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Principal Software Engineer Jobs in Richmond, VA

Carmax

Principal Software Engineer

Richmond, VA · On-site

$133.90K - $179.50K/yr

Purpose of the role We are seeking a Principal Software Engineer who will help architect and build the technical foundation of our data platform. It takes a passion for technology and leadership to ...

CarMax, Inc.

Principal Software Engineer

Richmond, VA · On-site

$133.90K - $179.50K/yr

Purpose of the role We are seeking a Principal Software Engineer who will help architect and build the technical foundation of our data platform. It takes a passion for technology and leadership to ...

Verint Systems

Principal Engineer, Software

Richmond, VA · On-site

$133.60K - $179.10K/yr

As a Principal Engineer, you will be the senior-most technical voice on the US engineering team for ... operates its software. This is a high-visibility, high-impact role that requires both deep ...

UKG

Principal Cloud Platform Software Engineer

Richmond, VA · On-site

$133.60K - $179.10K/yr

About the Role We are seeking a Principal Cloud Platform Software Engineer in Enterprise Solutions and Experience (ESE) org to lead the architecture and development of a cloud-native onboarding ...

Base2 Solutions

Software Engineer

Hanover, VA · On-site

$140K - $180K/yr

Our software engineers develop the next-generation technologies that drive decision making and impact our national defense. We're looking for engineers who bring fresh ideas from all areas, including ...

Assertive Professionals

Software Engineer

Hanover, VA · On-site

The Software Engineer develops, maintains, and enhances complex and diverse software systems (e.g., processing-intensive analytics, novel algorithm development, manipulation of extremely large data ...

Catapult Consultants, LLC

Senior Software Engineer

Henrico, VA · On-site

$111.20K - $146.60K/yr

This software engineering position focuses on software development and goes beyond programming to include such things as eliciting customers' requirements, and designing and testing software ...

Amentum

Software Engineer

Hanover, VA · On-site

If you are a software engineer or have web application development or DevOps experience, are a self-starting enterprising person, and are looking to expand your knowledge in all parts of application ...

Collabera

Software Engineer

Glen Allen, VA

Collaborate with system engineers, frontend developers and software developers to implement solutions that are aligned with and extend shared platforms and solutions. Apply principles of SDLC and ...

Collabera

Software Engineer

Glen Allen, VA · On-site

Client is looking for an experienced Software Engineer to work on a number of exciting projects that will have a very positive impact on client's business. Essential Responsibilities: You will be ...

Genworth Financial

Software Engineer

Richmond, VA

POSITION TITLE Software Engineer This role is not eligible for employment visa sponsorship POSITION LOCATION This position is available to Virginia residents in Richmond, Virginia inoffice/hybrid ...

CoStar Group

Software Engineer

Richmond, VA · On-site

Software Engineer CoStar Group (NASDAQ: CSGP) is a leading global provider of commercial and residential real estate information, analytics, and online marketplaces. Included in the S&P 500 Index and ...

CoStar

Software Engineer

Richmond, VA

Software Engineer CoStar Group (NASDAQ: CSGP) is a leading global provider of commercial and residential real estate information, analytics, and online marketplaces. Included in the S&P 500 Index and ...

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All JobsPrincipal Software Engineer JobsPrincipal Software Engineer Jobs in Richmond, VA

Principal Software Engineer information

See Richmond, VA salary details

$59.9K

$159.3K

$228.6K

How much do principal software engineer jobs pay per year?

As of May 28, 2026, the average yearly pay for principal software engineer in Richmond, VA is $159,267.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $133,600.00 and $179,100.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What Is 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 are Principal Software Engineers?

Principal Software Engineers are highly experienced technical leaders responsible for designing, developing, and overseeing complex software systems. They set technical direction, mentor engineering teams, and often collaborate with stakeholders to align technology solutions with business goals. In addition to coding, they play a key role in establishing best practices, reviewing architectural decisions, and ensuring high-quality software delivery. Their expertise and leadership are critical in driving innovation and maintaining technical excellence within an organization.

