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Senior Principal Engineer Jobs in Reston, VA (NOW HIRING)

OASYS

Senior Principal Mission Engineer

Chantilly, VA · On-site

$129K - $178K/yr

Senior Principal Mission Engineer OASYS, INC., a Leading-Edge Government contractor, is seeking applicants for Senior Principal Mission Engineer to support our customer in Chantilly, VA. Summary Make ...

OASYS, INC.

Senior Principal Mission Engineer

Chantilly, VA · On-site

$129K - $178K/yr

Senior Principal Mission EngineerOASYS, INC., a Leading-Edge Government contractor, is seeking applicants for Senior Principal Mission Engineer to support our customer in Chantilly, VA.SummaryMake a ...

OASYS, INC.

Senior Principal Mission Engineer

Chantilly, VA · On-site

$129K - $178K/yr

Senior Principal Mission Engineer OASYS, INC., a Leading-Edge Government contractor, is seeking applicants for Senior Principal Mission Engineer to support our customer in Chantilly, VA. Summary Make ...

OASYS, INC.

Senior Principal Mission Engineer

Chantilly, VA · On-site

$129K - $178K/yr

Senior Principal Mission Engineer OASYS, INC., a Leading-Edge Government contractor, is seeking applicants for Senior Principal Mission Engineer to support our customer in Chantilly, VA. Summary Make ...

OASYS

Senior Principal Mission Engineer

Chantilly, VA · On-site

$129K - $178K/yr

Senior Principal Mission Engineer OASYS, INC., a Leading-Edge Government contractor, is seeking applicants for Senior Principal Mission Engineer to support our customer in Chantilly, VA. Summary Make ...

OASYS, INC.

Senior Principal Mission Engineer

Chantilly, VA · On-site

$129K - $178K/yr

Senior Principal Mission EngineerOASYS, INC., a Leading-Edge Government contractor, is seeking applicants for Senior Principal Mission Engineer to support our customer in Chantilly, VA.SummaryMake a ...

DigiCert

Principal Engineer

Herndon, VA · On-site

Job summary The Principal Software Engineer is a senior technical leader responsible for designing, delivering, and evolving critical services within the DNS platform. This role leads complex ...

asrcfh

Senior Principal Information Engineer

Reston, VA · Hybrid

$130K - $180K/yr

This Senior Principal Information Engineer role is critical to securing user identities, credentials, application access, and cryptographic trust across enterprise and cloud connected environments.

asrcfh

Senior Principal Information Engineer

Reston, VA · Hybrid

$130K - $180K/yr

This Senior Principal Information Engineer role is critical to securing user identities, credentials, application access, and cryptographic trust across enterprise and cloud connected environments.

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All JobsPrincipal Engineer JobsSenior Principal Engineer JobsSenior Principal Engineer Jobs in Reston, VA

Senior Principal Engineer information

See Reston, VA salary details

$85.3K

$161.7K

$223.2K

How much do senior principal engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Sep 5, 2026, the average yearly pay for senior principal engineer in Reston, VA is $161,702.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $130,600.00 and $180,000.00 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.

What are the most commonly searched types of Principal Engineer jobs in Reston, VA?

The most popular types of Principal Engineer jobs in Reston, VA are:

What are popular job titles related to Senior Principal Engineer jobs in Reston, VA?

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

What job categories do people searching Senior Principal Engineer jobs in Reston, VA look for?

The top searched job categories for Senior Principal Engineer jobs in Reston, VA are:

What cities near Reston, VA are hiring for Senior Principal Engineer jobs?

