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Senior Principal Engineer information

See Colorado salary details

$86.2K

$163.4K

$225.6K

How much do senior principal engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 27, 2026, the average yearly pay for senior principal engineer in Colorado is $163,437.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $132,000.00 and $181,900.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a senior principal engineer?

A Senior Principal Engineer is a highly experienced technical leader who is responsible for guiding the overall engineering direction and strategy within an organization. They typically possess deep expertise in their field, provide mentorship to other engineers, and influence major architectural and technical decisions. Senior Principal Engineers often collaborate with cross-functional teams, ensure best practices are followed, and play a critical role in driving innovation. Their work has a significant impact on the company's products and technical vision.

What does a senior principal engineer do?

Senior Principal Engineers often serve as technical leaders on cross-functional projects, collaborating closely with product managers, architects, and development teams to define technical direction and ensure architectural consistency. They provide deep expertise to solve complex engineering challenges, mentor other engineers, and help align project goals with the organization's strategic vision. Their role frequently involves facilitating communication between different departments and ensuring technical decisions support both immediate project needs and long-term scalability.

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

To excel as a Senior Principal Engineer, you need deep technical expertise in your engineering discipline, advanced problem-solving abilities, and typically a bachelor's or master's degree in engineering or a related field. Proficiency with industry-standard design and simulation software, project management tools, and relevant certifications (such as PMP or PE) are often required. Exceptional leadership, strategic thinking, and strong communication skills distinguish top performers in this role. These competencies are vital for leading complex projects, driving innovation, and effectively guiding engineering teams to achieve organizational goals.

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

AspectSenior Principal EngineerLead Engineer
CredentialsTypically requires a bachelor's or master's degree in engineering, with extensive industry experienceSimilar educational background, often with additional certifications or specialized training
Work EnvironmentFocuses on high-level technical strategy, innovation, and mentorship across projectsLeads specific projects or teams, overseeing technical execution and coordination
Industry UsageCommon in large corporations and R&D settingsFound in both startups and established companies, often in project-based roles

While both roles require strong technical expertise, the Senior Principal Engineer typically focuses on strategic technical leadership and innovation at an organizational level, whereas the Lead Engineer manages project execution and team coordination. The Senior Principal Engineer often operates at a higher, more strategic level within the engineering hierarchy.

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For Senior Principal Engineer jobs in Colorado, the most frequently searched job titles are:

What job categories do people searching Senior Principal Engineer jobs in Colorado look for?

The top searched job categories for Senior Principal Engineer jobs in Colorado are:

What cities in Colorado are hiring for Senior Principal Engineer jobs?

Cities in Colorado with the most Senior Principal Engineer job openings:

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For Senior Principal Engineer jobs in CO, the most frequently searched job titles are:

Senior Principal Engineer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Senior Principal Engineer job openings in Colorado as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 92% Full Time, 4% Part Time, 1% Temporary, and 3% Contract. Highlights an 85% Physical, 6% Hybrid, and 9% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $163,437 per year, or $78.6 per hour.

Principal Software Engineer / Sr. Principal Software Engineer

Colorado Springs, CO • On-site

Northrop Grumman Corporation
Space Research Administration • 10K+ employees

8.2

Company rating: 8.2 out of 10

Based on 367 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

85th of 544 rated manufacturers

People enjoy working here

Good employer

Recommended by students

Learn more about Northrop Grumman Corporationexternal

$129K - $193K/yr

Full-time

Medical, Life, PTO

Posted 23 days ago

Job description

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available
CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: Yes
CLEARANCE TYPE: SCI
TRAVEL: Yes, 10% of the TimeDescription
At Northrop Grumman, our employees have incredible opportunities to work on revolutionary systems that impact people's lives around the world today, and for generations to come. Our pioneering and inventive spirit has enabled us to be at the forefront of many technological advancements in our nation's history - from the first flight across the Atlantic Ocean, to stealth bombers, to landing on the moon. We look for people who have bold new ideas, courage and a pioneering spirit to join forces to invent the future, and have fun along the way. Our culture thrives on intellectual curiosity, cognitive diversity and bringing your whole self to work - and we have an insatiable drive to do what others think is impossible. Our employees are not only part of history, they're making history.
Northrop Grumman Space Sector is seeking multiple Software Engineers to support Eastern Software and Controls in their development, integration, deployment, and sustainment of satellite ground software.
This position is located onsite on our Colorado Springs, CO campus. After hours or extended work week may be required.
What You'll Have an Opportunity to Do:
  • Full stack development at the OS, platform, and mission unique software layer
  • Developing client and server applications and services using service-oriented architectures, message bus-based data exchange that include first-of-a-kind capabilities.
  • Applications will span languages and toolsets including C++, Python, Postgres, Ansible, cloud infrastructure provisioning, PKI, and static code analysis execution and finding remediation.
  • Developer will be expected to be a self-starter capable of making decisions with overall project budget and schedule in mind.
  • Develop software which provides command and control functionality of a hardware system (sending commands, receiving acknowledgements, working on and integrating across interfaces)
  • Develop software which enables activity planning and constraint checking to achieve mission outcomes.
  • Develop software which enables the visualization of a complex and dynamic environment in both two and 3 dimensions, complete with decisions tools, intelligent context, and user-centric interface design.

