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How to hire a principal software engineer

Principal software engineer hiring summary. Here are some key points about hiring principal software engineers in the United States:

  • The median cost to hire a principal software engineer is $1,633.
  • It takes between 36 and 42 days to fill the average role in the US.
  • HR departments typically allocate 15% of their budget towards recruitment efforts.
  • Small businesses spend $1,105 per principal software engineer on training each year, while large companies spend $658.
  • It takes approximately 12 weeks for a new employee to reach full productivity levels.
  • There are a total of 156,289 principal software engineers in the US, and there are currently 345,893 job openings in this field.
  • Boston, MA, has the highest demand for principal software engineers, with 141 job openings.

How to hire a principal software engineer, step by step

To hire a principal software engineer, you should clearly understand the skills and experience you are looking for in a candidate, and allocate a budget for the position. You will also need to post and promote the job opening to reach potential candidates. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to hire a principal software engineer:

Here's a step-by-step principal software engineer hiring guide:

  • Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
  • Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
  • Step 3: Make a budget
  • Step 4: Write a principal software engineer job description
  • Step 5: Post your job
  • Step 6: Interview candidates
  • Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new principal software engineer
  • Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a principal software engineer do?

A Principal Software Engineer is responsible for the technical aspects of an organization's projects. They diagnose, document, and troubleshoot systems to resolve problems identified through testing, as well as implement strategies to improve integration and efficiency.

Learn more about the specifics of what a principal software engineer does
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  1. Identify your hiring needs

    First, determine the employments status of the principal software engineer you need to hire. Certain principal software engineer roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

    Determine employee vs contractor status
    Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

    Hiring the perfect principal software engineer also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

    This list shows salaries for various types of principal software engineers.

    Type of Principal Software EngineerDescriptionHourly rate
    Principal Software EngineerSoftware developers are the creative minds behind computer programs. Some develop the applications that allow people to do specific tasks on a computer or another device... Show more$47-87
    Software ArchitectA Software Architect develops new programs for a variety of technological devices for businesses, computer games, mobile networks, and/or operating systems. They ensure architectural integrity and consistency across the entire product and work closely with executives to explain the benefits of the software.$39-75
    Lead EngineerA lead engineer's duties vary on their line of work or industry of employment. Typically, their responsibilities will revolve around overseeing the progress of operations and performance of the workforce, ensuring that everything is running smoothly... Show more$28-57
  2. Create an ideal candidate profile

    Common skills:
    • Java
    • Python
    • Software Development
    • Object Oriented Programming
    • Linux
    • AWS
    • GIT
    • JavaScript
    • Scrum
    • C
    • C++
    • Debugging
    • Azure
    • Database
    Check all skills
    Responsibilities:
    • Manage and fix bugs with JIRA bug tracking application.
    • Manage Blogcritics.org revamp/rewrite using Wordpress, PHP, MySQL and memecach.
    • Participate in daily scrum meetings and used TFS to manage the user stories, tasks and for bugs reporting and tracking.
    • Manage OS security patching and intrusion detection systems.
    • Manage building and deploying DataPower configuration and flows to all environments using Jenkins jobs.
    • Manage Java central monitor, authoring Java system implementing java-base central monitoring system using Linux.
    More principal software engineer duties
  3. Make a budget

    Including a salary range in your principal software engineer job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A principal software engineer salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

    For example, the average salary for a principal software engineer in South Carolina may be lower than in Hawaii, and an entry-level principal software engineer usually earns less than a senior-level principal software engineer. Additionally, a principal software engineer with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

    Average principal software engineer salary

    $134,230yearly

    $64.53 hourly rate

    Entry-level principal software engineer salary
    $98,000 yearly salary
    Updated December 17, 2025

    Average principal software engineer salary by state

    RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
    1Washington$178,152$86
    2California$174,720$84
    3Arizona$128,278$62
    4New York$127,430$61
    5District of Columbia$120,172$58
    6Virginia$119,230$57
    7Massachusetts$119,072$57
    8New Jersey$118,127$57
    9Maryland$117,704$57
    10Pennsylvania$117,652$57
    11Texas$116,489$56
    12Utah$115,996$56
    13New Hampshire$114,344$55
    14Michigan$113,680$55
    15Illinois$112,061$54
    16Colorado$108,696$52
    17Vermont$108,579$52
    18Georgia$108,341$52
    19North Carolina$108,262$52
    20Nebraska$107,299$52

