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Principal Software Engineer Jobs (NOW HIRING)

OneTrust

Staff Software Engineer

San Francisco, CA

Staff Software Engineers are responsible for developing, contributing to decisions related to design and architecture of new frontend and/or backend features while supporting existing development ...

TCS

Senior Principal Software Engineer

Huntsville, AL · On-site

$123K - $170K/yr

Huntsville, Alabama, United States TCS is searching for a Senior Principal Software Engineer to join our strong team of Engineers supporting our Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) customer in ...

OneTrust

Staff Software Engineer

Atlanta, GA

Staff Software Engineers are responsible for developing, contributing to decisions related to design and architecture of new frontend and/or backend features while supporting existing development ...

TCS

Senior Principal Software Engineer

Huntsville, AL · On-site

$123K - $170K/yr

Huntsville, Alabama, United States TCS is searching for a Senior Principal Software Engineer to join our strong team of Engineers supporting our Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) customer in ...

OneTrust

Senior Staff Software Engineer

Atlanta, GA

$117K - $155K/yr

Principal Software Engineers are responsible for developing, contributing to decisions related to design and architecture of new frontend and/or backend features while supporting existing development ...

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$60.5K

$160.9K

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How much do principal software engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Jun 6, 2026, the average yearly pay for principal software engineer in the United States is $160,936.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $135,000.00 and $181,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

More about Principal Software Engineer jobs
What cities are hiring for Principal Software Engineer jobs? Cities with the most Principal Software Engineer job openings:
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Principal Software Engineer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Principal Software Engineer job openings in the United States as of May 2026, with employment types broken down into 92% Full Time, 7% Part Time, and 1% Contract. Highlights an 94% Physical, 2% Hybrid, and 4% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $160,936 per year, or $77.4 per hour.
Staff Software Engineer

Staff Software Engineer

OneTrust

San Francisco, CA

Other

Posted 29 days ago

Job description

The Challenge 

We're looking for a Staff Software Engineer with a passion for solving problems to join our agile AI Governance team at OneTrust. Staff Software Engineers are responsible for developing, contributing to decisions related to design and architecture of new frontend and/or backend features while supporting existing development efforts for our industry-leading platform. 

Your Mission 

Development  

  • Support development of Java microservices/Libraries while integrating with various AI platforms for Onetrust's AI Governance product. It will involve the designing, development, and unit testing of applications deployed to MS Azure with cloud application architecture using Core Java, REST, and the Spring ecosystem. 
  • Achieve at least 80% code coverage or per the revised standards set by the team.

Collaboration   

  • Work closely with UX, Product Managers and/or Product Owners, as well as other developers to contribute to planning and grooming sessionsand drive team's discussions on system architecture and component design. 
  • Support the team to ensure all committed stories for the sprint are completed per the sprint goal. 

Support   

  • Work toward reducing total number of defects in the module/product to industry standards by catching and fixing issues early in development.  
  • Ensure critical and high priority CII's are delivered per SLA.  

Code Review 

  • Conduct peer reviews to improve code quality. 
  • Help junior developers follow development testing, exploratory testing, AI testing and/or test automation. 

Lead 

  • Help build high-performing teams by mentoring the team on new technical skills. 
You Are 

A self-learner who is open to new technologies, processes, or techniques to improve your ability to deliver high-quality software. Someone who asks questions to clarify gaps in understanding.  

Your Experience Includes  
  • Bachelor's or master's degree in computer science, Engineering, or related technical or business field.
  • 8+ years of professional software engineering/development experience
  • Extensive hands-on experience and expertise in object-oriented design methodology and application development using Java/J2EE, Design Patterns, Spring MVC, SQL, Web services. 
  • Working experience with one or more AI platforms like Amazon SageMaker, Google Vertex, AWS Bedrock etc.
  • Experience with elastic search and data streaming tools like Kafka.
  • Good understanding of web services and SOA related standards like REST/OAuth/JSON.
  • Moderate understanding of code and script (Python, Bash)
  • Good experience with SQL and NoSQL databases
  • Agile development (Scrum, XP, or Pair Programming) experience
  • Ability to use a wide variety of open-source technologies and cloud services.
  • Familiarity with public cloud providers such as (Azure, Google Cloud, or AWS) 

Extra Awesome 

  • Familiarity with different databases (Relational and document) is a strong asset.
  • Familiarity with continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) tools, such as Jenkins.
  • Proficiency in Kubernetes, including cluster deployment, scaling, and management is highly desirable. 

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