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.

More about Principal Software Engineer jobs
What are popular job titles related to Principal Software Engineer jobs in Richmond, VA? For Principal Software Engineer jobs in Richmond, VA, the most frequently searched job titles are:
What job categories do people searching Principal Software Engineer jobs in Richmond, VA look for? The top searched job categories for Principal Software Engineer jobs in Richmond, VA are:
What cities near Richmond, VA are hiring for Principal Software Engineer jobs? Cities near Richmond, VA with the most Principal Software Engineer job openings:
Principal Software Engineer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Principal Software Engineer job openings in Richmond, VA as of May 2026, with employment types broken down into 88% Full Time, 10% Part Time, and 2% Contract. Highlights an 89% Physical, 8% Hybrid, and 3% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $159,267 per year, or $76.6 per hour.
Principal Software Engineer

Principal Software Engineer

Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond

Richmond, VA • On-site

$133.60K - $179.10K/yr

Full-time

Posted 19 days ago

Job description

CompanyFederal Reserve Bank of BostonFederal Reserve Financial Services (FRFS) delivers a suite of payments services to financial institutions via FedLine Solutions, FedNowSM, Fedwire, National Settlement Service (NSS), FedCash, FedACH (Automated Clearing House), and Check Services. We are currently leading a strategic effort to transform FRFS to a national, enterprise-focused organization. Through our evolved structure, we will meet the needs of the marketplace for new products and services more quickly, seek to provide a more robust and unified customer experience across our financial service offerings, and create new career growth opportunities for FRFS staff.
The Federal Reserve has developed a new interbank 24x7x365 real-time gross settlement (RTGS) service with integrated clearing functionality, called the FedNow Service. This service enables financial institutions to provide their customers with the ability to send and receive payments any time, any day, and have full access to those funds within seconds. This position is a unique opportunity to be part of this mission-critical Federal Reserve initiative that is transforming the payments landscape in the United States.
Top level technical expert in one or more highly specialized areas of applications systems analysis and programming. Responsible for software design, coding, testing, debugging, and documentation. Has full technical knowledge of all phases of applications systems analysis and development. Provides technical leadership on complex projects. Interacts with internal project teams and work groups regularly. Level of work required is considered highly advanced and staff must be able to work under minimal supervision. This job does not have any direct reports. You have an appetite to learn, and a passion for technology, innovation, and developing new skills on evolving technologies.

Position Contributions-

Top level technical expert in one or more highly specialized areas of applications systems analysis and programming. Responsible for software design, coding, testing, debugging, and documentation. Has full technical knowledge of all phases of applications systems analysis and development. Provides technical leadership on complex projects. Interacts with internal project teams and work groups regularly. Level of work required is considered highly advanced and staff must be able to work under minimal supervision. This job does not have any direct reports. You have an appetite to learn, and a passion for technology, innovation, and developing new skills on evolving technologies.

What will be expected of you-

  • Serves as a Principal Software Engineer: to design, develop and implement new complex solutions in accordance with FedNow and Fed Standards
  • Develops software solutions in Java, Spring, Terraform, NoSQL and RDS in the Cloud
  • Develop end to end Infrastructure-as-Code solutions in Cloud
  • Provides input into strategic and tactical planning of software solutions and software development lifecycle changes
  • In addition to being able to engineer across numerous areas of technology, you'll serve as subject matter expert in one or more areas
  • Trains and consults cross functionally within the organization on troubleshooting/resolving highly complex and/or highly time critical problems
  • Collaborates with analysts as part of an integrated Agile team to define user requirements and conduct design review for the development of complex and innovative cloud applications using modern internet-scale technologies and Serverless architecture in Cloud
  • Demonstrates skill dexterity; seeking to continuously adapt and employ new technical skills alongside proven staples
  • Ensures that the quality of software developed, maintained and enhanced in-house and installed into production is sufficient to prevent the occurrence of catastrophic defects that cause the customer significant problems, missed deadlines, or interruption to the production environment
  • Ensure compliance with Fed policies, procedures and standards
  • Provides primary or backup production support for applications and components, including but not limited to timely resolution to production problems and processing issues

