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Principal Software Engineer Job Description: Top Duties and Qualifications

Edited by Indeed Employer Content Team
Last updated November 6, 2025
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Indeed’s Employer Resource Library helps businesses grow and manage their workforce. With over 15,000 articles in 6 languages, we offer tactical advice, how-tos and best practices to help businesses hire and retain great employees.

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4 min read

2025-10-012025-10-312025-09-012025-09-302025-11-05Principal Software Engineer duties and responsibilities

The overall purpose of a Principal Software Engineer is to direct and oversee a company’s software development process, so the software is effective, reliable and user-friendly. Principal Software Engineer job duties typically include:

 

  • Taking ownership of software-related complaints and working toward finding solutions
  • Analyzing data to spot potential weaknesses or problems with software
  • Working with Project Managers to create plans of action for creating new software
  • Overseeing initial software rollouts and updates to ensure smooth implementation
  • Supervising Engineers responsible for writing the code for new software and updates
  • Training other Engineers on software development or project-related tasks
  • Assisting with designing, coding and debugging software as needed
  • Participating in leadership meetings to contribute to corporate strategy

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Principal Software Engineer Job Description Examples

Example 1

This is a unique opportunity to join the AEi team as a Principal Software Engineer. You will be working with our talented team of software engineers to develop robotic, embedded and highly integrated systems used in vision-guided automated assembly and test equipment. ASMPT-Aei is the leading supplier of high-precision, multi-axis active alignment equipment used in the production of camera modules, projectors, LiDAR and other optical systems used in mission-critical automotive safety and self-driving car applications.

As a strong leader and problem-solver, the ideal candidate will be a team lead and mentor. They will design, develop, enhance, and sustain software systems in a cross-functional team environment through adherence to established design control processes and good engineering practices.

Role & Responsibilities

  • Lead teams of 1-4 local or offshore developers
  • Own the definition, design, development, delivery and quality for large feature sets, subsystems, or products.
  • Collaborate with product owner on requirements and UX.
  • Collaborate with architects to ensure design is consistent with vision and results in robust, scalable and maintainable software.
  • Assist with system integration, testing strategy, and documentation.
  • Conduct design and peer code review
  • Provide estimates for projects planning.
  • Collaborate with technical experts and team members, to solve technical problems.
  • Ability to work independently and troubleshoot.
  • Assist with QA functions as required.

Qualifications & Requirements:

  • BS in Computer Science or engineering discipline
  • 10+ years of experience in industrial engineering software design/development of complex systems
  • 3+ years of experience as a technical team lead responsible for the team's deliverables.
  • Advance experience with C#/C++ using Visual Studio; source control usage and developing multithreaded applications.
  • Familiarity with Agile Scrum methodology
  • Experience with electro-mechanical systems or robotics
  • Solid English verbal and written communication skills
  • Motivated with a passion for quality, learning and contributing to collective goals.
  • 10% travel, both domestic and international

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $103,390.63 - $124,513.45 per year

Benefits:
  • 401(k)
  • 401(k) matching
  • Dental insurance
  • Health insurance
  • Life insurance
  • Paid time off
  • Referral program
  • Retirement plan
  • Tuition reimbursement
  • Vision insurance
Schedule:
  • 8 hour shift
  • Day shift
  • Monday to Friday



Ability to commute/relocate:
  • Tewksbury, MA: Reliably commute or planning to relocate before starting work (Required)

Experience:
  • REST: 1 year (Preferred)
  • Java: 1 year Location: In person

Example 2

GeoLogics is seeking a talented Sr. Principal Software Engineerto work with one of our national aerospace and defense clients located in El Segundo, CA. This is a full time, 12 to 24-month contract position.

PAY RATE: $80-100/hr.

Schedule:M-F, 8am - 5pm

Location:Onsite in El Segundo, CA

DoD Clearance: Active Secret

JOB Description:

  • Contribute to all phases of the software development lifecycle
  • Write technical documents such as software requirements and design documents
  • Investigate and troubleshoot skills to assess issues and develop solutions
  • Development and architecture for GPS Receiver software

Required Skills/Qualifications:

  • Active DoD Secret Clearance
  • Bachelor's degree
  • Minimum of 8 years of experience with Embedded Software development in C/C++ and/or Ada OR 4 years of experience working with digital signal processing or wireless communication technology.
  • Experience working on all phases of SDLC
  • Experience writing software requirements and design documents


Preferred Skills/Qualifications:

  • Master's degree or higher
  • Experience with DO-178 highly preferred
  • Experience with Green Hills Integrity, board support package (BSP), Green Hills Multi IDE, Wind River VxWorks for C/C++ or related operating systems
  • Real-time development and architecture for GPS Receiver software
  • Working knowledge of signal selection, acquisition and tracking, Position, Velocity, and Time (PVT) calculation, data demodulation, signal correction, jamming and spoofing or related applications
  • Knowledge of MIL-STD-1553, IS-GPS-153 Serial Interface protocol
  • Understanding of Board Support Package for ARM Processor, Atom Processor, and PPC

The rates listed are not a guarantee of salary/rate. The rate offered at the time of hire will depend on many factors including education, experience, interview results, and skill level.

