Top Principal Engineer Jobs in Los Angeles, CA

Principal Engineer responsible for defining the long-term architecture and modernization strategy for GitLab’s Fulfillment platform. The role drives technical direction across entitlements, licensing, provisioning, seat management, usage visibility, and cost management. Responsibilities include hands-on distributed systems engineering, migrations, performance and reliability improvements, cross-team influence, AI-assisted engineering adoption, and mentoring senior technical staff.

Leads technical strategy, architecture, and engineering execution across Atlassian’s Rovo Chat, Search, Growth, Apps, and Clients experiences. The role drives scalable AI foundations, Search and Chat convergence, personalization, experimentation, reliability, security, and operational excellence. It involves leading cross-organizational initiatives, partnering with product, design, data science, and machine learning teams, mentoring senior engineers, and shaping multi-year technical roadmaps for customer-facing applications.

Own the architecture, roadmap, capacity planning, automation, telemetry, and long-term operations of CrowdStrike’s global IP and optical backbone. Lead hardware and software platform selection, vendor engagement, cloud and neocloud connectivity, network automation, infrastructure-as-code, and AI-enabled network operations. Serve as a senior incident escalation resource, influence executive stakeholders, establish engineering standards, and mentor senior engineers. The role requires extensive global backbone, optical transport, cloud networking, FedRAMP, and AI experience.

Define Scribd’s technical vision for agentic engineering and establish architecture, patterns, and guardrails for AI-assisted software development. Lead internal developer tools, libraries, platforms, and engineering workflow improvements across codebases, CI/CD, and infrastructure. Partner with engineering leadership on ambiguous cross-organizational initiatives, mentor senior and staff engineers, and drive adoption of coding-agent capabilities throughout the organization.

Plans and coordinates mechanical integration and testing of space flight hardware from subassemblies through complete systems. Designs verification tests, develops test procedures, oversees floor operations, resolves anomalies and nonconformances, coordinates multidisciplinary teams, supports flight hardware and equipment design, estimates task durations, and executes work to schedule. The role requires strong technical, organizational, leadership, communication, and conflict-resolution skills in an in-person aerospace environment.

Leads procurement, manufacturing, mechanical integration, testing, and delivery of space-flight hardware work packages. Designs verification tests, develops integration and test procedures, resolves anomalies and nonconformances, coordinates multidisciplinary teams, and manages technical execution, costs, schedules, resources, and program protection in a restricted aerospace environment.

Develop, test, debug, integrate, and maintain software for embedded navigation systems supporting national defense products. Apply MATLAB/Simulink, C, C++, or Python; use model-based engineering and agile practices; perform software and system integration; and support mission- and safety-critical development. The role requires collaboration, technical leadership, navigation algorithm experience, onsite work, U.S. citizenship, and the ability to obtain and maintain a Secret clearance.

Lead the mobile engineering team in evolving iOS and Android applications toward an AI-native, thin-client architecture. Define participant API and platform direction, contribute Python to backend services, establish AI-assisted development processes, improve DevOps and continuous delivery, mentor engineers, and partner closely with Product and Design. The role requires principal-level technical leadership, product focus, system architecture expertise, and hands-on use of AI coding agents.

Provides technical leadership on complex, high-impact engineering projects from design through launch. The role involves architecture, company-wide initiatives, engineering excellence, mentoring technical leaders, and establishing standards for scalable, reliable, secure, observable systems. The engineer will collaborate across teams, communicate complex technical topics, and apply customer-focused decision-making and A/B testing techniques.

Designs and supports mechanical ground support equipment for spacecraft integration, testing, and launch. Responsibilities include 3D CAD modeling, GD&T drafting, structural analysis, requirements definition, design reviews, fabrication support, acceptance testing, nonconformance resolution, and integration and test process development. The role requires collaboration across multidisciplinary teams and support for clean-room operations, vendors, and end users.

Principal Engineer serving as the CTO’s technical deputy, leading day-to-day engineering execution, architecture, code reviews, developer support, and delivery. The role requires hands-on full-stack development across databases, backend, frontend, cloud infrastructure, and DevOps. It also champions AI-agent-assisted development by establishing workflows, guardrails, and quality standards. The engineer will mentor teammates, resolve technical blockers, improve reliability and documentation, and collaborate with technical, product, and research stakeholders.

Develop and maintain physics-based space and missile defense models, engagement and mission simulations, and analysis tools using Python and C++. Integrate simulations into SIL, HIL, and distributed environments; perform verification, validation, Monte Carlo studies, and data correlation. Collaborate with engineering and government stakeholders on requirements, testing, and technical recommendations. The role requires aerospace or related experience, knowledge of orbital mechanics or missile trajectories, and eligibility for Secret or TS/SCI clearance.

