1

Principal Support Engineer Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

As a Principal Support Engineer at Yubico, you will address complex technical challenges at the intersection of hardware, software, and global security standards to ensure customer security at scale.

New

The Principal Project Engineer will support the development of complex integrated solution proposals in the capacity of Subject Matter Expert through award, execution, and after installation ...

Principal Engineer

Pasadena, CA · On-site

$157K - $196K/yr

The Principal Engineer leads the Water Resources and Planning Division, overseeing critical water ... that support the City's long-term water reliability and sustainability goals. This position ...

next page

Showing results 1-20

Principal Support Engineer information

See California salary details

$73K

$145.3K

$209.7K

How much do principal support engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 9, 2026, the average yearly pay for principal support engineer in California is $145,292.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $116,900.00 and $170,700.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What does a principal support engineer do?

A principal support engineer provides advanced technical assistance to customers, resolving complex issues related to a company's products or services. They often lead troubleshooting efforts, collaborate with development teams, and may develop support documentation or training materials to improve customer experience and product reliability.

What is a principal support engineer?

Principal Support Engineers are highly experienced technical professionals who provide advanced support for complex software or hardware products. They typically handle escalated issues, work closely with engineering teams to resolve critical problems, and may mentor or lead other support staff. Their role involves deep technical troubleshooting, customer communication, and contributing to product improvements based on customer feedback. Principal Support Engineers often serve as the highest point of technical escalation within a support organization.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a principal support engineer?

To thrive as a Principal Support Engineer, you need deep technical expertise in troubleshooting, systems analysis, and customer support, typically backed by a degree in computer science or a related field. Familiarity with ticketing systems, enterprise software platforms, and relevant certifications such as ITIL or specific vendor credentials is often required. Exceptional problem-solving abilities, leadership, and communication skills distinguish top performers in this role. These skills ensure complex technical issues are resolved efficiently, fostering customer satisfaction and maintaining system reliability.

How does a principal support engineer typically collaborate with product and engineering teams to resolve complex customer issues?

Principal Support Engineers frequently act as a bridge between customers and internal product or engineering teams. When faced with intricate technical challenges, they escalate issues, provide detailed analysis, and share customer feedback directly with developers and product managers. This collaboration helps ensure that critical bugs are addressed promptly and that customer needs influence product improvements. Regular communication, joint troubleshooting sessions, and participation in post-mortem reviews are common aspects of this cross-functional teamwork.

What is the difference between Principal Support Engineer vs Support Engineer?

AspectPrincipal Support EngineerSupport Engineer
CredentialsTypically requires advanced technical certifications, extensive experience, and deep industry knowledgeEntry to mid-level certifications and experience in customer support or technical roles
Work EnvironmentHigh-level technical support, troubleshooting complex issues, often collaborating with engineering teamsProviding technical assistance, resolving customer issues, and maintaining support tickets
Employer & Industry UsageUsed in tech companies, software, hardware, and enterprise solutionsCommon across IT, software, and hardware support roles in various industries

The Principal Support Engineer typically handles complex technical problems, requires advanced certifications, and works closely with engineering teams. Support Engineers focus on resolving customer issues at a more operational level. The roles differ mainly in scope, experience, and technical depth, but both are essential in technical support hierarchies.

What are popular job titles related to Principal Support Engineer jobs in California? For Principal Support Engineer jobs in California, the most frequently searched job titles are:
What job categories do people searching Principal Support Engineer jobs in California look for? The top searched job categories for Principal Support Engineer jobs in California are:
What cities in California are hiring for Principal Support Engineer jobs? Cities in California with the most Principal Support Engineer job openings:
Infographic showing various Principal Support Engineer job openings in California as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% As Needed, 71% Full Time, 23% Part Time, and 5% Contract. Highlights an 91% Physical, 2% Hybrid, and 7% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $145,292 per year, or $69.9 per hour.