GeoLogics is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer that is committed to hiring a diverse and talented workforce. EOE/Disability/Veteran

Job Types: Full-time, Contract, Temporary

Pay: $80.00 - $100.00 per hour

Benefits:
  • Dental insurance
  • Health insurance
  • Vision insurance
Schedule:
  • 8 hour shift
  • Monday to Friday



Ability to commute/relocate:
  • El Segundo, CA: Reliably commute or planning to relocate before starting work (Required)

Education:
  • Bachelor's (Required)

Experience:
  • embedded software development in C/C++ or Ada: 7 years (Preferred)
  • DSP or wireless communication technology: 4 years (Preferred)

Security clearance:
  • Secret Location: In person

Example 3

Gaming:

Welcome to the world of land-based gaming. Light & Wonder s gaming team builds cutting-edge technology, products, and content for the most iconic casinos and operators across the globe.

Position Summary

Primary

  • Design, code, integrate, test, and debug game software for slot machines
  • Demonstrate a strong understanding of the platform hardware, libraries, and operating system
  • Provide input on game design and scheduling as it relates to software implementation
  • Effectively communicate technical requirements to team members
  • Collaborate with software quality assurance engineers to ensure regulatory compliance and timely product release
  • Cultivate, maintain, and disseminate internal systems knowledge while providing feedback on platform and tools implementation

Secondary

  • Mentor junior engineers in related studios and throughout Game Development
  • Create or update documentation related to new features, interfaces, and usage
  • Contribute to in-house development toolset and engineering support
  • Maintain up-to-date knowledge on new programming methods and technologies

Qualifications

Experience

  • 10+ years of professional experience in a software development team
  • 2D and 3D graphics programming experience is preferred
  • Gaming industry experience is preferred, but not required

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

  • Enjoy working in a creative environment
  • Have strong multi-tasking skills
  • Have excellent written and verbal communication skills
  • Ability to work well with others in a team environment
  • Have a high degree of comfort with software development tools such as IDEs/compilers, debuggers, profilers, and version control systems
  • Proficient in C# or C++ with a strong understanding of object oriented design concepts
  • Familiarity with working in a Windows programming environment, including Unity and Visual Studio

Education

  • Bachelor s degree in Computer Science or a related field or equivalent work experience required

Light & Wonder is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate against applicants due to race, color, sex, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, status as a veteran, and basis of disability or any other federal, state or local protected class. If you d like more information about your equal employment opportunity rights as an applicant under the law, please click here for EEOC Poster.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $89,952.99 - $108,330.48 per year

Benefits:
  • 401(k)
  • Dental insurance
  • Health insurance
Schedule:
  • Monday to Friday
  • Overtime



Ability to commute/relocate:
  • Las Vegas, NV: Reliably commute or planning to relocate before starting work Location: In person

Example 4

Job Description - Principal Software Engineer

LittleBird ([website]), is an IoT resident experience platform that helps multifamily properties deploy advanced smart features for their residents in a cost-effective way.

We're scaling quickly, and we're looking for a principal software engineer to grow and lead our software development team while building new features and expanding the product.

This position will report to the Chief Technology Officer and will be responsible for web and mobile development of our core products. This individual will work with other key teams including Hardware, Product, and Design.

Specific Responsibilities

  • Ability to articulate a plan for and implement improving changes on a production system while in parallel adding new features towards the teams initiatives
  • Collaborate closely with product management, product design, and hardware engineering teams as well as external development partners
  • Guide the software architecture and implementation of the products
  • Reinforce effective development processes and code quality
  • Onboard and mentor other software engineers
  • Serve as a leader and role model within the software development team
  • Be an example of LittleBird s core values of Resolve, Helpfulness, Thoughtfulness, Ingenuity, and Flexibility.