This position may be filled at the Principal Software Engineer (level 3) or Sr. Principal Software Engineer (level 4).
Basic Qualifications
Principal Software Engineer:
  • Bachelor's Degree with 5 years of development experience (3 years with a Master's Degree, 1 years with a PhD) with Python and C++. Experience can be considered in lieu of degree
  • Active Top Secret clearance with SCI at time of application. Ability to obtain SAP
  • 2 Years Experience with Agile programs including Agile DevOps
  • 2 Years Experience with the design, build, and deployment of software products
  • 2 Years Experience in producing software architecture documentation
  • Experience with Python, C++ and Docker/Kubernetes
  • US Citizenship

Sr. Principal Engineer:
  • Bachelor's Degree with 8 years of development experience (6 years with a Master's Degree, 4 years with a PhD) with Python and C++. Experience can be considered in lieu of degree
  • Active Top Secret clearance with SCI at time of application. Ability to obtain SAP
  • 4 years with Agile programs including Agile DevOps
  • 4 years of experience with the design, build, and deployment of software products
  • 4 years of experience in producing software architecture documentation
  • 5 years of experience with Python, C++ and Docker/Kubernetes
  • Prior experience with modeling and simulation in support of wargaming, user training, TTP generation and/or CONOPS exploration
  • US Citizenship

Preferred Qualifications:
  • Experience developing satellite ground software with any of the following applications for spacecraft missions is highly preferred: Command and Control, Mission Planning, Visualization, and/or Astrodynamics
  • Experience with the creation and use of spacecraft command and control system utilizing cryptographic equipment and a combination of government and/or commercial communications paths.
  • Experience with the creation and use of planning software and constraint checking applications utilized in complex and dynamic space mission planning
  • Experience with the creation and implementation of visualization tools for space missions, including dynamic renderings of space vehicles, depiction of space vehicle missions, simulation of space vehicle sensor and mission outputs, and configuration displays of complex contextual and situational awareness information
  • Linux, Ansible, Docker, Graphics and Animation, UI/UX experience

Primary Level Salary Range: $103,600.00 - $155,400.00
Secondary Level Salary Range: $129,300.00 - $193,900.00
The above salary range represents a general guideline; however, Northrop Grumman considers a number of factors when determining base salary offers such as the scope and responsibilities of the position and the candidate's experience, education, skills and current market conditions.
Depending on the position, employees may be eligible for overtime, shift differential, and a discretionary bonus in addition to base pay. Annual bonuses are designed to reward individual contributions as well as allow employees to share in company results. Employees in Vice President or Director positions may be eligible for Long Term Incentives. In addition, Northrop Grumman provides a variety of benefits including health insurance coverage, life and disability insurance, savings plan, Company paid holidays and paid time off (PTO) for vacation and/or personal business.
The application period for the job is estimated to be 20 days from the job posting date. However, this timeline may be shortened or extended depending on business needs and the availability of qualified candidates.
Northrop Grumman is an Equal Opportunity Employer, making decisions without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, or any other protected class. For our complete EEO and pay transparency statement, please visit http://www.northropgrumman.com/EEO. U.S. Citizenship is required for all positions with a government clearance and certain other restricted positions.
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About Northrop Grumman

Sourced by ZipRecruiter

At Northrop Grumman, our employees have incredible opportunities to work on revolutionary systems that impact people's lives around the world today, and for generations to come. Our pioneering and inventive spirit has enabled us to be at the forefront of many technological advancements in our nation's history - from the first flight across the Atlantic Ocean, to stealth bombers, to landing on the moon. We look for people who have bold new ideas, courage and a pioneering spirit to join forces to invent the future, and have fun along the way. Our culture thrives on intellectual curiosity, cognitive diversity and bringing your whole self to work - and we have an insatiable drive to do what others think is impossible.

Industry

Space research administration

Company size

10,000+ Employees

Headquarters location

Falls Church, VA, US

Year founded

1939

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