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Principal Software Developer Jobs in Seattle, WA

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

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 Engineers

Redmond, WA · On-site

$151K - $202K/yr

We're looking for Principal Software Engineers who want to make a meaningful impact and move ... Integrate security capabilities with developer tools and platforms such as GitHub, Visual Studio ...

Hasbro

Principal Software Engineer

Renton, WA · On-site

$151K - $203K/yr

We are seeking a Principal Software Engineer who can guide product ideas through every stage with agentic AI - from defining the problem with business partners, to developing the system, to deploying ...

Microsoft

Principal Software Engineer

Redmond, WA · On-site

$188K - $304K/yr

As a Principal Software Engineer, you will lead the architecture and delivery of product ... Experience integrating with GitHub, Azure DevOps, CI/CD systems, code review workflows, issue ...

Microsoft

Principal Software Engineer

Redmond, WA · On-site

$188K - $304K/yr

As a Principal Software Engineer, you will set the technical vision and architecture for the platform and experiences that power billing, cost management, and FinOps across Microsoft Security. You ...

Microsoft

Principal Software Engineer

Redmond, WA · On-site

$220K - $331K/yr

We are seeking a highly experienced and technically visionary Principal Software Engineer to shape the architecture and development of the next-generation agent runtime and features. This role is ...

Microsoft

Principal Software Engineer

Redmond, WA · On-site

$188K - $304K/yr

We want to reshape security and empower every user, customer, and developer with a security cloud ... The team is looking for an action-oriented Principal Software Engineer who will expand the scope of ...

Microsoft

Principal Software Engineer

Redmond, WA · On-site

$188K - $304K/yr

We are looking for Principal Software Engineer to join the team! Microsoft's mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. As employees we come together ...

Microsoft

Principal Software Engineer

Redmond, WA · On-site

$142K - $274K/yr

The Principal Software Engineer within OCTO will build AI-based systems to accelerate the deployment of OpenAI technology across Microsoft. They will collaborate with key technical teams, both at ...

Walmart

Principal, Software Engineer

Bellevue, WA · On-site

$152K - $204K/yr

As a Principal Software Engineer on the Marketplace Platform team, you will play a pivotal role in ... Exposure to developer productivity, observability, or DevOps tools. * Contributions to open-source ...

Microsoft

Principal Software Engineer

Redmond, WA · On-site

$188K - $304K/yr

We are seeking an experienced Principal Software Engineer to join our Core Infrastructure Services organization within Intune, to build cloud services that operate at high scale and availability ...

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 ...

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Showing results 41-60

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

Principal Software Developer information

See Seattle, WA salary details

$107.5K

$160.7K

$211.1K

How much do principal software developer jobs pay per year?

As of Sep 3, 2026, the average yearly pay for principal software developer in Seattle, WA is $160,656.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $140,500.00 and $176,400.00 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 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 87% Full Time, 9% Part Time, and 4% Contract. Highlights an 89% Physical, 3% Hybrid, and 8% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $160,656 per year, or $77.2 per hour.

Principal Software Engineer

Microsoft

Redmond, WA • On-site

$151K - $202K/yr

Full-time

Re-posted 23 days ago

Microsoft rating

8.5

Company rating: 8.5 out of 10

Based on 132 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

80th of 247 rated software companies

Job description

Job Summary:
Microsoft is seeking a Principal Software Engineer to join their Garage Team in building Innovation Studio, a product that integrates with Teams to enhance organizational creativity and business outcomes. The role involves leading architecture and delivery of product capabilities while working on AI workflows and integration with Microsoft tools.
Responsibilities:
• AI-Native Development: Creates new artificial intelligence (AI) tools and practices to improve stages of the software development lifecycle (SDLC) including requirements capture, design, implementation, validation, deployment, and operations.
• Design: Oversees and establishes procedures around taking on dependencies for a critically important and high-impact space such as a connection with deep technical domains or for a broad set of products or services at critical junctures (e.g., early in development, urgent time horizon).
• Understand User Requirements: Partners with and influences appropriate internal (e.g., product manager, privacy/security subject matter expert, technical lead) and external (e.g. customer escalation team, public forums) senior stakeholders to set the product strategy for services or products of high importance.
• Coding: Establishes, influences, and ensures policies and procedures for developing extensible, reusable, maintainable, well-tested, secure, and performant code that adheres to design specifications, identifying and addressing coding issues, and conducting effective code reviews.
• Engineering Excellence: Oversees and provides technical leadership and subject matter expertise through efforts to ensure that compliance requirements are updated and clear.
Qualifications:
Required:
• Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or related technical field AND 6+ years technical engineering experience with coding in languages including, but not limited to, C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, or Python OR equivalent experience.
Preferred:
• Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or related technical field AND 10+ years technical engineering experience.
• Experience designing agent orchestration systems, tool-using AI agents, prompt and instruction frameworks, retrieval patterns, evaluations, or responsible AI guardrails.
• Experience with Microsoft Azure services such as Azure AI Foundry, Azure Functions, Storage, Key Vault, Managed Identity, Application Insights, or infrastructure as code.
• Experience integrating with GitHub, Azure DevOps, CI/CD systems, code review workflows, issue tracking, or engineering productivity platforms.
• Experience improving service reliability through observability, automated testing, performance analysis, deployment automation, and incident response.
• Demonstrated ability to simplify complex technical problems, communicate tradeoffs clearly, and influence architecture across teams.
• Passion for building tools that help people collaborate, experiment, learn, and turn ideas into practical outcomes.
Company:
Microsoft provides computer software, consumer electronics, cloud computing platforms, and digital enterprise systems. Founded in 1975, the company is headquartered in Redmond, USA, with a team of 10001+ employees. The company is currently Late Stage.

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About Microsoft

Sourced by ZipRecruiter

Our infrastructure is comprised of a large global portfolio of more than 100 datacenters and 1 million servers. Our foundation is built upon and managed by a team of subject matter experts working to support services for more than 1 billion customers and 20 million businesses in over 90 countries worldwide. With environmental sustainability and optimization at the forefront of our datacenter design and operations, we continue to grow and evolve as we meet the ever-changing business demands that hold Microsoft as a world-class cloud provider.

Industry

Computer and computer peripheral equipment and software wholesalers

Company size

10,000+ Employees

Headquarters location

Redmond, WA, US

Year founded

1975

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