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Sr Principal Software Engineer Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Senior Principal Software Engineer

Foster City, CA · On-site

$146K - $201K/yr

Zuora, Inc. seeks Senior Principal Software Engineer to: * Define scalable, maintainable, and high-performance solutions. * Serve as primary architect for various projects executing the design ...

Sr. Principal Software Engineer

San Jose, CA · On-site

$147K - $202K/yr

They are seeking a Sr. Principal Software Engineer to develop a multi-threaded and distributed physical synthesis core engine, collaborating with a global R&D team to design, develop, troubleshoot ...

Senior Principal Software Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site +1

$147K - $203K/yr

Additionally, the Senior Principal Software Engineer will bring deep expertise in one or more technologies including distributed microservice architecture, Go, Ent, gRPC, Twirp, and/or AWS ...

Senior Principal Software Engineer

San Diego, CA · On-site

$133K - $183K/yr

Additionally, the Senior Principal Software Engineer will bring deep expertise in one or more technologies including distributed microservice architecture, Go, Ent, gRPC, Twirp, and/or AWS ...

Senior Principal Software Engineer

Salt Lake City, UT · On-site +1

$121K - $167K/yr

Additionally, the Senior Principal Software Engineer will bring deep expertise in one or more technologies including distributed microservice architecture, Go, Ent, gRPC, Twirp, and/or AWS ...

Senior Principal Software Engineer

San Diego, CA · On-site +1

$133K - $183K/yr

Additionally, the Senior Principal Software Engineer will bring deep expertise in one or more technologies including distributed microservice architecture, Go, Ent, gRPC, Twirp, and/or AWS ...

Senior Principal Software Engineer

San Diego, CA · Remote

$128K - $177K/yr

Additionally, the Senior Principal Software Engineer will bring deep expertise in one or more technologies including distributed microservice architecture, Go, Ent, gRPC, Twirp, and/or AWS ...

Senior Principal Software Engineer

Salt Lake City, UT · Remote

$128K - $177K/yr

Additionally, the Senior Principal Software Engineer will bring deep expertise in one or more technologies including distributed microservice architecture, Go, Ent, gRPC, Twirp, and/or AWS ...

Senior Principal Software Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$147K - $203K/yr

Additionally, the Senior Principal Software Engineer will bring deep expertise in one or more technologies including distributed microservice architecture, Go, Ent, gRPC, Twirp, and/or AWS ...

Senior Principal Software Engineer

San Francisco, CA · Remote

$128K - $177K/yr

Additionally, the Senior Principal Software Engineer will bring deep expertise in one or more technologies including distributed microservice architecture, Go, Ent, gRPC, Twirp, and/or AWS ...

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Sr Principal Software Engineer information

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$82K

$155.4K

$214.5K

How much do sr principal software engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Jun 9, 2026, the average yearly pay for sr principal software 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.

How does a Sr Principal Software Engineer typically contribute to technical leadership and mentorship within a development team?

As a Sr Principal Software Engineer, you are expected to set technical direction, establish best practices, and mentor less experienced engineers. You'll often lead architectural discussions, review code for quality and scalability, and help resolve complex technical challenges. Beyond hands-on development, your role involves fostering collaboration across multidisciplinary teams, ensuring alignment with business objectives, and supporting the professional growth of team members. This position provides a unique opportunity to influence both the technical roadmap and the culture of engineering excellence.

What is the difference between Sr Principal Software Engineer vs Staff Software Engineer?

AspectSr Principal Software EngineerStaff Software Engineer
CredentialsBachelor's/Master's in CS or related, extensive experienceBachelor's/Master's in CS or related, significant experience
Work EnvironmentLeadership roles, strategic projects, cross-team collaborationTechnical leadership, complex project execution, mentorship
Industry UsageUsed across tech companies for senior technical leadershipCommon in large tech firms for advanced technical roles
Comparison FocusStrategic impact, cross-team influenceTechnical depth, project complexity

The main difference between a Sr Principal Software Engineer and a Staff Software Engineer lies in scope and influence. Sr Principal roles focus on strategic leadership and cross-team impact, while Staff Engineers emphasize technical expertise and project execution. Both roles require extensive experience and technical skills, but Sr Principal positions typically involve higher-level decision-making and organizational influence.

What is a Sr Principal Software Engineer?

A Sr Principal Software Engineer is a highly experienced technical leader responsible for designing, developing, and overseeing complex software projects. They typically set technical direction, mentor engineering teams, and collaborate with stakeholders to ensure software meets business goals. In addition to hands-on coding, they often define architectural standards, review code, and lead innovation efforts within their organization. This role requires deep expertise in software engineering, strong problem-solving skills, and the ability to guide large-scale technical initiatives.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a Sr Principal Software Engineer, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Sr Principal Software Engineer, you need deep expertise in software architecture, advanced programming skills, and a strong background in computer science, often supported by a bachelor's or master's degree. Proficiency with cloud platforms, modern development frameworks, and relevant certifications (such as AWS Certified Solutions Architect) is typically required. Exceptional leadership, problem-solving, and communication skills help you guide teams and collaborate across departments. These abilities are crucial for delivering robust technical solutions, mentoring engineers, and aligning technology with business goals.
What states have the most Sr Principal Software Engineer jobs? States with the most job openings for Sr Principal Software Engineer jobs include:
Principal / Sr. Principal Software Engineer (C++ and TS Clearance)

