Principal Software Engineer Job Trends in the South East
Principal Software Engineer
England > South East
The median Principal Software Engineer salary in the South East is £85,000 per year, according to job vacancies posted during the 6 months leading to 23 October 2026.
The table below compares current salary benchmarking and summary statistics with the previous two years.
| 6 months to 23 Oct 2026 |
Same period 2025 | Same period 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | 278 | 274 | 281 |
| Rank change year-on-year | -4 | +7 | +4 |
| Permanent jobs requiring a Principal Software Engineer | 72 | 11 | 32 |
| As % of all permanent jobs in the South East | 0.36% | 0.12% | 0.28% |
| As % of the Job Titles category | 0.39% | 0.14% | 0.29% |
| Number of salaries quoted | 32 | 4 | 24 |
| 10th Percentile | £66,000 | - | £45,000 |
| 25th Percentile | £75,000 | - | £67,500 |
| Median annual salary (50th Percentile) | £85,000 | £68,000 | £75,000 |
| Median % change year-on-year | +25.00% | -9.33% | -13.04% |
| 75th Percentile | £90,000 | £69,975 | £98,125 |
| 90th Percentile | - | £73,530 | £112,500 |
| England median annual salary | £90,000 | £100,000 | £95,000 |
| % change year-on-year | -10.00% | +5.26% | +15.15% |
All Permanent IT Job Roles
South East
For comparison with the information above, the following table provides summary statistics for all permanent IT job vacancies in the South East. Most job vacancies include a discernible job title that can be normalized. As such, the figures in the second row provide an indication of the number of permanent jobs in our overall sample.
| 6 months to 23 Oct 2026 |
Same period 2025 | Same period 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Permanent vacancies in the South East with a recognized job title | 18,585 | 8,083 | 11,084 |
| % of permanent jobs with a recognized job title | 92.94% | 90.07% | 96.56% |
| Number of salaries quoted | 12,940 | 4,552 | 6,246 |
| 10th Percentile | £30,000 | £27,500 | £31,250 |
| 25th Percentile | £40,000 | £33,750 | £40,000 |
| Median annual salary (50th Percentile) | £55,000 | £47,500 | £55,000 |
| Median % change year-on-year | +15.79% | -13.64% | - |
| 75th Percentile | £70,000 | £65,000 | £70,000 |
| 90th Percentile | £90,000 | £81,250 | £82,500 |
| England median annual salary | £59,999 | £54,000 | £57,500 |
| % change year-on-year | +11.11% | -6.09% | -4.17% |
Principal Software Engineer Job Vacancy Trend in the South East
Historical trend showing the proportion of permanent IT job postings featuring 'Principal Software Engineer' in the job title relative to all permanent IT jobs advertised in the South East.
Principal Software Engineer Salary Trend in the South East
Salary distribution trend for Principal Software Engineer job vacancies in the South East.
Principal Software Engineer Salary Histogram in the South East
Salary distribution for jobs citing Principal Software Engineer in the South East over the 6 months to 23 October 2026.
Principal Software Engineer Job Locations in the South East
The table below looks at the demand and provides a guide to the median salaries quoted in IT jobs citing Principal Software Engineer within the South East region over the 6 months to 23 October 2026. The 'Rank Change' column provides an indication of the change in demand within each location based on the same 6 month period last year.
| Location | Rank Change on Same Period Last Year |
Matching Permanent IT Job Ads |
Median Salary Past 6 Months |
Median Salary % Change on Same Period Last Year |
Live Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hampshire | -18 | 40 | £75,000 | - | 8 |
| Thames Valley | - | 15 | £90,000 | - | 5 |
| Buckinghamshire | - | 11 | £90,000 | - | 2 |
| Kent | - | 7 | £65,000 | - | 3 |
| Isle of Wight | +7 | 6 | - | - | 5 |
| Berkshire | - | 4 | - | - | |
| Principal Software Engineer England |
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Principal Software Engineer Skill Set Top 30 Co-Occurring Skills & Capabilities in the South East
For the 6 months to 23 October 2026, Principal Software Engineer job roles required the following skills and capabilities in order of popularity. The figures indicate the absolute number of co-occurrences and as a proportion of all permanent job ads across the South East region featuring Principal Software Engineer in the job title.
| Rank | Skill | Share | Job Ads |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Software Engineering | 100.0% | 72 |
| 2 | C | 13.9% | 10 |
| 2 | C++ | 13.9% | 10 |
| 2 | Degree | 13.9% | 10 |
| 5 | BPSS Clearance | 9.7% | 7 |
| 5 | DO-178B | 9.7% | 7 |
| 5 | Mentoring | 9.7% | 7 |
| 5 | Physics | 9.7% | 7 |
| 5 | Rational Rhapsody | 9.7% | 7 |
| 5 | Software Architecture | 9.7% | 7 |
| 5 | Technical Leadership | 9.7% | 7 |
| 5 | UML | 9.7% | 7 |
| 5 | Validation | 9.7% | 7 |
| 5 | Verification and Validation | 9.7% | 7 |
| 15 | Python | 8.3% | 6 |
| 16 | Unreal Engine | 6.9% | 5 |
| 17 | C# | 4.2% | 3 |
| 17 | Conflict Management | 4.2% | 3 |
| 17 | Data Science | 4.2% | 3 |
| 17 | Digital Twin | 4.2% | 3 |
| 17 | DV Cleared | 4.2% | 3 |
| 17 | Godot | 4.2% | 3 |
| 17 | Line Management | 4.2% | 3 |
| 17 | Mathematics | 4.2% | 3 |
| 17 | Microsoft Excel | 4.2% | 3 |
| 17 | Microsoft Office | 4.2% | 3 |
| 17 | Microsoft PowerPoint | 4.2% | 3 |
| 17 | SC Cleared | 4.2% | 3 |
| 17 | Security Cleared | 4.2% | 3 |
| 17 | Stakeholder Management | 4.2% | 3 |
Principal Software Engineer Skill Set Co-Occurring Skills & Capabilities in the South East by Category
The table below expands on the one above by listing co-occurrences one category at a time. It covers the same employment type, locality and period, with up to 20 co-occurrences in each category.
Job Titles
| Rank | Job Title | Share | Job Ads |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Senior Software Engineer | 12.5% | 9 |
| 2 | Principal Embedded Software Engineer | 9.7% | 7 |
| 3 | Mobile Software Engineer | 5.6% | 4 |
| 4 | Python Software Engineer | 4.2% | 3 |
| 5 | C++ Software Engineer | 2.8% | 2 |