Principal Software Engineer Job Trends
Principal Software Engineer
UK
The median Principal Software Engineer salary in the UK is £90,000 per year, according to job vacancies posted during the 6 months leading to 21 October 2026.
The table below compares current salary benchmarking and summary statistics with the previous two years.
| 6 months to 21 Oct 2026 |
Same period 2025 | Same period 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | 414 | 595 | 568 |
| Rank change year-on-year | +181 | -27 | +115 |
| Permanent jobs requiring a Principal Software Engineer | 494 | 57 | 188 |
| As % of all permanent jobs in the UK | 0.41% | 0.12% | 0.27% |
| As % of the Job Titles category | 0.45% | 0.13% | 0.29% |
| Number of salaries quoted | 307 | 42 | 133 |
| 10th Percentile | £75,000 | £68,075 | £67,500 |
| 25th Percentile | £80,000 | £72,500 | £75,000 |
| Median annual salary (50th Percentile) | £90,000 | £97,500 | £95,000 |
| Median % change year-on-year | -7.69% | +2.63% | +18.75% |
| 75th Percentile | £100,000 | £113,438 | £116,250 |
| 90th Percentile | - | £124,375 | £147,500 |
| UK excluding London median annual salary | £85,000 | £80,000 | £80,000 |
| % change year-on-year | +6.25% | - | +3.90% |
All Permanent IT Job Roles
UK
For comparison with the information above, the following table provides summary statistics for all permanent IT job vacancies. 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 21 Oct 2026 |
Same period 2025 | Same period 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Permanent vacancies in the UK with a recognized job title | 110,883 | 44,071 | 65,836 |
| % of permanent jobs with a recognized job title | 92.27% | 89.76% | 95.36% |
| Number of salaries quoted | 75,047 | 25,988 | 37,616 |
| 10th Percentile | £30,500 | £28,000 | £31,250 |
| 25th Percentile | £41,250 | £35,000 | £41,353 |
| Median annual salary (50th Percentile) | £59,000 | £52,500 | £56,252 |
| Median % change year-on-year | +12.38% | -6.67% | -6.25% |
| 75th Percentile | £76,250 | £73,750 | £75,000 |
| 90th Percentile | £98,750 | £93,750 | £95,000 |
| UK excluding London median annual salary | £55,000 | £45,000 | £50,000 |
| % change year-on-year | +22.22% | -10.00% | -4.76% |
Principal Software Engineer Job Vacancy Trend
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.
Principal Software Engineer Salary Trend
Salary distribution trend for Principal Software Engineer job vacancies in the UK.
Principal Software Engineer Salary Histogram
Salary distribution for jobs citing Principal Software Engineer over the 6 months to 21 October 2026.
Principal Software Engineer Top 14 Job Locations
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 UK over the 6 months to 21 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England | +180 | 437 | £90,000 | -10.00% | 27 |
| UK excluding London | +118 | 350 | £85,000 | +6.25% | 23 |
| London | +22 | 108 | £100,000 | -11.11% | 5 |
| Work from Home | +22 | 105 | £90,000 | -5.26% | 13 |
| South West | +10 | 91 | £100,000 | - | 7 |
| South East | +1 | 71 | £85,000 | +25.00% | 7 |
| North of England | -10 | 67 | £95,000 | +5.56% | 3 |
| East of England | +14 | 62 | £80,000 | -20.00% | 6 |
| North West | -10 | 47 | £90,000 | - | 2 |
| East Midlands | -4 | 38 | £70,000 | -6.67% | |
| Midlands | -13 | 38 | £70,000 | -6.67% | |
| Scotland | +29 | 21 | £100,000 | +33.33% | |
| North East | - | 16 | £105,000 | - | 1 |
| Yorkshire | - | 4 | £100,000 | - |
Principal Software Engineer Skill Set Top 30 Co-Occurring Skills & Capabilities
For the 6 months to 21 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 featuring Principal Software Engineer in the job title.
| Rank | Skill | Share | Job Ads |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Software Engineering | 100.0% | 494 |
| 2 | Security Cleared | 14.8% | 73 |
| 3 | SC Cleared | 14.6% | 72 |
| 4 | Technical Leadership | 11.1% | 55 |
| 5 | Agile | 8.9% | 44 |
| 5 | AI | 8.9% | 44 |
| 5 | Java | 8.9% | 44 |
| 8 | Degree | 7.5% | 37 |
| 9 | C++ | 6.9% | 34 |
| 10 | Full-Stack Development | 5.9% | 29 |
| 10 | Python | 5.9% | 29 |
| 12 | Computer Science | 5.3% | 26 |
| 13 | TypeScript | 4.7% | 23 |
| 14 | AWS | 4.5% | 22 |
| 15 | BPSS Clearance | 4.3% | 21 |
| 15 | DV Cleared | 4.3% | 21 |
| 15 | Mentoring | 4.3% | 21 |
| 15 | SDLC | 4.3% | 21 |
| 19 | Software Architecture | 4.0% | 20 |
| 20 | .NET | 3.8% | 19 |
| 20 | CI/CD | 3.8% | 19 |
| 20 | Computer Science Degree | 3.8% | 19 |
| 20 | Machine Learning | 3.8% | 19 |
| 20 | Mathematics | 3.8% | 19 |
| 25 | React | 3.6% | 18 |
| 25 | Validation | 3.6% | 18 |
| 27 | Linux | 3.4% | 17 |
| 27 | Open Source | 3.4% | 17 |
| 27 | Rust | 3.4% | 17 |
| 30 | Continuous Improvement | 3.2% | 16 |
Principal Software Engineer Skill Set Co-Occurring Skills & Capabilities 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 | Principal Embedded Software Engineer | 9.7% | 48 |
| 2 | Senior Software Engineer | 7.9% | 39 |
| 3 | Lead Software Engineer | 4.5% | 22 |
| 4 | C++ Software Engineer | 3.8% | 19 |
| 4 | Java Software Engineer | 3.8% | 19 |
| 4 | Principal Java Engineer | 3.8% | 19 |
| 7 | Electronics Engineer | 3.0% | 15 |
| 7 | Full-Stack Software Engineer | 3.0% | 15 |
| 9 | .NET Software Engineer | 2.2% | 11 |
| 10 | DevSecOps Engineer | 1.8% | 9 |
| 11 | PHP Software Engineer | 1.6% | 8 |
| 11 | Python Software Engineer | 1.6% | 8 |
| 11 | Rust Software Engineer | 1.6% | 8 |
| 14 | AWS Software Engineer | 1.2% | 6 |
| 15 | Senior C++ Software Engineer | 1.0% | 5 |
| 16 | C# Software Engineer | 0.8% | 4 |
| 16 | Mobile Software Engineer | 0.8% | 4 |
| 18 | Artificial Intelligence Engineer | 0.4% | 2 |
| 18 | Control Systems Engineer | 0.4% | 2 |
| 18 | Power Platform Engineer | 0.4% | 2 |