Ideal Candidate Description

  • 7+ years of professional experience writing and maintaining production-level applications
  • Thrives in a fast-paced, fast-changing startup environment
  • Finds an appropriate balance between quality and efficiency
  • Enjoys designing software systems and implementing those designs
  • Will help establish devops processes and principles as we scale
  • Comfortable with Agile development principles
  • Inquisitive and highly motivated self-starter
  • Aptitude to independently learn new technologies

Required Qualifications

  • Strong software engineering fundamentals
  • Superior ability developing and debugging large software systems
  • Excellent ability to design, create, and articulate APIs
  • Experience with testing, architecture, BDD, continuous delivery, continuous improvement, observability as well as modeling leadership principles
  • Track record of successful projects built in Node/React/React Native, including both web and mobile apps, using an AWS backend.
  • Comfortable with Agile project methodologies
  • Team-oriented working style
  • Located in the Phoenix, AZ Area or willing to relocate

Preferred Qualifications

  • Published native Android and iOS app(s)
  • Contributed to open source projects
  • Experience with IoT hardware (especially NFC, BLE, Z-Wave)
  • Familiarity with Python
  • Familiarity with embedded software development
  • Familiarity with Redux and Docker
  • Past experience implementing devops processes and principles
  • Familiarity with test-driven development
  • BS or MS in Computer Science or equivalent work experience
  • Experience with AI/ML
  • Experience with low-voltage hardware (security, access, surveillance, etc.)

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $150,000.00 - $180,000.00 per year

Benefits:
  • 401(k)
  • Dental insurance
  • Health insurance
  • Life insurance
  • Paid time off
  • Vision insurance
Schedule:
  • 8 hour shift



Ability to commute/relocate:
  • Phoenix, AZ 85021: Reliably commute or planning to relocate before starting work Location: Hybrid remote in Phoenix, AZ 85021

Example 5

*Location :San Jose, California, United States

Job Description

This is a leadership role in our global system software team for Android system and mobile products. The architect will be responsible for the strategic innovations in system software and next-generation products. The architect will work closely with the engineering leaders and product managers to propose and architect the high-level system design for our leading products to win the market. The ideal candidate should be an expert and enthusiastic in Android platform stack from software system down to hardware interactions; and have strong soft skills in technology acumen, system abstraction, and technical communication.

Responsibilities

  • Lead and propose strategic innovations for system software stack and eco-system development.
  • Lead and design the high-level system architecture for next generation Android and mobile devices.
  • Work closely with the engineering leaders and product managers to transform market demands into product roadmaps and solutions.
  • Perform technical analyses and trend studies in depth on the mobile product and system software industry.
  • Evaluate and innovate new technologies and designs to deliver the best user experience of the end products.

Qualification

  • Strong experience in architecting Android based products with successful track record.
  • Senior expert in Android based system software stack from application, framework, kernel, down to drivers and firmware.
  • Deep understanding in use cases and user experiences of consumer products.
  • Strong experience in leading cross-geo team in a mult-cultural and multi-national environment.
  • Strong soft skills in technology acumen, system abstraction, and technical communication.
  • Passionate about driving new technologies and making great impact to the industry.
  • Self-disciplined, motivated, professional, and good team player.

Requirements

  • MS or PhD in Computer Science, or related majors are preferred.
  • 10+ years experiences in Android platform, system software, and smart devices
  • 5+ years system architect experiences in products with Android platform
  • Excellent leadership, communication and teamwork skills

Salary range: $180,000- $250,000

Employee may be eligible for performance bonus, short and long term incentive programs. Actual total compensation will be dependent upon the individual's skills, experience and qualifications. In addition, MediaTek provides a variety of benefits including comprehensive health insurance coverage, life and disability insurance, savings plan, Company paid holidays, Paid time off (PTO), Parental leave, 401K and more.

MediaTek is an Equal Opportunity Employer that is committed to inclusion and diversity to all, regardless of age, ancestry, color, disability (mental and physical), exercising the right to family care and medical leave, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, military or veteran status, national origin, political affiliation, race, religious creed, sex (includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and related medical conditions), and sexual orientation.

Job Type: Full-time

Salary: $180,000.00 - $250,000.00 per year

Benefits:
  • Health insurance
Compensation package:
  • Bonus opportunities
Schedule:
  • Monday to Location: In person

Example 6

Job title: Principal Software Engineer (C, GO, UNIX/LINUX, TCP/IP)

Location: Santa Clara, CA, USA (onsite)

Rate: DOE

Job type: Contract-to-hire

Job Description
  • B.S./M.S. degree in Computer Science, similar technical discipline or equivalent practical experience or equivalent military experience required.
  • 5+ years of enterprise product development experience with C in a Unix/Linux environment
  • Flair for coding and hands on experience debugging the code using tools like GDB is required.
  • Working knowledge of TCP/IP internals and common data structure and algorithms
  • Graduate degree (MS or Ph.D.) in Computer Science or similar technical discipline is preferred.
  • Knowledge of multi-core / multi-process / multi-threaded programming is preferred.
  • Experience with windows agent programming and cloud programming (go) software development is preferred.
  • Experience with large-scale and/or high-performance software design and development is preferred.
  • Experience with TLS internals, cryptography, and OpenSSL is preferred.
  • Experience with HTTP and web server backend development is preferred.

