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Principal Software Engineer Jobs in Texas (NOW HIRING)

Principal Software Engineer

Austin, TX · On-site

$133K - $179K/yr

About this Role Reporting to the Engineering Manager, the Principal Software Engineer works in a cross-ocean product team and serves as a technical leader for delivering the best web experience for ...

Principal Software Engineer

Austin, TX · On-site

$180K - $220K/yr

We are seeking a Principal Software Engineer to provide technical leadership for the software platform that orchestrates our quantum computers. In this role, you'll set the technical direction for a ...

We are seeking a Principal Software Engineer to provide technical leadership for the software platform that orchestrates our quantum computers. In this role, you'll set the technical direction for a ...

Principal Software Engineer

Austin, TX · On-site

$180K - $220K/yr

We are seeking a Principal Software Engineer to provide technical leadership for the software platform that orchestrates our quantum computers. In this role, you'll set the technical direction for a ...

... Principal Software Engineer to work ONSITE to serve as a technical leader and architect across our software ecosystem. This role is responsible for driving the design, scalability, and evolution of ...

Principal Software Engineer

Plano, TX · Hybrid

$126K - $169K/yr

As a principal software engineer at Liberty Mutual, you'll consult on highly complex projects and solve technical problems, while working in an agile environment that has the creative energy of a ...

Principal Software Engineer

Plano, TX · Hybrid

$137K - $257K/yr

As a principal software engineer at Liberty Mutual, you'll consult on highly complex projects and solve technical problems, while working in an agile environment that has the creative energy of a ...

Principal Software Engineer

Plano, TX · Hybrid

$129K - $173K/yr

As a principal software engineer at Liberty Mutual, you'll consult on highly complex projects and solve technical problems, while working in an agile environment that has the creative energy of a ...

Principal Software Engineer

Houston, TX · On-site

$128K - $172K/yr

As a Principal Software Engineer at JPMorgan Chase within the Corporate Sector, you, you provide expertise and engineering excellence as an integral part of an agile team to enhance, build, and ...

Principal Software Engineer

Austin, TX · On-site

$133K - $179K/yr

They are seeking a Principal Software Engineer to gather user requirements, develop software applications, and manage software development activities for mission-critical systems. Responsibilities ...

Showing results 21-40

Principal Software Engineer information

See Texas salary details

$56.4K

$149.9K

$215.2K

How much do principal software engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Sep 7, 2026, the average yearly pay for principal software engineer in Texas is $149,937.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $125,800.00 and $168,600.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a principal software engineer?

A principal software engineer is in charge of software development. In this career, you guide the software design process and inspect software programs to make suggestions for improvements. Principal software engineers also process complex data and may need to enforce software design, development, and maintenance requirements. Your job requires a high level of technical knowledge and skills and a thorough understanding of the software development process. Your employer may require you to have a bachelor’s or master’s degree in software development. Similar job titles include software architect and principal software developer.

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

To thrive as a Principal Software Engineer, you need deep expertise in software architecture, programming languages, and system design, often supported by a bachelor's or master's degree in computer science or a related field. Advanced proficiency with development frameworks, cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, Azure), and familiarity with DevOps tools and agile methodologies are typically required. Exceptional leadership, mentorship, and communication skills help facilitate cross-functional collaboration and guide technical teams. These skills are crucial for driving technical vision, ensuring scalable solutions, and fostering innovation within complex projects.

How does a principal software engineer typically balance hands-on coding with leadership responsibilities?

Principal Software Engineers often split their time between technical contributions—such as designing system architecture and reviewing complex code—and guiding teams through mentorship, technical direction, and cross-functional collaboration. While they may not code as much as junior engineers, they remain highly involved in critical implementations and code reviews. Balancing these responsibilities requires strong time management, clear communication, and the ability to prioritize tasks that have the highest impact on project and team success.

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

AspectPrincipal Software EngineerSenior Software Engineer
Required CredentialsBachelor's or Master's in CS or related field; extensive experienceBachelor's or Master's in CS; several years of experience
Work EnvironmentLeadership roles, strategic planning, cross-team collaborationDesign, develop, and troubleshoot software; mentorship
Employer & Industry UsageTech companies, large enterprises, startupsMost industries, including tech, finance, healthcare

The main difference between a Principal Software Engineer and a Senior Software Engineer lies in their level of responsibility and scope. Principal Software Engineers typically lead technical strategy, influence architecture decisions, and mentor multiple teams, whereas Senior Software Engineers focus on coding, design, and individual project contributions. Both roles require strong technical skills, but the Principal role emphasizes leadership and strategic impact.

How much does a principal software engineer get paid?

A principal software engineer typically earns between $120,000 and $180,000 annually, depending on experience, location, and company size. They often have advanced skills in software architecture, leadership, and technical expertise in programming languages and tools.

What cities in Texas are hiring for Principal Software Engineer jobs?

Cities in Texas with the most Principal Software Engineer job openings:

Infographic showing various Principal Software Engineer job openings in Texas as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 84% Full Time, and 16% Contract. Highlights an 86% In-person, and 14% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $149,937 per year, or $72.1 per hour.

Principal Software Engineer

Hired Recruiters

Austin, TX • On-site

$133K - $179K/yr

Full-time

Re-posted 12 days ago


Job description

JOB DESCRIPTION
About this Role

Reporting to the Engineering Manager, the Principal Software Engineer works in a cross-ocean product team and serves as a technical leader for delivering the best web experience for millions of Fandom's Tabletop users. You will help us scale and improve our products by creating multiple features to allow users to power their gaming experience. This is part of an autonomous, experienced team, involved in all steps of our development process, and allows this role to contribute their own ideas and improvements to our platform.

You Will...
  • Have a Broad Technical Impact
    • You will own this technical area from an architectural and systems design perspective, leading other engineers, and working side-by-side with them to discover and implement solutions.
    • This role will be a top technical leader throughout all of Fandom and will need to communicate across a variety of audiences is imperative.
  • Execute with the Future in Mind
    • Think about the future, not overbuilding for it, and finding that right balance of developing solutions for current needs while not over-optimizing for issues we're not sure we'll need to solve.
    • Always have a plan for potential future issues and growth opportunities.
    • Stay abreast of applicable new technology innovations happening in the industry, knows when is the right time to bring new thoughts and potential architectural changes into discussions with an understanding of the trade-offs and potential impact on overall tech-debt.
  • Be Accountable
    • Provide technical leadership for impactful projects that involve multiple teams and span multiple technologies and systems
    • Lead large projects or large significant pieces of projects depending on the project scale
    • Identify risks and opportunities to improve the organization's methods and technologies
    • Influence other senior leaders on engineering strategy
  • Lead Key Initiatives
    • Work with the Data Science team to build out and scale our Tabletop platform for millions of users worldwide.
    • Work with our engineering teams to continue our migration from a monolithic stack to a microservice-based architecture.
You Have...
  • 10+ years of Consumer Web software engineering experience with a track-record of growth in development, design, and architecture
  • Recent experience building and migrating to a modern front-end tech-stack JAMstack, Raect.js, Redux, typescript, express.js
  • Practical usage of scaled-up DBMS based platforms (DynamoDB, MongoDB), with expertise in both relational and nonrelational systems and when it is necessary to choose each one
  • Strong API integration skills with experience in cloud architecture using tools such as AWS, Elastic Search, GraphQL (Apollo) and Cognito
  • A high degree of proficiency in building full-stack web systems, in both dynamic and highly cached environment using one or more of the following C#, Node.js, Python
Bonus Points if You Have...
  • A passion for fandoms and an interest in building products for fan communities around the world.
  • Contributed to open-source projects