Leads multidisciplinary spacecraft structural and mechanical design integration from requirements through production support. Oversees design teams, system trades, payload accommodation, interface control, clearance verification, manufacturing integration, qualification testing, milestone reviews, nonconformance resolution, and emerging technology investigations. The role is fully onsite in El Segundo, California, and requires U.S. person status, eligibility for a U.S. security clearance, and a Secret clearance post-start.

Leads architecture, development, implementation, integration, and verification of real-time DSP systems for space-based RF payloads. Develops algorithms for I/Q processing, beamforming, detection, radar, SIGINT, and signal classification, then implements them on CPUs, FPGAs, GPUs, and embedded platforms. Optimizes systems for throughput, latency, power, and memory; supports hardware integration, testing, commissioning, technical reviews, customer engagements, and cross-functional engineering leadership while mentoring engineers.

Leads architecture, reliability, and automation for cloud network foundations across AWS, GCP, Azure, and internal infrastructure. Designs routing, segmentation, firewalls, connectivity, access, and infrastructure-as-code systems; establishes SLOs, monitoring, incident response, and recovery practices. Builds reusable automation, improves change safety, partners across platform, security, IT, and engineering teams, serves as a senior escalation point, creates operational standards, and mentors engineers.

Leads the design, electromagnetic modeling, testing, integration, and delivery of space-based antennas and RF front-end hardware. Performs full-wave simulations, antenna and array optimization, RF trade studies, spacecraft electromagnetic compatibility analysis, and measurement correlation. Collaborates cross-functionally on packaging, thermal, structural, manufacturing, and test challenges; leads technical reviews, mentors engineers, develops verification processes, and supports customer engagements. Requires deep antenna/RF expertise, advanced EM simulation skills, and experience taking complex engineering efforts from concept through qualification.

Lead software quality efforts including developing and maintaining quality evaluation plans, V&V testing, audits, metrics collection, and corrective actions. Collaborate with program, engineering, and process groups to ensure quality standards and QMS compliance across software and system products.

Own the architecture and technical direction of spacecraft flight software, leading safety-critical embedded development, GNC integration, device drivers, communications libraries, simulation environments, and command telemetry systems. Establish engineering standards, guide verification and validation, support ground-system interfaces, and provide technical leadership across design reviews and multidisciplinary programs. The role requires deep real-time embedded, firmware, and low-level software expertise for delivered space or safety-critical missions.

Build and own Arcadia’s internal developer platform across a large-scale data lakehouse and Kubernetes applications. Develop self-service APIs, templates, golden paths, CI/CD capabilities, observability, security controls, and reliability practices. Lead platform migrations, improve developer experience, manage stakeholder needs and costs, set technical direction, and coach senior engineers. The role requires hands-on software development alongside expertise in cloud infrastructure, Kubernetes, networking, infrastructure as code, SLOs, incident response, and platform product management.

As a Principal Engineer - Steam Turbine, you will lead steam turbine engineering activities, mentor junior engineers, and support business development efforts while participating in client meetings and conferences.

Principal Engineer responsible for owning complex software initiatives from problem framing through architecture, implementation, deployment, production support, and continuous improvement. The role involves building web applications, services, APIs, MCP servers, data pipelines, and platform integrations; leading architecture and code reviews; improving security, reliability, and maintainability; mentoring engineers; and shaping technical strategy. The engineer will also use and improve AI-assisted development practices while maintaining human accountability for quality and operational outcomes.

Designs, integrates, tests, and supports digital FPGA, PCB/CCA, electronic unit, and test system hardware for space flight programs. Responsibilities include digital analysis, FPGA simulation, test vector creation, worst-case signal analysis, hardware integration, and presenting design reviews to customers. The role collaborates with multidisciplinary engineering, production, procurement, and program management teams.

Lead the architecture and technical direction of Forward Financing’s core fintech platform. Design scalable distributed backend systems, guide cross-team initiatives, establish engineering best practices, resolve incidents, and mentor engineers. The role owns the technical roadmap and architectural vision while partnering across teams to improve reliability, observability, code quality, and delivery. Ruby on Rails expertise is required, along with strong communication, influence, agile development experience, and a broad backend or full-stack perspective.

Leads the full systems engineering lifecycle from concept development and requirements definition through integration, verification, validation, and delivery. Develops V&V strategies, requirements traceability, interface control documents, system architectures, and CONOPS. Coordinates with test teams, suppliers, customers, and integrated product teams; supports design and readiness reviews; and presents technical briefings to leadership and customers.

Develops high-performance C++ and CUDA GPU implementations of MATLAB LiDAR algorithms, creates software models and test datasets for software-in-the-loop testing, documents software with UML, works with LiDAR hardware in laboratories, and communicates results to multidisciplinary teams.