Principal / Sr. Principal Software Engineer (C++ and TS Clearance)

Northrop Grumman Corporation

Los Angeles, CA • On-site

$145K - $195K/yr

Full-time

Medical, Life, PTO

Posted 24 days ago


Northrop Grumman rating

8.1

Company rating: 8.1 out of 10

Based on 337 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

104th of 516 rated manufacturers


Job description

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available
CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: Yes
CLEARANCE TYPE: Top Secret
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 Mission Systems is a trusted provider of mission-enabling solutions for global security. Our Engineering and Sciences (E&S) organization pushes the boundaries of innovation, redefines engineering capabilities, and drives advances in various sciences. Our team is chartered with providing the skills, innovative technologies to develop, design, produce and sustain optimized product lines across the sector while providing a decisive advantage to the warfighter. Come be a part of our mission!
We are looking for you to join our team as a Principal / Sr. Principal Software Engineer based out of Woodland Hills, CA. As a Principal / Sr. Principal Software Engineer at Northrop Grumman, you will have a challenging and rewarding opportunity to be a part of our Enterprise-wide digital transformation. Through the use of Model-based Engineering, DevSecOps and Agile practices we continue to evolve how we deliver critical national defense products and capabilities for the warfighter. Our success is grounded in our ability to embrace change, move quickly and continuously drive innovation. The successful candidate will be collaborative, open, transparent, and team-oriented with a focus on team empowerment & shared responsibility, flexibility, continuous learning, and a culture of innovation.
For this role, responsibilities include but are not limited to:
  • Provide technical leadership for junior software engineers
  • Develop software utilizing C/C++ to modernize and productionize a research codebase with modern C++ features
  • Develop software infrastructure to support CI/CD, software metrics collection, and MLOps
  • Implement software-systems, applications, and architectures that leverage techniques to support achieving increased modularity, scalability, and reliability, while also maintaining precision, accuracy, and speed to meet performance requirements
  • Ensure industry software engineering best practices and standards are applied and maintained
  • Work closely with Software Leads and Architects to understand program intent, system capabilities, and output requirements

This requisition may be filled at a higher grade based on qualifications listed below
This requisition may be filled at either a Principal Level or a Sr. Principal Level.
Basic Qualifications for a Principal Software Engineer (T03)
  • Bachelor's degree in a STEM discipline with 5+ years of relative experience; Master's degree in a STEM discipline with 3+ years of relative experience; PhD + 1 year of relative experience
  • Active Top Secret security clearance and enrolled in Continuous Evaluation
  • Ability to meet customer-specific security screening requirements within a timeframe set forth by management
  • Willingness and ability to work onsite full-time
  • Experience working in C/C++
  • Familiarity with modern C++ standards and features (e.g., C++ 17 onwards)
  • Demonstrated ability to analyze system requirements to derive software design and performance requirements
  • Proven ability to design and code new software, as well as modify existing software to add new features
  • Ability to debug existing software and correct defects
  • Experience with open software/system architecture solutions
  • Effective communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively with diverse stakeholders
  • Experience with developing and maintaining CI/CD pipelines
  • Experience with Git-based or other software configuration management tools

Basic Qualifications for a Sr. Principal Software Engineer (T04)
  • Bachelor's degree in a STEM discipline with 8+ years of relative experience; Master's degree in a STEM discipline with 6+ years of relative experience; PhD + 4 years of relative experience
  • Active Top Secret security clearance and enrolled in Continuous Evaluation
  • Ability to meet customer-specific security screening requirements within a timeframe set forth by management
  • Willingness and ability to work onsite full-time
  • Experience working in C/C++
  • Familiarity with modern C++ standards and features (e.g., C++ 17 onwards)
  • Demonstrated ability to analyze system requirements to derive software design and performance requirements
  • Proven ability to design and code new software or modify existing software to add new features
  • Ability to debug existing software and correct defects
  • Experience with open software/system architecture solutions
  • Effective communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively with diverse stakeholders
  • Experience with developing and maintaining CI/CD pipelines
  • Experience with Git-based or other software configuration management tools

Preferred Qualifications
  • Experience leading the performance of tasks on schedule, at cost and achieving specified requirements
  • Experience with modern C++ standards and features (e.g., C++ 20 onwards)
  • Experience with containers (Docker, Kubernetes)
  • Experience with Linux operating systems
  • Experience with CUDA and GPUs
  • Experience with high performance numerical/scientific computing, parallel computing
  • Experience with developing for SWaP-constrained environments
  • Experience with developing and maintaining CI/CD pipelines
  • Familiarity with signal-processing algorithms
  • Familiarity with Agile lifecycle process including Scrum and DevSecOps

This position is contingent upon the successful transfer of an active DoD Top Secret Clearance and the ability to meet customer-specific security screening requirements within a timeframe set forth by management.
Primary Level Salary Range: $114,000.00 - $171,000.00
Secondary 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.

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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