Principal Support Engineer

Socket.dev

San Francisco, CA • On-site

$125 - $145/hr

Other

Medical, Dental, Vision, Retirement, PTO

Posted yesterday

New


Job description

Meet Yubico: the creator of the most secure passkeys and leading provider of hardware authentication security keys. Our company’s mission is to make secure login easy and available for everyone. Yubico was founded in 2007 by Stina and Jakob Ehrensvard, and is public on Nasdaq Stockholm Main Market: YUBICO. Our customers include Fortune 500 companies, hundreds of government agencies and millions of individuals in over 160 countries that rely on Yubico technology to secure access to computers, online services and mobile apps. Our global customer base includes organizations of varying sizes, from large corporations such as Google, Amazon, Microsoft and Hyatt, to companies like Dyson. We are a global company with a strong company culture and employees located in over 14 countries. Yubico’s headquarters are based in Stockholm, Sweden, Santa Clara, CA and Singapore. Aligned with our mission to make the internet more secure for everyone, Yubico donates YubiKeys to organizations helping at-risk individuals through our philanthropic initiative, Secure it Forward.

The Role:

As a Principal Support Engineer at Yubico, you will address complex technical challenges at the intersection of hardware, software, and global security standards to ensure customer security at scale. In this role, you will act as the technical lead of the US technical support team, reporting directly to and working closely with the Director of Technical Support, providing mentorship and strategic direction to maintain excellence in regional operations. You possess comprehensive expertise in Yubico’s core offerings, from the YubiKey ecosystem to our SDKs and professional services. You stay current with industry trends to develop actionable strategies that strengthen the support organization. Your contributions focus on long-term impact by establishing knowledge frameworks that improve problem resolution and prevention.

Tasks & Responsibilities:
  • Handle Critical Escalations: Serve as the final tier of support for the most complex, high-priority, and technically demanding customer issues globally.
  • Technical Leadership & Mentorship: Elevate the technical baseline of the entire support organization by mentoring junior and senior engineers, leading technical deep-dives, and conducting training sessions.
  • Bridge Support and Engineering: Work with Engineering, QA, and Product teams to identify bugs, replicate edge-case issues, and advocate for product improvements based on customer impact.
  • Knowledge Management: Author, review, and maintain high-quality internal and external documentation, knowledge base articles, and troubleshooting guides.
  • Process & Strategy Optimization: Contribute to Technical Support team strategies, designing and implementing improved processes to enhance time-to-resolution and overall organizational efficiency.
Basic Requirements:
  • Extensive Industry Experience: 10+ years of experience in technical support, engineering, or a related cybersecurity field.
  • Technical Mastery: Proven expertise in troubleshooting hardware and software integrations, with a deep understanding of core authentication concepts.
  • Leadership Track Record: Demonstrated experience in a technical leadership or mentorship role, with the ability to uplift the skills of a diverse group of support engineers.
  • Communication Excellence: Exceptional ability to distill complex technical topics into clear, actionable documentation and guidance for both internal teams and external customers.
  • Active Directory: Previous experience in domain administration, including advanced knowledge of Active Directory Certificate Services deployment and advanced troubleshooting.
Preferred Qualifications:
  • Advanced knowledge of industry standards such as FIDO2, WebAuthn, PIV, OpenPGP, OATH-TOTP and PKCS11.
  • Previous experience leading or coordinating support operations within the US market or other global regions.
  • A history of developing new troubleshooting methodologies or automated tools that significantly improved support scalability.
  • Relevant industry certifications (e.g., CISSP, Security+, Microsoft Identity and Access Administrator).
  • Scripting and automation experience (Python, PowerShell, Bash, etc.) to build support tools or automate repetitive tasks.
  • Previous experience working with hardware tokens or HSMs (Hardware Security Modules).
At Yubico, we offer:

Freedom and Flexibility: At Yubico, we want you to be your most productive selves whether you decide to work 100% from home or choose to work hybrid/onsite. The way we balance the fast-paced demands of a high-growth company and sustainability is making rest a priority.

