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Sr Principal Software Engineer Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Quest Global

Senior Principal Software Engineer

Tucson, AZ · On-site

$140K - $160K/yr

Senior Principal Software Engineer Tucson, AZ US The Senior Principal Software Engineer position is focused on the development, integration, test, and maintenance of software as a part of on-site ...

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Tendo

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 ...

Tendo

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 ...

Tendo

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 ...

Cadence

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 ...

Tendo

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 ...

Tendo

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 ...

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All JobsSr Principal Software Engineer Jobs

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 Jul 1, 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:
Sr Principal Software Engineer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Sr Principal Software Engineer job openings in the United States as of June 2026, with employment types broken down into 80% Full Time, 16% Part Time, 1% Temporary, and 3% Contract. Highlights an 93% Physical, 2% Hybrid, and 5% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $155,430 per year, or $74.7 per hour.
Senior Principal Software Engineer

Senior Principal Software Engineer

Northrop Grumman Corporation

California, MD

$142K - $213K/yr

Full-time

Medical, Life, PTO

Posted 19 days ago

Northrop Grumman rating

8.1

Company rating: 8.1 out of 10

Based on 346 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

110th of 527 rated manufacturers

Job description

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be availableCLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: YesCLEARANCE TYPE: SCITRAVEL: 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 Mission Systems delivers mission-critical solutions for global security. Our Engineering and Sciences organization advances engineering and scientific capabilities to design, produce, and sustain optimized product lines that give the warfighter a decisive edge.

We seek bold, innovative engineers who embrace change, value cognitive diversity, and bring their full selves to work. Our employees don't just witness history-they make it.

Northrop Grumman Mission Systems is hiring a Senior Principal Software Engineer in McClellan, CA to help deliver next-generation national defense capabilities in a fast-paced, innovation-driven environment.

What You'll Get to Do:

  • The new team member will design, develop, document, test and debug software applications and systems that contain logical and mathematical solutions.

  • Conduct multidisciplinary research and collaborates with equipment designers and/or hardware engineers in the planning, design, development, and utilization of software solutions.

  • Determine computer user needs; analyzes system capabilities to resolve problems on program intent, output requirements, input data acquisition, programming techniques and controls; prepares operating instructions; designs and develops compilers and assemblers, utility programs, and operating systems.

  • Implement solutions in multiple components of the system, including storage, OS, network, application, database, and many more.

  • Provide system analysis as an actual user, including onsite visits, and contribute to the next iteration of the system through feedback and development.

  • Ensure software standards are met.

Responsibilities:

  • Build and enhance software, leveraging feedback as an end user and field rep

  • Use container engines and container tools to develop OCI-compliant container images for existing software applications (e.g. Docker images)

  • Design, develop, document, test and debug applications software and systems that contain logical and mathematical solutions

  • Follow software development standards for configuration management, software reuse, and Dev*Ops processes

  • Contribute to/consume from product line software

Basic Qualifications for a Senior Principal Software Engineer:

  • Bachelor's degree in STEM plus 8 years of relevant experience; Master's degree in STEM plus 6 years of relevant experience; PhD in STEM with 4 years of relevant experience.

  • Strong object-oriented development in C++ and/or C# and/or Java

  • Proficiency in scripting and web: Python, JavaScript, HTML, CSS

  • Experience designing and consuming REST APIs and pub/sub (topics) architectures

  • Data and storage: SQL/relational databases; basic experience with NetApp

  • Virtualization: basic VM provisioning and management

  • Solid Linux experience: filesystems/mounts, cron, bash scripting, services, permissions, users/groups

  • DevOps: GitLab (repos, runners, pipelines), integration with artifact/binary storage, use of monitoring tools (e.g., Grafana)

  • Networking: practical troubleshooting with tools like ss, nc, netstat, tcpdump, ip addr; understanding of core protocols and debugging strategies

  • Understanding of containers, containerized development, and deployment

  • End-to-end software development lifecycle experience

  • US Citizenship is required

  • A current/active U.S. Government TS/SCI clearance

Preferred Qualifications for Senior Principal Software Engineer:

  • Hands-on design, deployment, and dynamic management of containerized systems

  • Experience with Kubernetes (K8s, k3s) and cloud-native OS environments

  • Experience with modern software factories and DevOps/DevSecOps practices

  • Familiarity with Atlassian and CI/CD tools: Bitbucket, JIRA, Jenkins, Confluence

  • Advanced scripting in Python, Bash, and related languages

  • Deep Linux/UNIX experience in production environments

  • Practical experience working in Agile and DevOps teams

  • Strong background in object-oriented software design and implementation

Primary 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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