Job Types: Full-time, Contract

Pay: From $75.00 per hour

Benefits:
  • 401(k)
  • Dental insurance
  • Health insurance
Schedule:
  • 8 hour Location: In person

Example 7

Principal Software Engineer
Company Overview
Tide Cleaners is on a mission to make caring for clothes so perfect and simple, that peoples lives don t have to revolve around their laundry. We deliver this service to our guests in neighborhoods, university campuses, military bases, and multi-family buildings across multiple different access points, including lockers, stores, delivery, and campus subscriptions. Tide Cleaners is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Procter & Gamble Company, headquartered in Cincinnati, OH with additional offices in Dallas, TX, and Chicago, IL.

The Opportunity
As a Principal Engineer on the web application team, you will be responsible for leading the effort and participating in the development and maintenance of consumer and enterprise-facing cross-browser web applications. You will spend time collaborating with other senior developers across teams to research and architect solutions for features and products that enhance and grow the business. You will also encourage, mentor, and help other developers grow by teaching them the architectural design, design patterns, and best developmental practices.

Responsibilities
  • Propose and be part of the implementation of technical solutions for existing and new products based on the requirements provided by product and business.
  • Mentor other developers in technology and processes, enabling their growth.
  • Cross collaborates with other Principal developers to come up with technical solutions that impact existing and new products.
  • Help come up with new or enhance existing processes that will make the engineering team and department more efficient and productive.
  • Must be able to write readable, succinct, and bug-free code for highly scalable and highly available consumer-facing applications.
  • Help set the SPA standard for products using [website] framework. Assist in the architecture of new and existing applications.

Skills & Qualifications
  • Strong communication skills, both oral and written
  • Experience in Agile development methodologies including but not limited to unit testing and TDD (test-driven-development)
  • Proficient in API fundamentals and best practices, REST API architecture, SQL databases, and knowledge of C# would be beneficial
  • Strong problem-solving and organizational skill set
  • Solid knowledge of web technologies such as JavaScript, CSS, HTML5, ES6+, JSON
  • Experience using ReactJS, [website], and [website] in production
  • Experience leading front-end architecture design and building SPA applications that are scalable and highly available, a solid understanding of software design patterns is a must.
  • 8+ years of software development experience, with 3+ years as a senior software engineer
  • Experience delivering cloud applications using CI/CD tools following best practices

Job Location(s):
  • Cincinnati, OH (Preferred)
  • Dallas, TX
  • Remote

Job Type: Full-Time - Hybrid/Remote
Job Level: Senior

The Value of a Career with Tide Cleaners
  • Ongoing coaching and career development you will work with passionate people and have access to training & knowledgeable managers & peers.
  • We provide a market-competitive salary benchmarked against the finest companies and you'll be able to spend your paid vacation time doing more of the things you love with the people you love.
  • We offer a suite of benefits, including but not limited to, flexible working arrangements, generous paid vacation increasing with service, generous parental leave policies, group life insurance & health insurance.

Additional Information
  • Immigration sponsorship is not available for this role.
  • Agile Pursuits, Inc. d/b/a Tide Cleaners participates in e-verify as required by law.
  • Qualified individuals will not be disadvantaged based on being unemployed.
  • All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, marital status, citizenship, HIV/AIDS status or any other legally protected factor.
  • Health and well-being is a top priority for us at Tide Cleaners. For your awareness as you consider employment at Tide Cleaners, we require all employees to report their vaccination status to the company in order to protect our employees safety and ensure business continuity.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: From $105,000.00 per year

Benefits:
  • 401(k)
  • 401(k) matching
  • Dental insurance
  • Employee discount
  • Health insurance
  • Life insurance
  • Paid time off
  • Retirement plan
  • Tuition reimbursement
  • Vision insurance
Schedule:
  • Monday to Friday
Supplemental pay types:
  • Bonus pay

Application Question(s):
  • What is your email?
  • What is your desired Location: One location
Our mission

Indeed’s Employer Resource Library helps businesses grow and manage their workforce. With over 15,000 articles in 6 languages, we offer tactical advice, how-tos and best practices to help businesses hire and retain great employees.

