What Principal Software Engineering Jobs Ask For
Across 143 open Principal Software Engineering postings that list skills, the ones mentioned most often are ai, cloud, python.
Updated October 27, 2026
145 open Principal Software Engineering postings. The percentages below are measured over the 143 of them that list skills at all.
| Skill | Mentioned in |
|---|---|
| ai | 64% |
| cloud | 57% |
| python | 45% |
| api | 36% |
| cpp | 36% |
| distributed-systems | 35% |
| aws | 30% |
| kubernetes | 30% |
| ci-cd | 29% |
| agentic-ai | 27% |
| automation | 27% |
| observability | 25% |
| machine-learning | 22% |
| typescript | 22% |
| llm | 22% |
| cloud-native | 21% |
| java | 20% |
| azure | 19% |
| gcp | 19% |
| agile | 18% |
| analytics | 17% |
| linux | 17% |
| rust | 17% |
| react | 16% |
| networking | 15% |
| sql | 14% |
| microservices | 13% |
| event-driven-architecture | 13% |
| devops | 12% |
| docker | 12% |
| snowflake | 10% |
| postgresql | 10% |
| go | 9% |
| csharp | 8% |
| github | 8% |
| javascript | 8% |
| nosql | 8% |
| test-automation | 8% |
| containerization | 8% |
| data-engineering | 8% |
"Mentioned in" counts postings that name the skill anywhere — including as a nice-to-have — so treat it as the ceiling, not the bar.
Browse 145 open Principal Software Engineering jobs →
Across all Software Engineering levels
Most Software Engineering postings never state a level. This wider list covers them too.
- ai 4,154
- python 2,773
- cloud 2,690
- api 2,064
- distributed-systems 1,554
- aws 1,534
- machine-learning 1,432
- kubernetes 1,418
- automation 1,365
- observability 1,322
- cpp 1,309
- ci-cd 1,309