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Senior Principal Engineer Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Mars

Sr. Principal Engineer - Wet

Franklin, TN · On-site

Sr. Principal Engineer - Wet The Sr. Principal Engineer role leads the R&D delivery of high stakes and complex projects for the Wet Technology Platform. It provides technical leadership, extensive ...

EEC Environmental

Senior Principal Engineer

Orange, CA · On-site

$150K - $200K/yr

EEC Environmental is actively seeking a creative, growth-focused and ambitious Senior Principal Engineer to serve in a leadership role in our Orange County office. In this role, you will be ...

Hazen and Sawyer

Senior Principal Engineer

Fairfax, VA · On-site

$128K - $177K/yr

Hazen and Sawyer is seeking a Senior Principal Engineer for our Fairfax, VA office. Key Responsibilities: * Delivering public sector water and wastewater facilities planning and design projects

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Senior Principal Engineer information

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How much do senior principal engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Sep 1, 2026, the average yearly pay for senior principal engineer in the United States is $155,430.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $125,500.00 and $173,000.00 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.

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Senior Principal Engineer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Senior Principal Engineer job openings in the United States as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 93% Full Time, 3% Part Time, and 4% Contract. Highlights an 86% Physical, 5% Hybrid, and 9% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $155,430 per year, or $74.7 per hour.

Navigation Engineer (Principal or Senior Principal Level)

Northrop Grumman Corporation

San Diego, CA

$142K - $213K/yr

Full-time

Medical, Life, PTO

Re-posted 23 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: Relocation assistance may be availableCLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: NoCLEARANCE TYPE: SecretTRAVEL: Yes, 10% of the TimeDescriptionAt 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 Aeronautics Systems RQ-4 Global Hawk Program seeks a Principal or Sr. Principal Engineer Navigation to support the Air Vehicle Navigation team in Rancho Bernardo, CA.

The group is responsible for vehicle flight control and safety. This position supports the Navigation subsystem with an emphasis on Radio Frequency (RF) performance. General duties for the candidate will include navigation subsystem lab testing, flight test support, anomaly resolution, and supplier management, among other duties.


Members of the team perform technical planning, system integration, verification and validation, cost and risk analysis, and supportability and effectiveness analyses for total systems. Analyses are performed at all levels of total system product to include concept, design, fabrication, test, installation, operation, maintenance and disposal. Members of the team ensure the logical and systematic conversion of customer or product requirements into total systems solutions that acknowledge technical, schedule, and cost constraints. The team also performs functional analysis, timeline analysis, detailed trade studies, requirements allocation and interface definition studies to translate customer requirements into hardware and software specifications.

This position can be filled at either the Principal Engineer or Sr Principal Engineer level.

Basic Qualifications:

  • Basic qualifications for a Principal Engineer Guidance Navigation Control include a Bachelor's in Science, Technology, Engineering or Math (STEM) and at least 5 years of experience, a Master's Degree in STEM with 3 years of experience, or a PhD Degree with no experience.

  • Basic qualifications for a Sr. Principal Engineer Guidance Navigation Control include a Bachelor's in Science, Technology, Engineering or Math (STEM) and at least 8 years of experience, a Master's Degree in STEM with 6 years of experience, or a PhD Degree with 3 years of experience.

  • SW Tools: Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Project, Visio), Matlab

  • General understanding of the GPS system and how it works, general understanding of inertial sensors and how they work.

  • Working knowledge of Radio Frequency (RF) devices and system architecture (amplifiers, bias-T, splitters, etc)

  • Familiar with RF Parameters: Fundamentals of frequency, impedance, and gain.

  • Must have the ability to obtain and maintain a US Government clearance and Special Access Program (SAP) within a reasonable amount of time as determined by business needs

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Degree type: MS or PhD degree in STEM

  • Clearance Level: Top Secret (TS) or ability to obtain a TS

  • Flight Test experience: Some experience

  • Supplier management: Some experience

  • Requirements development: Some experience

  • Requirements verification testing: Some experience

  • Knowledge of passive and active components: inductors, capacitors, diodes, and transistors.

  • Proficiency with test equipment (oscilloscopes, signal generators, signal analyzers, multi-meters): Some experience

  • Good understanding of the GPS system, the GPS Signal in Space characteristics, DGPS systems, inertial sensors, GPS/INS tightly coupled Kalman filters, GPS receiver design

  • Advanced Knowledge of RF Devices: RF amplifiers, coupling structures, filters, and oscillators.

  • Advanced Knowledge of RF System Architectures: Overall system design, including common system impairments and performance characteristics.

Primary Level Salary Range: $114,000.00 - $171,000.00Secondary Level Salary Range: $142,200.00 - $213,400.00The 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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