What is a principal engineer and how to become one

Q: Principal Engineer vs. Senior Engineer

A principal engineer is a professional who oversees other engineers in different departments and contributes to multiple projects at one time, while a senior engineer is someone who often manages just one project or department.

Q: Staff Engineer vs. Principal Engineer

A staff engineer is the lowest position of an engineer at a company, while a principal engineer is part of the engineering leadership at a company. Staff engineers design, build, and test structures, products, systems, services, or equipment, depending on their area of specialty. They are employed in a variety of industries and mainly specialize in civil, mechanical, industrial, or electrical engineering.

Q: Do you need a Ph.D. to be a principal engineer?

No, you do not need a Ph.D. to be a principal engineer. To be eligible for a principal engineering position requires a bachelor's degree, certification, and over ten years of field experience.

Q: How long does it take to become a principal engineer?

It takes about 15 to 20 years to become a principal engineer. That includes the time that it takes to earn an engineering degree, as well as the ten to 15 years of work experience needed for the position. Senior engineers and principal engineers are among the highest-ranking engineers in terms of seniority.

Q: How many years does it take to become a principal engineer at Google?

It takes between 12 to 20 years to become a principal engineer at Google. The time it takes largely comes down to your educational background and previous work experience. A principal engineer at Google is considered a level 8 position. An entry-level engineer starts at level 3 or level 4.

Q: How much do principal engineers make?

Principal engineers make an average of $105,903 a year. However, there is a good deal of variability in how much a principal engineer can make, ranging from as low as $87,000 a year to as high as $146,000 a year. Factors such as location and industry impact how much a principal engineer can make.

Q: Is "principal" higher than "senior" for engineers?

Yes, "principal" is higher than "senior" for engineers. A principal engineer is paid more, and it takes longer to achieve compared to a senior role. Other differences include the scope of responsibilities specific to each position.

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted Experts

Robert Saunders P.E.,

John Dolan

A principal engineer is an individual who has reached the highest level of technical expertise. They lead complex engineering projects, manage teams, and provide technical guidance and support. Principal engineers also work in research and development to ensure that their company stays at the forefront of their industry. They often work with marketing and sales to create products that meet customer needs. Additionally, they may set technical standards and evaluate the performance of other engineers.

What general advice would you give to a Principal Engineer?

Robert Saunders P.E.

Assistant Department Head, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville

The job market for an electrical engineering student coming out of college is challenging right now. Many companies are still hiring electrical engineering students but, the students can't be as finicky about what jobs they are accepting. More than half of the students are starting their new jobs working remotely, which is a large shift from normal but the companies seem to be using this time to bring the new hires up to speed on policy, procedures, and industry regulations.

ScorePrincipal EngineerUS Average

Salary

8.4

Avg. Salary $130,213

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

7.4

Growth Rate 2%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.4

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.11%

Asian 16.60%

Black or African American 3.06%

Hispanic or Latino 7.78%

Unknown 4.51%

White 67.94%

Gender

female 7.42%

male 92.58%

Age - 39

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 39

Stress Level

7.4

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

8.6

Complexity Level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

5.1

Work Life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a Principal Engineer?

Pros

Competitive salary and benefits
Work on complex and challenging projects
Chance to collaborate with top-level executives
Influence product development and innovation
Recognition as a key member of the organization

Cons

High-pressure environment with tight deadlines
Long working hours, often including weekends and holidays
Limited work-life balance due to constant demands
Dealing with conflicts and difficult conversations
Potential for burnout due to high expectations and workload

Newest jobs for Principal Engineer in ,

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Key steps to become a principal engineer

Explore principal engineer education requirements

Most common principal engineer degrees

Bachelor's

65.7 %

Master's

21.8 %

Doctorate

6.2 %

Start to develop specific principal engineer skills

Skills	Percentages
Java	12.62%
Architecture	8.43%
Python	8.16%
Software Development	4.17%
Azure	3.78%

Complete relevant principal engineer training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New principal engineers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a principal engineer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real principal engineer resumes.

Research principal engineer duties and responsibilities

Develop test plans and procedures, and lead the test effort on Windows.CE porting.
Provide analytical direction, reasoning, and manage lipid extraction experiments done as a team.
Identify, develop and implement action items to manage & improve software releases and develop guidelines in JavaScript coding.
Lead a group of 9 engineers responsible for technology development for handling electronic packages (computer CPU) during HVM.

Get principal engineer experience

Generally, it takes 4-6 years to become a principal engineer. The most common roles before becoming a principal engineer include senior engineer, senior software engineer team lead and software engineer.

Prepare your principal engineer resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your principal engineer resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a principal engineer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Principal Engineer Resume templates

Build a professional Principal Engineer resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Principal Engineer resume.

Apply for principal engineer jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a principal engineer job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do principal engineers rate their job?

-/5

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

Principal Engineer reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Jul 2023

Cons

Unrealistic demands from management and the job markets ups and downs

A zippia user wrote a review on Dec 2021

Pros

Finding NEW devices to open up the range of features for nrw development! New technologies, new materials, allowing new concepts!

A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2020

Pros

The Different employees i work with and what all i learn from them

Cons

very little

Principal Engineer FAQs

What is a principal engineer and how to become one

What general advice would you give to a Principal Engineer?

What are the pros and cons of being a Principal Engineer?

Newest jobs for Principal Engineer in ,

Principal Engineer career paths

Key steps to become a principal engineer

Explore principal engineer education requirements

Most common principal engineer degrees

Start to develop specific principal engineer skills

Complete relevant principal engineer training and internships

Research principal engineer duties and responsibilities

Get principal engineer experience

Prepare your principal engineer resume

Choose From 10+ Customizable Principal Engineer Resume templates

Apply for principal engineer jobs

How Did You Land Your First Principal Engineer Job

Average principal engineer salary

How do principal engineers rate their job?

Principal Engineer reviews

Principal Engineer FAQs

Principal Engineer vs. Senior Engineer

Staff Engineer vs. Principal Engineer

Do you need a Ph.D. to be a principal engineer?

How long does it take to become a principal engineer?

How many years does it take to become a principal engineer at Google?

How much do principal engineers make?

Is "principal" higher than "senior" for engineers?

Search for principal engineer jobs

Principal Engineer jobs by state