What does a principal architect do?
Principal Architects manage all design work at an architecture firm. They ensure that all work is of high professional quality and manage the activity of other design professionals.
Principal architect responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real principal architect resumes:
- Manage and review Hadoop log files.
- Manage integrated ERP projects for manufacturing plants
- Design and implement a Java base reverse proxy that manage application routes.
- Lead architecture development for a CRM web collaboration product and a CRM multi-media/multi-channel integration product.
- Manage offshore engineering team, overcoming challenges including technical, resource planning & motivation, communication, and infrastructure.
- Design and develop the rich desktop web client using ExtJS, a JavaScript framework with an extensive library of UI components.
- Create cloud-based customer solutions by collaborating extensively with cloud computing providers.
- Secure microservices using OAuth2 security, custom authentication providers, and JWT tokens.
- Customize the Savvion web service API to support user profile caching and session pooling.
- Test IP and ATM networks for QOS, scalability, and per customer provisioning.
- Research on TOGAF and Zachman frameworks and implement TOGAF partially at the enterprise level.
- Design and develop web applications, SaaS products, web services, using various web technologies.
- Work within travel services towards portfolio rationalization, planning and strategy to reduce risk and costs.
- Understand the capabilities desire by the business and follow the TOGAF capability model to address them.
- Create a restful API for general machine learning as a service, used in recommendation and classification engines FlexGraph.
Principal architect skills and personality traits
We calculated that 8% of Principal Architects are proficient in Cloud, Infrastructure, and Emerging Technologies. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Communication skills, and Creativity.
We break down the percentage of Principal Architects that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Cloud, 8%
Designed and built cloud service models including Infrastructure-as-a-Service, Platform-as-a-Service, and Software-as-a-Service for 6 companies.
- Infrastructure, 7%
Worked closely with Executive leaders, Data Center Management to minimize expenditures and improve overall delivery of infrastructure solutions.
- Emerging Technologies, 6%
Evaluated emerging technologies and aligned their implementation and integration with the current United Airline's needs.
- Java, 5%
Designed and developed a reusable java framework to integrate with external applications.
- AWS, 5%
Designed TIS 4th generation solution with Vertica and MicroStrategy in AWS.
- Python, 4%
Developed instrument models and Monte Carlo simulator in Python.
Most principal architects use their skills in "cloud," "infrastructure," and "emerging technologies" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential principal architect responsibilities here:
Analytical skills. The most essential soft skill for a principal architect to carry out their responsibilities is analytical skills. This skill is important for the role because "architects must understand the content of designs and the context in which they were created." Additionally, a principal architect resume shows how their duties depend on analytical skills: "provided a design framework based on xml and enterprise java beans that would handle the processing of data. "
Communication skills. Many principal architect duties rely on communication skills. "architects share their ideas, both in oral presentations and in writing, with clients, other architects, and workers who help prepare drawings," so a principal architect will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways principal architect responsibilities rely on communication skills: "managed offshore engineering team, overcoming challenges including technical, resource planning & motivation, communication, and infrastructure. "
Creativity. principal architects are also known for creativity, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to principal architect responsibilities, because "architects design the overall look of houses, buildings, and other structures." A principal architect resume example shows how creativity is used in the workplace: "web service integration was used for real-time pricing, inventory status, order creation, and shipment feeds. "
Organizational skills. A big part of what principal architects do relies on "organizational skills." You can see how essential it is to principal architect responsibilities because "architects often manage contracts." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical principal architect tasks: "anticipated future organizational requirements to establish long-term facility & infrastructure strategies. "
Technical skills. Another common skill required for principal architect responsibilities is "technical skills." This skill comes up in the duties of principal architects all the time, as "architects need to use cadd technology to create plans as part of building information modeling (bim)." An excerpt from a real principal architect resume shows how this skill is central to what a principal architect does: "designed and developed a java swing application for taking surveys at technical conferences. "
Visualization skills. Another skill commonly found on principal architect job descriptions is "visualization skills." It can come up quite often in principal architect duties, since "architects must be able to envision how the parts of a structure relate to each other." Here's an example from a resume of how this skill fits into day-to-day principal architect responsibilities: "provide technical leadership, design, architecture of fault management applications, visualization, and monitoring and management. "
The three companies that hire the most principal architects are:
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Compare different principal architects
Principal architect vs. Architect and developer
An Architect And Developer is focused on the technical design, architecture, and development of products. They generally work as a part of the development team.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, principal architect responsibilities require skills like "cloud," "infrastructure," "aws," and "python." Meanwhile a typical architect and developer has skills in areas such as "design patterns," "application architecture," "web application," and "digital marketing." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Architects and developer really shine in the finance industry with an average salary of $125,314. Comparatively, principal architects tend to make the most money in the technology industry with an average salary of $140,894.The education levels that architects and developer earn slightly differ from principal architects. In particular, architects and developer are 0.2% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a principal architect. Additionally, they're 1.9% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Principal architect vs. Senior systems architect
It is the job of a senior systems architect to develop, enforce, and maintain servers under the goals of an organization. Senior systems architects assess the requirements of businesses and customers, design documents, and develop architectural approaches. The architects establish and interpret structural designs and serve as managers, advisors, and mentors. They take responsibility for providing technical advice for software development. Typically, they work onsite and in offices to ensure team cohesion and successful projects.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real principal architect resumes. While principal architect responsibilities can utilize skills like "infrastructure," "python," "api," and "analytics," senior systems architects use skills like "system architecture," "jsp," "http," and "san."
Senior systems architects may earn a lower salary than principal architects, but senior systems architects earn the most pay in the manufacturing industry with an average salary of $116,482. On the other hand, principal architects receive higher pay in the technology industry, where they earn an average salary of $140,894.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Senior systems architects tend to reach similar levels of education than principal architects. In fact, they're 1.2% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.9% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for principal architects in the next 3-5 years?
Dak Kopec Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Coordinator, BA Interior Architecture and Design and Master of Design Program, University Of Nevada, Las Vegas
Principal architect vs. Data warehouse architect
Data warehouse architects are in charge of planning data warehouse solutions and function with the standard data warehouse technologies to develop plans that best sustain an organization or business. Typically, data warehouse architects usually take employer goals as well as client demands and work to create a particular architecture that will be sustained to serve certain stated objectives. Their duties include planning and implementing effective database solutions and models, assessing and identifying database structural necessities, and evaluating database execution procedures to make sure they follow internal and external guidelines.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from principal architect resumes include skills like "cloud," "infrastructure," "aws," and "python," whereas a data warehouse architect is more likely to list skills in "business intelligence," "power bi," "data quality," and "database design. "
Data warehouse architects earn the best pay in the insurance industry, where they command an average salary of $109,898. Principal architects earn the highest pay from the technology industry, with an average salary of $140,894.Most data warehouse architects achieve a higher degree level compared to principal architects. For example, they're 5.6% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 2.9% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Principal architect vs. Systems architect
A systems architect specializes in designing and developing computer networks and systems for company operations. Typically, their responsibilities revolve around conducting research and analysis to identify a company's needs, devising strategies to reach particular goals, improving existing systems, and implementing solutions for optimal processes. A systems architect must also monitor the progress of all implementations, prepare progress reports and presentations, provide technical support as needed, and train new workforce members, all while adhering to the company's policies and regulations, including vision and mission.
Types of principal architect
Updated January 8, 2025