    Average principal software engineer salary by company

    RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rateJob openings
    1Google$211,543$101.701,079
    2Upstart Network$207,890$99.95
    3eBay$206,405$99.2362
    4Twitter$204,548$98.344
    5LendUp$204,043$98.10
    6Eventbrite$203,562$97.87
    7Grubhub$203,445$97.815
    8Pure Storage$202,512$97.3634
    9Discovery$201,862$97.05
    10Penske Media$199,112$95.73
    11Sharecare$197,694$95.0553
    12Zocdoc$197,652$95.0333
    13Atlassian$195,754$94.1145
    14The Walt Disney Company$195,492$93.99442
    15Houzz$195,008$93.75
    16Walmart$194,894$93.70663
    17Move$194,336$93.43
    18Sony Interactive Entertainment America$193,100$92.84
    19Quantifind$190,616$91.64
    20Turo$190,571$91.629
  4. Writing a principal software engineer job description

    A job description for a principal software engineer role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a principal software engineer job description:

    Principal software engineer job description example

    • Full-stack developer with strong Object-Oriented design principles and software development skills experience in using languages like Java, with spring Framework for Java, or Python.
    • Good knowledge of Microservices architecture and strong experience with PaaS solutions - Kubernetes, Cloud Foundry, PCF, PKS.
    • Experience designing & working with NoSQL DBs (Cassandra, Mongo) and Postgres.
    • Hands-on expertise with Message Queues (RMQ, Kafka); Cache (Redis); ELK stack.
    • Degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering or related majors. 8+ years of related experience with a Bachelor’s degree; or 6+ years with a Master’s degree; or 3+ years with a PhD; or equivalent experience.

    Desirable Requirements

    • Experience with scripting language like PERL, Python, or bash.
    • Knowledge and experience with Agile.

    Here’s our story; now tell us yours

    Dell Technologies helps organizations and individuals build a brighter digital tomorrow. Our company is made up of more than 150,000 people, located in over 180 locations around the world. We’re proud to be a diverse and inclusive team and have an endless passion for our mission to drive human progress.

    What’s most important to us is that you are respected, feel like you can be yourself and have the opportunity to do the best work of your life -- while still having a life. We offer excellent benefits, bonus programs, flexible work arrangements, a variety of career development opportunities, employee resource groups, and much more.

    We started with computers, but we didn’t stop there. We are helping customers move into the future with multi-cloud, AI and machine learning through the most innovative technology and services portfolio for the data era. Join us and become a part of what’s next in technology, starting today.

    You can also learn more about us by reading our latest Diversity and Inclusion Report and our plan to make the world a better place by 2030 here.

    Dell is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all employees and to providing employees with a work environment free of discrimination and harassment. All employment decisions at Dell are based on business needs, job requirements and individual qualifications, without regard to race, color, religion or belief, national, social or ethnic origin, sex (including pregnancy), age, physical, mental or sensory disability, HIV Status, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, marital, civil union or domestic partnership status, past or present military service, family medical history or genetic information, family or parental status, or any other status protected by the laws or regulations in the locations where we operate. Dell will not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on any of these characteristics. Dell encourages applicants of all ages. Read the full Employment Opportunity Policy here.

  5. Post your job

    There are various strategies that you can use to find the right principal software engineer for your business:

    • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
    • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
    • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
    • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.
    Post your job online:
    • Post your principal software engineer job on Zippia to find and recruit principal software engineer candidates who meet your exact specifications.
    • Use field-specific websites such as dice, engineering.com, stack overflow, it job pro.
    • Post a job on free websites.
  6. Interview candidates

    During your first interview to recruit principal software engineers, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

    It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

    If your interviews with principal software engineer applicants aren't enough to make a decision, you should also consider including a test project. These are often the best, most straightforward, and least bias-prone ways of determining who will likely succeed in the role. If you don't know how to design an appropriate test, you can ask someone else on the team to create it or take a look at these websites to get a few ideas:

    • TestDome
    • CodeSignal
    • Testlify
    • BarRaiser
    • Coderbyte

    The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

  7. Send a job offer and onboard your new principal software engineer

    Once you've found the principal software engineer candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

    You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

    After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new principal software engineer. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

  8. Go through the hiring process checklist

    • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
    • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
    • Define job responsibilities and requirements
    • Establish budget and timeline
    • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
    • Write job description
    • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
    • Promote the job internally
    • Process applications through applicant tracking system
    • Review resumes and cover letters
    • Shortlist candidates for screening
    • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
    • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
    • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
    • Conduct background checks on top candidates
    • Check references of top candidates
    • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
    • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
    • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
    • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
    • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
    • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)
    Sign up to download full list

How much does it cost to hire a principal software engineer?

Before you start to hire principal software engineers, it pays to consider both the one-off costs like recruitment, job promotion, and onboarding, as well as the ongoing costs of an employee's salary and benefits. While most companies that hire principal software engineers pay close attention to the initial cost of hiring, ongoing costs are much more significant in the long run.

You can expect to pay around $134,230 per year for a principal software engineer, as this is the median yearly salary nationally. This can vary depending on what state or city you're hiring in. If you're hiring for contract work or on a per-project basis, hourly rates for principal software engineers in the US typically range between $47 and $87 an hour.

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