What does a Principal Software Engineer do?
On the most basic level, software engineers write, debug, maintain, and test software that instructs a computer to accomplish certain tasks, such as saving information, performing calculations, etc. A software engineer will convert what needs to happen into one of many programming languages, the most common of which being Java, C++ and Python.
While many are self taught, most software engineers have obtained an undergraduate or graduate degree in computer science or computer engineering. The career of a software engineer typically follows one of two primary paths: they either progress through greater responsibility and ownership over technical architecture and systems or they progress into managing teams of software engineers and help orchestrate larger projects and help develop and mentor more junior engineers.
- Analyze, design and develop tests and test-automation suites.
- Design and develop a processing platform using various configuration management technologies.
- Test software development methodology in an agile environment.
- Provide ongoing maintenance, support and enhancements in existing systems and platforms.
- Collaborate cross-functionally with data scientists, business users, project managers and other engineers to achieve elegant solutions.
- Provide recommendations for continuous improvement.
- Work alongside other engineers on the team to elevate technology and consistently apply best practices.
- Hands-on experience working with technologies like Hadoop, Hive, Pig, Oozie, Map Reduce, Spark, Sqoop, Kafka, Flume, etc.
- Strong DevOps focus and experience building and deploying infrastructure with cloud deployment technologies like ansible, chef, puppet, etc.
- Experience with test-driven development and automated testing frameworks.
- Experience with Scrum/Agile development methodologies.
- Capable of delivering on multiple competing priorities with little supervision.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
- Bachelor’s Degree in computer science or equivalent experience.
- We’re looking for someone with 3-5 years of experience in B2B, has a BS degree in computer science or similar, and is familiar with the following software/tools:
- Experience with infrastructure automation technologies like Docker, Vagrant, etc.
- Experience with build automation technologies like Maven, Jenkins, etc.
- Experience with monitoring technologies like Nagios, Ganglia, etc.
- Experience with modern programming languages like Java, Python, etc.
- Experience with building APIs and services using REST, SOAP, etc.
- Experience with scripting languages like Perl, Shell, etc.
How much does a Principal Software Engineer make?
Base Pay
Additional Pay
$210,152
/ yrPrincipal Software Engineer Career Path
Learn how to become a Principal Software Engineer, what skills and education you need to succeed, and what level of pay to expect at each step on your career path.
Years of Experience Distribution
Principal Software Engineer Insights
Capgemini“Is good for career growth and will get a chance to learn and start a good career”
CSG“My manager was fantastic and it was always great talking to them whenever I got the chance”
Capgemini“Big Mnc and chance to get good projects and also provide learning and development platform which is quite helpful for freshers”
Fulcrum IT“I enjoyed working for Project Manager (middle management) who was very competent and good to work with.”
Campspot“There is tons of professional development opportunity here as a developer and the tech stack is modern and fun.”
Zartis“Personal development plans are not yet really developed and there is not a formal framework of career progress.”
Raytheon Technologies“Most of the people I've worked with across various are nice and enjoyable to work with.”
“Haven't experienced any downsides yet and everyone has been enjoyable and helpful to work with.”
Frequently asked questions about the role and responsibilities of software engineers
Software engineers create and maintain computer systems software and applications software. Their daily duties may include designing new programs, analyzing and updating existing programs, and tracking software development on a variety of projects. Software engineers assess the needs of each project and work systematically through the development process to meet them.
Software engineering is a rapidly growing field with a lot of diverse opportunities within different industries. The demand for these professionals is expected to increase steadily as technology becomes more ingrained in customers' everyday lives, resulting in a higher amount of available software engineer jobs. If you are considering becoming a software engineer, you will likely be able to focus on an area of personal interest. This is due to the ample diversity this field offers.
The average salary for a software engineer is well into the six-figure realm, and the highest-paid software engineers earn as much as $333,339. Earnings are highest in areas such as augmented reality, virtual reality, native language programming, machine learning, and big data.
Working as a software engineer may be difficult at times. These professionals need to diligently keep up with developing technology and program languages in order to remain relevant in the field. This job requires outstanding attention to detail and a desire to continue one's education throughout the entire duration of the career.