What is a senior principal engineer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
Quoted Experts
Andrea Welker Ph.D.,
Christian Hansen Ph.D.
introduction image

As a senior principal engineer, you will deliver products and improvements for the changing world. You will also serve as the testing consultant to be an IT leader in the organization and functional user groups. You will be in charge of changes in methodology, architecture, or programming procedures. You will also act as the prime consultant on large projects that affect the organization's long-term goals and objectives. Similarly, you will acquire detailed specifications from business users and development to ascertain specific output.

Sophisticated knowledge of IT principles and applications is important. Varied knowledge of database, development, system engineering, and networking concepts is required. A good communication skill is needed. Required skill is also a problem-solving skill and ability to work flexible hours. They must be able to use Microsoft packages for presentations. You must be able to multitask, pay attention to details, and organize. You will earn an average of $122,270 a year.

What general advice would you give to a Senior Principal Engineer?

Andrea Welker Ph.D.Andrea Welker Ph.D. LinkedIn Profile

Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, College of Engineering Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Villanova University

Be open to new experiences. Find a good mentor. Become a valued employee. Always remember that you are designing something for someone.
ScoreSenior Principal EngineerUS Average
Salary
8.4

Avg. Salary $130,642

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 17.20%

Black or African American 3.09%

Hispanic or Latino 7.93%

Unknown 4.52%

White 67.15%

Gender

female 11.84%

male 88.16%

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

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Senior Principal Engineer career paths

Key steps to become a senior principal engineer

  1. Explore senior principal engineer education requirements

    Most common senior principal engineer degrees

    Bachelor's

    67.2 %

    Master's

    21.0 %

    Doctorate

    5.3 %
  2. Start to develop specific senior principal engineer skills

    Skills
    ascdesc
    Percentages
    ascdesc
    Python7.58%
    Architecture7.28%
    Java7.24%
    Cloud6.34%
    DOD5.07%
  3. Complete relevant senior principal engineer training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New senior 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 senior principal engineer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real senior principal engineer resumes.
  4. Research senior principal engineer duties and responsibilities

    • Help hire temporary workers, manage hours and tasks relate to insurance claim data extraction.
    • Lead DoD clients in the achievement of business objectives through the implementation of software and business process solutions.
    • Lead technology teams charge with full life cycle development processes involving system requirements and system architecture.
    • Support software development of IR tools on UNIX base workstation environment.
  5. Get senior principal engineer experience

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

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your senior 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 senior principal engineer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

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  7. Apply for senior principal engineer jobs

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

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

How Did You Land Your First Senior Principal Engineer Job

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Average senior principal engineer salary

The average Senior Principal Engineer salary in the United States is $130,642 per year or $63 per hour. Senior principal engineer salaries range between $93,000 and $182,000 per year.

Average Senior Principal Engineer Salary
$130,642 Yearly
$62.81 hourly

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How do senior principal engineers rate their job?

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Senior Principal Engineer reviews

profile
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


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Dec 2019
Pros

Troubleshooting and commissioning

Cons

Undone job, when we're unable to discover certain fault on time.


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A zippia user wrote a review on Jul 2019
Cons

HR compliance and accounting auditing , quarterly budgeting rather than Annual as previously accepted. Wallstreet insistence on more frequent projections

Pros

Challenge, satisfaction of problem resolution and working with team


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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