structure for others
  • B.S. in a technical discipline preferred; equivalent experience and a proven track record of results will be valued equally
The Bottom Line
The measure of a Principal Engineer's success is the health and trajectory of the ecosystems they own.
The best Principal Engineers define the architectural direction that guides technical decisions across teams, set engineering standards that raise the bar for the entire organization, solve the problems no one else can, and develop the engineers around them into stronger technical leaders.
Compensation & Benefits
We are excited to offer a competitive base pay range of $200,000 to $350,000 per year for this position, based on experience and qualifications. But that's not all - as a valued member of our team, you will also have access to an array of top-notch benefits, including:
  • Annual bonus program and participation in our Restricted Stock Unit program
  • 100% Employer-paid health, dental, and vision insurance for you, your dependents, and spouse or registered domestic partner
  • 100% Employer paid long term disability, and life insurance
  • 401(k) retirement plan with matching contributions to help you plan for your future
  • Open Paid Time Off policy with a Brthday Hookie day off, 13 holiday, and 5 Recharge days
  • Professional development reimbursement along with a subscription to LinkedIn Learning
  • Cell Phone, Wellness, and Internet expense reimbursement, along with a subscription to the Calm App
  • 100% fully paid parental leave for team members up to 22 weeks for the primary caregiver and 12 weeks for the secondary caregiver
  • Dog-friendly offices (LA and AZ) along with a $300 pet adoption reimbursement

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
MediaAlpha is committed to fostering, cultivating, and maintaining a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Our philosophy and actions are built on the premise that as an employer and citizens of our communities, we can create opportunities for lasting change.
Fair Chance
MediaAlpha will consider qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with state and local "Fair Chance" laws. We are also committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified applicants with disabilities and disabled veterans in our application process. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please contact us at peopleops@mediaalpha.com or (213) 316-6256.

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