Cities near Reston, VA with the most Senior Principal Engineer job openings:

Senior Principal Engineer jobs near you

Sr Principal Engineer Embedded Software

Northrop Grumman Corporation

Sterling, VA • On-site

Full-time

Medical, Life, PTO

Re-posted 27 days ago

Northrop Grumman rating

8.3

Company rating: 8.3 out of 10

Based on 368 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

66th of 545 rated manufacturers

Job description

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: No relocation assistance available
CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: No
CLEARANCE TYPE: None
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's Space Sector is seeking an Sr Principal Embedded Software Engineer to join our team in Dulles, VA.
This role will join our team of qualified, diverse individuals in the Space Systems organization developing space vehicle hardware-in-the-loop simulation platforms for large and small space programs. These high-fidelity test platforms provide a hardware/software facsimile of space vehicle component interfaces to flight processors for flight software and mission development and qualification.
The candidate will be part of a small design team supporting a NASA space science mission. This position will sit in Dulles, VA and requires the ability to obtain and maintain a TS clearance.
This position will work a 9/80 schedule, with every other Friday off. This position is 100% onsite and cannot accommodate telecommute work.
Job responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:
  • Establish simulation requirements for hardware in the loop platforms.
  • Select off-the-shelf or design interface hardware to simulate space vehicle components (actuators, sensors, and payloads).
  • Develop simulation software models and software interfaces to simulation hardware cards, including digital, analog, serial, and SpaceWire.
  • Define simulation testbed harnessing based on the space vehicle flight harness and simulation requirements.
  • Interface with hardware engineers in the design, build, and test of the simulation platforms.
  • Implement software control of simulation platform test equipment.
  • Develop and execute simulation certification loop back testing.
  • Work with program engineers to integrate components and flight software with the simulation platform.
  • Use common lab equipment (oscilloscopes, break out boxes, multimeters, interface analyzers) for debug and problem resolution.
  • Prepare design documentation, analysis, test results and presentation materials for internal and external customers.
  • Work in an innovative environment across diverse assignments and in collaborative team settings across all levels.
  • Other duties as assigned

If this job description reads like it was written specifically for you, consider joining our team!
This position is contingent upon the candidate obtaining final clearances and program access(es) within a reasonable period of time as determined by the company.
Basic Qualifications:
  • Bachelor's degree in Electrical/Computer Engineering, or another related STEM discipline with a minimum of 8 years of embedded software experience - OR - Master's degree in Electrical/Computer Engineering, or another related STEM discipline with 6 years of embedded software experience - OR PhD degree Electrical/Computer Engineering, or another related STEM discipline with 4 years of embedded software experience.
  • Must have the ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government Top Secret security clearance with Sensitive Compartmented Information. US Citizenship required.
  • Diverse programming experience: C/C++, Python, Windows/Linux scripting
  • Excellent communication skills and ability to work in small teams
  • Understanding of waterfall, spiral and/or Agile software development processes and continuous integration
  • Experience with software revision control tools such as Subversion and Git
  • Ability to clearly document technical and programmatic status to management

Preferred Qualifications:
  • Active/Current TS
  • System knowledge in one or more of the following domains: Spacecraft Command & Control, Mission Planning, Space Situational Awareness and Visualization
  • Understanding of Jenkins, Jira (Agile, Scrum and Kanban), Bitbucket and related DevSecOps tools
  • Hardware interfacing, integration and test and controls experience
  • Understanding of common embedded system tools, real-time operating systems and avionics integration and test practices
  • Excellent communication, interpersonal skills, and the ability to interface with all levels of employees and management
  • Experience working closely with and/or leading cross departmental teams
  • Experience with closed loop simulations
  • Advanced proficiency in software development using C/C++, Python, Windows/Linux scripting
  • Experience developing software in a Linux OS environment
  • Experience with National Instruments data acquisition cards and National Instruments proprietary software
  • Experience with Digital, Analog, RS-422 synchronous serial and UART, MIL-STD-1553, SpaceWire electrical interfaces

Curious about all the exciting developments with the Northrop Grumman Space Sector? Click the link below:
https://www.northropgrumman.com/space
Working at Northrop Grumman is more than just a paycheck. We offer a comprehensive Total Rewards and benefits package designed to help you thrive at work and in life. For more information on our Total Rewards package, please visit our Total Rewards site.
Northrop Grumman Total Rewards
#SpaceEngJobs
#SpaceSoftwareJobs
#SpaceGNCJobs
#NoVASpace
Primary Level Salary Range: $142,200.00 - $213,400.00
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.

What Northrop Grumman employees say

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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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