Post job

What is a principal consulting engineer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read
Quoted expert
Julie Brandis
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a principal consulting engineer. For example, did you know that they make an average of $57.15 an hour? That's $118,866 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 2% and produce 6,400 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a principal consulting engineer?

Julie BrandisJulie Brandis LinkedIn profile

Executive Director of Strategic Partnerships, Website

Oregon State University provides support in salary negotiation, also students can work with mentors who are familiar with company hiring practices and wage structures. If you have internship experience, that can help to boost your starting salary.
ScorePrincipal Consulting EngineerUS Average
Salary
8.1

Avg. Salary $118,866

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 17.07%

Black or African American 3.10%

Hispanic or Latino 7.94%

Unknown 4.52%

White 67.28%

Gender

female 9.29%

male 90.71%

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

Principal consulting engineer career paths

Key steps to become a principal consulting engineer

  1. Explore principal consulting engineer education requirements

    Most common principal consulting engineer degrees

    Bachelor's

    65.1 %

    Master's

    25.3 %

    Associate

    4.3 %
  2. Start to develop specific principal consulting engineer skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Java12.57%
    Project Management9.78%
    Infrastructure7.52%
    SQL6.21%
    Architecture6.15%
  3. Complete relevant principal consulting engineer training and internships

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

    • Support DOD agency needs in accomplishing engineer technical and non-technical goals associate with wireless LAN technology products.
    • Develop all various product features sets and prioritization including SONET, IP, TCP/IP, QoS/MPLS and OSPF.
    • Used javascript under node.js to process files.
    • Conceive and develop the web GUI in JavaScript and HTML to display dB information.
  5. Get principal consulting engineer experience

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

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

    Build a professional principal consulting 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 consulting engineer resume.
    Principal Consulting Engineer Resume
    Principal Consulting Engineer Resume
    Principal Consulting Engineer Resume
    Principal Consulting Engineer Resume
    Principal Consulting Engineer Resume
    Principal Consulting Engineer Resume
    Principal Consulting Engineer Resume
    Principal Consulting Engineer Resume
    Principal Consulting Engineer Resume
  7. Apply for principal consulting engineer jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a principal consulting 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 principal consulting engineer job

Zippi

Are you a principal consulting engineer?

Share your story for a free salary report.

Average principal consulting engineer salary

The average principal consulting engineer salary in the United States is $118,866 per year or $57 per hour. Principal consulting engineer salaries range between $91,000 and $154,000 per year.

Average principal consulting engineer salary
$118,866 Yearly
$57.15 hourly

What am I worth?

salary-calculator

How do principal consulting engineers rate their job?

Working as a principal consulting engineer? Share your experience anonymously.
Overall rating*
Career growth
Work/Life balance
Pay/Salary

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.

Browse architecture and engineering jobs