To become a principal engineer, you typically need at least a bachelor’s degree in engineering and extensive on-the-job experience. You must also have state licensure as a registered professional engineer (PE), which demonstrates the highest level of competence and involves passing two exams. Additional qualifications for the career include strong interpersonal, analytical, and managerial skills, as well as expertise in your engineering specialty.

If you are interested in a job related to Principal Engineer, here are some popular related job searches with the most open positions on ZipRecruiter.

Top Types Of Principal Engineer Jobs

List of the top 10 highest paying Principal Engineer positions in 2026, with salary ranges, according to ZipRecruiter.

Principal Integration Engineer
Salary range: $118,500 - $173,000
Principal Integration Engineer is a more unusual job search query but still may give you interesting job results. Most salaries for Principal Integration Engineer jobs pay between $118,500 (25th percentile) and $173,000 (75th percentile) annually. Currently, there are not many open positions nationwide for Principal Integration Engineer job searches hiring now on ZipRecruiter. You can take a look at what is available and find similar job searches in this list.
Principal Instrument Engineer
Salary range: $118,500 - $173,000
Principal Instrument Engineer is a more unusual job search query but still may give you interesting job results. Most salaries for Principal Instrument Engineer jobs pay between $118,500 (25th percentile) and $173,000 (75th percentile) annually. Currently, there are not many open positions nationwide for Principal Instrument Engineer job searches hiring now on ZipRecruiter. You can take a look at what is available and find similar job searches in this list.
Skywater
Salary range: $64,000 - $101,000
Skywater is a typical job search query Most salaries for Skywater jobs pay between $64,000 (25th percentile) and $101,000 (75th percentile) annually. Currently, there are not many open positions nationwide for Skywater job searches hiring now on ZipRecruiter. You can take a look at what is available and find similar job searches in this list.
Remote Principal Engineer
Salary range: $118,500 - $173,000
Remote Principal Engineer is a more unusual job search query but still may give you interesting job results. Most salaries for Remote Principal Engineer jobs pay between $118,500 (25th percentile) and $173,000 (75th percentile) annually. There are plenty of open positions nationwide for Remote Principal Engineer job searches hiring now on ZipRecruiter.
Principal Mechanical Engineer
Salary range: $136,000 - $156,000
Principal Mechanical Engineer is a typical job search query Most salaries for Principal Mechanical Engineer jobs pay between $136,000 (25th percentile) and $156,000 (75th percentile) annually. Currently, there are not many open positions nationwide for Principal Mechanical Engineer job searches hiring now on ZipRecruiter. You can take a look at what is available and find similar job searches in this list.
Senior Principal Cloud Engineer
Salary range: $125,500 - $173,000
Senior Principal Cloud Engineer is a more unusual job search query but still may give you interesting job results. Most salaries for Senior Principal Cloud Engineer jobs pay between $125,500 (25th percentile) and $173,000 (75th percentile) annually. Currently, there are not many open positions nationwide for Senior Principal Cloud Engineer job searches hiring now on ZipRecruiter. You can take a look at what is available and find similar job searches in this list.
Principal Reliability Engineer
Salary range: $118,500 - $173,000
Principal Reliability Engineer is a more unusual job search query but still may give you interesting job results. Most salaries for Principal Reliability Engineer jobs pay between $118,500 (25th percentile) and $173,000 (75th percentile) annually. Currently, there are not many open positions nationwide for Principal Reliability Engineer job searches hiring now on ZipRecruiter. You can take a look at what is available and find similar job searches in this list.
Principal Cloud Engineer
Salary range: $118,500 - $173,000
Principal Cloud Engineer is a more unusual job search query but still may give you interesting job results. Most salaries for Principal Cloud Engineer jobs pay between $118,500 (25th percentile) and $173,000 (75th percentile) annually. Currently, there are not many open positions nationwide for Principal Cloud Engineer job searches hiring now on ZipRecruiter. You can take a look at what is available and find similar job searches in this list.
Principal Dsp Engineer
Salary range: $143,000 - $167,000
Principal Dsp Engineer is a more unusual job search query but still may give you interesting job results. Most salaries for Principal Dsp Engineer jobs pay between $143,000 (25th percentile) and $167,000 (75th percentile) annually. Currently, there are not many open positions nationwide for Principal Dsp Engineer job searches hiring now on ZipRecruiter. You can take a look at what is available and find similar job searches in this list.
Principal Rf Engineer
Salary range: $118,500 - $173,000
Principal Rf Engineer is a more unusual job search query but still may give you interesting job results. Most salaries for Principal Rf Engineer jobs pay between $118,500 (25th percentile) and $173,000 (75th percentile) annually. Currently, there are not many open positions nationwide for Principal Rf Engineer job searches hiring now on ZipRecruiter. You can take a look at what is available and find similar job searches in this list.

All Jobs Principal Engineer Jobs 10 of the Most Popular Types of Principal Engineer Jobs in 2026