Expertise you will bring-

  • 8+ years of Java Development
  • 4+ years working with AWS cloud-based platforms in an enterprise environment.
  • Demonstrated experience engineering software with cloud-first architectures
  • 10+ years software engineering experience in a team-based environment
  • Experience with building and deploying solutions in Cloud
  • Experience with Serverless architecture for building software solutions in Cloud
  • Experience with CI/CD build tools, and DevOps processes
  • Experience developing high performance, high volume, highly available
  • (24/7/365) environments
  • Experience with Agile software engineering (Scrum, Kanban, Lean etc)
  • Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems,

Logistics& Requirements-

  • Deep expertise in Java and proficient knowledge of programming languages (JavaScript, XML, JSON, HTML, CSS etc. Python a bonus)
  • Proficient knowledge of operating systems (Linux, Unix, Windows)
  • Proficient knowledge of database development (SQL, Oracle, DB2)
  • Ideally, you'll have experience with AWS services, and integrating them into an application
  • Ideally you'll have experience with leading edge Cloud technologies, such as Kafka, in-memory and NoSQL databases, messaging platforms, memcache etc).
  • Demonstrates independent thinking and decision-making abilities
  • Demonstrates excellent written and oral communication abilities
  • Proficient knowledge of cloud security for application development and delivery
  • Advanced knowledge of object-oriented programming
  • Ideally, Infrastructure as Code (IAC); Terraform

Nice to Have-

  • Experience with API Development and consumption and microservices architecture
  • Experience with agile development methodology
  • Knowledge of technology project and secure coding standards
  • Strong interpersonal, teamwork and negotiation skills
  • Strong customer service skills
  • Strong problem solving and critical thinking skills
  • Familiarity with usability techniques and best practices
  • Infrastructure as Code (IAC); Terraform

Salary

The salary range for this position is $173,400.00 - $216,700.00 - $260,000.00. The Boston Fed believes in salary transparency. The final salary and offer will be determined by the applicant's background, skills, internal equity, and alignment with market data. Whether you're developing into the job or are a more seasoned candidate, we aim to pay competitively. The position and job description posted is for a Principal Software Engineer however, candidates will be placed in an appropriate level within the Software Engineer job family based on the extent of their experience. If you reside outside of the 1st District, you may be hired by your local Federal Reserve District and compensation will follow hiring District's range and policy.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Boston is committed to provide equal employment opportunities to all persons without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, genetic information, disability, or military service.

All employees assigned to this position will be subject to FBI fingerprint/ criminal background and Patriot Act/ Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) watch list checks at least once every five years.

For this job, any offer of employment is contingent upon successfully passing a two-phase security screening. The first phase consists of the satisfactory completion of a physical examination (including a drug screening), reference checks, and a security investigation consisting of credit and criminal history checks.

The second phase, which might not be complete until after you begin working at the Reserve Bank, is an additional risk-based security screening determined by the risk rating of the position. Depending upon the sensitivity of the position, this phase may include, and is not limited to, work and residency eligibility verification, and personal interviews with the candidate, references, and prior employers.

All applicants must have resided in the United States for at least three (3) years

Full Time / Part TimeFull timeRegular / TemporaryRegularJob Exempt (Yes / No)YesJob CategoryInformation Technology Family GroupWork ShiftFirst (United States of America)

The Federal Reserve Banks are committed to equal employment opportunity for employees and job applicants in compliance with applicable law and to an environment where employees are valued for their differences.

Always verify and apply to jobs on Federal Reserve System Careers (https://rb.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/FRS) or through verified Federal Reserve Bank social media channels.

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