Read our editorial guidelines
Job Description Best Practices
Optimize your new and existing job descriptions to reach more candidates
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What does a Principal Software Engineer do?

A 2025-10-012025-10-312025-09-012025-09-302025-11-05Principal Software Engineer is in charge of the day-to-day activities of the software development team. They take a high-level view of the development process and understand how software fits into the overall goals of your business. It’s their job to ensure that any new software developed fully aligns with your business needs and identify ways that existing software may be modified to improve functionality. In addition, they supervise, train and coach other Software Engineers to get the entire team fully invested in projects and secure the best possible outcomes. By successfully performing their job duties, they can help increase productivity and efficiency in the workplace and positively impact customer satisfaction.

 

Principal Software Engineer skills and qualifications

A successful 2025-10-012025-10-312025-09-012025-09-302025-11-05Principal Software Engineer possesses certain qualifications that allow them to execute their job duties well. Skills that may indicate a high-quality candidate for your open position include:

 

  • Robust knowledge of multiple programming languages, such as C, C++ and Java
  • Analytical skills to interpret complex data sets
  • Problem-solving skills to determine the cause of bugs and resolve complaints
  • Strong oral communication skills to train, coach and collaborate with other staff
  • Proven written communication skills to produce informative reports
  • Public speaking skills to give presentations to Software Engineers and the management team
  • Organization and delegation skills to break large projects down into milestones and assign tasks best suited to team members
  • Leadership skills to direct the activities of other Engineers and provide effective coaching and training

2025-10-012025-10-312025-09-012025-09-302025-11-05Principal Software Engineer experience requirements

Generally, a Principal Software Engineer is one of the most experienced members of the software development team. As a result, you’ll likely wish to focus on candidates with more than five years of experience working in software development. In addition, individuals who’ve previously worked in management or supervisory roles may be better suited to this position. The management experience doesn’t necessarily need to relate to software development. For example, if someone worked as a Customer Service Supervisor right after college and then spent six years as a Software Engineer, they may possess the right combination of development and leadership experience to succeed as a Principal Software Engineer.

 

Principal Software Engineer education and training requirements

Typically, a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering, computer science or a related field is vital to succeed in Principal Software Engineer careers. As you review resumes, you may wish to weigh candidates’ educational background along with their experience. For example, you might consider a candidate with a Master of Science in Computer Engineering degree and five years of experience to be at the same level as someone who holds a bachelor’s degree and has more work experience. Professionals certifications like the AWS Certified Developer credential from Amazon or Certified Software Engineer (CSE) designation from the Institute of Certification of Computing Professionals can also indicate that candidates possess the required qualifications and skills.

 

Principal Software Engineer salary expectations

According to Indeed Salaries, the average salary for a 2025-10-012025-10-312025-09-012025-09-302025-11-05Principal Software Engineer is $130,259 per year. Actual annual income depends on an Engineer’s education, experience, certification status and geographic location.

 

Principal Software Engineer salary expectations

2025-10-01
  • Common salary:
  • Typical salaries range from -
  • Find more information on Indeed Salaries

*Indeed data – 2025-10-01

Job description samples for similar positions

If a 2025-10-012025-10-312025-09-012025-09-302025-11-05Principal Software Engineer isn’t an exact fit for your open position, consider these closely related job descriptions:

 

Principal Software Engineer job description FAQs

Who reports to a 2025-10-012025-10-312025-09-012025-09-302025-11-05Principal Software Engineer?

Usually, Senior Software Engineers and Software Engineers are the direct reports of a Principal Software Engineer. However, some companies have a position between Senior and Principal Software Engineers called the Staff Software Engineer. In this organizational structure, the Staff Software Engineer is the immediate supervisor for a team of Engineers and is the one who reports directly to the Principal Software Engineer.

 

Who does a Principal Software Engineer report to?

At many companies, the 2025-10-012025-10-312025-09-012025-09-302025-11-05Principal Software Engineer reports to the Software Engineer Manager or the Engineering and Technology Manager. In other cases, the Principal Software Engineer reports to a more senior member of the software development team, such as a Distinguished Software Engineer or an Engineer Fellow.

 

What makes a good Principal Software Engineer job description?

To help attract quality candidates with your job description, include background about your company and how software development is vital to its success. Provide clear descriptions of the Principal Software Engineer’s duties and responsibilities and details on opportunities for advancement. You may also outline the perks and benefits of working for your company.

 

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