Yubico Values: We work to ensure that our employees have an open space to have their voices amplified to create a workplace where everyone feels like they belong. In support of this, our employees have created some pretty cool Employee Resource Groups that foster inclusion, help build community and connection across Yubico. Additionally, Yubico donates YubiKeys to organizations in need all over the world (you can read more about our work here).

Social Connection: Relationships and connectedness matter, and we love spending time with our team! Our virtual workspace keeps us connected day-to-day whether it's through Yubico celebrating wins or our buzzing Slack communities. Check out our Life at Yubico Page on LinkedIn and our awards here.

U.S. benefits designed for your overall well-being:

Health coverage. We’ve got you covered with top of the line health plans, including dental and vision. We pay 100% of your premium and 85% for your family.

Retirement plan. Our retirement plan includes a 401K dollar per dollar match up to 6% with a cap of $6K/year. Immediate vesting.

Wellness reimbursement. We offer $1,200.00 in wellness earnings (prorated based on start date) that you can use on your gym membership, a massage, or your favorite online fitness classes. This is a taxable benefit if you choose to participate.

Learning and development. We encourage your professional growth and offer a yearly development stipend of $3,000 and mentorship program.

Time off. We offer a total of 15 vacation days plus 10 holidays, and 7 sick days a year.

Paid parental leave. We love welcoming new family members to our YubiTeam! All parents receive 8 weeks of paid leave. Birthing parents receive an additional 8 weeks of paid leave (16 weeks total).

Commuter Benefits. If you need to commute to the office, we offer commuter benefits.

Strong mission & company values. We’re a global team on a global mission to make the internet more secure for everyone. We believe that every person’s work matters. That you should always be nice, stay humble, and have fun, and never take yourself too seriously.

Yubico offers a holistic Total Rewards package designed to support our employees in all aspects of their life inside and outside of work. This role has the annual salary range as defined below for a salary pay range for a candidate located in the San Francisco Bay Area. For roles that are filled in other locations, the compensation range will be based on data provided by the Radford McLagan Compensation Database from Aon. Final compensation is also based on a number of factors including, but not limited to, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience.

Salary Pay Range

$125,000-$145,000 USD

We are an equal opportunity employer, we value diversity and uphold an inclusive environment where all people feel that they are equally respected and valued. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, marital status, religion, national origin, disability, protected Veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law. We'd love to learn about what you can add to our diverse team. We are an E-Verify Participating Employer.

Personal data submitted through this form is used for managing Yubico’s recruitment activities, which include facilitating any application you make, setting up and conducting interviews and tests for applicants, evaluating and assessing results and selecting candidates, and as otherwise needed in our recruitment and onboarding processes. The use of your personal data may also be necessary prior to entering into a contract with you (that is prior to offering you a job with Yubico). Your personal data will only be used for the purposes for which it was collected and in accordance with the Yubico Privacy Notice. We only keep your personal data for as long as necessary and in compliance with Yubico’s record retention policies. If you have asked us to, we will keep you informed of other opportunities at Yubico. We do this in various ways, including email and by phone. If at any time you do not want us to contact you or use your information as described herein please contact us at jobs@yubico.com to let us know and we will delete all such information. Providing your personal data is voluntary, but necessary to join our talent community, and if you do not agree to provide your data, we will not be able to consider you as part of our talent community.

As part of providing the requested service, we will transfer your data to be processed by Greenhouse Software Inc., a service provider contracted by Yubico AB and/or its subsidiaries that meets legally mandated privacy requirements. The Yubico Privacy Notice offers more information about Yubico privacy practices, including the lawful basis for processing of personal data, how to lodge a complaint with the supervisory authority, and how to contact Yubico to exercise your data subject rights. In this notice, when we refer to "Yubico", "us", "we" or "our", we mean the Yubico group company or companies that you apply to, or correspond with, and which are responsible for any personal data collected about you.

#J-18808-Ljbffr