Principal Software Engineer Job Trends in England
Principal Software Engineer
UK > England
The median Principal Software Engineer salary in England is £90,000 per year, according to job vacancies posted during the 6 months leading to 24 October 2026.
The table below compares current salary benchmarking and summary statistics with the previous two years.
| 6 months to 24 Oct 2026 |
Same period 2025 | Same period 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | 397 | 569 | 559 |
| Rank change year-on-year | +172 | -10 | +98 |
| Permanent Principal Software Engineer jobs | 435 | 52 | 166 |
| As % of all permanent jobs in England | 0.41% | 0.12% | 0.27% |
| As % of the Job Titles category | 0.44% | 0.13% | 0.28% |
| Number of salaries quoted | 266 | 39 | 120 |
| 10th Percentile | £74,375 | £68,600 | £67,500 |
| 25th Percentile | £80,000 | £73,750 | £75,000 |
| Median annual salary (50th Percentile) | £90,000 | £100,000 | £97,500 |
| Median % change year-on-year | -10.00% | +2.56% | +18.18% |
| 75th Percentile | £100,000 | £113,750 | £116,250 |
| 90th Percentile | - | £125,000 | £147,500 |
| UK median annual salary | £90,000 | £95,000 | £95,000 |
| % change year-on-year | -5.26% | - | +18.75% |
All Permanent IT Job Roles
England
For comparison with the information above, the following table provides summary statistics for all permanent IT job adverts in England matching a recognised job title. The table also shows what proportion of all permanent IT job adverts they make up.
| 6 months to 24 Oct 2026 |
Same period 2025 | Same period 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Permanent job adverts in England matching a recognised job title | 98,146 | 38,982 | 58,749 |
| % of permanent job adverts matching a recognised job title | 92.22% | 90.62% | 95.16% |
| Number of salaries quoted | 68,067 | 23,606 | 33,541 |
| 10th Percentile | £30,500 | £28,250 | £31,250 |
| 25th Percentile | £41,250 | £35,750 | £42,500 |
| Median annual salary (50th Percentile) | £60,000 | £53,750 | £57,500 |
| Median % change year-on-year | +11.63% | -6.52% | -4.17% |
| 75th Percentile | £77,500 | £75,000 | £75,000 |
| 90th Percentile | £100,000 | £95,000 | £95,000 |
| UK median annual salary | £59,300 | £52,500 | £56,500 |
| % change year-on-year | +12.95% | -7.08% | -5.83% |
Principal Software Engineer Job Vacancy Trend in England
Historical trend showing the proportion of permanent Principal Software Engineer job postings relative to all permanent IT jobs advertised in England.
Principal Software Engineer Salary Trend in England
Salary distribution trend for Principal Software Engineer job vacancies in England.
Principal Software Engineer Salary Histogram in England
Salary distribution for Principal Software Engineer jobs in England over the 6 months to 24 October 2026.
Principal Software Engineer Job Locations in England
The table below looks at the demand and provides a guide to the median salaries quoted in Principal Software Engineer jobs within the England region over the 6 months to 24 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 |
Job Ads Past 6 Months |
Median Salary Past 6 Months |
Median Salary % Change on Same Period Last Year |
Live Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| London | +9 | 106 | £100,000 | -10.11% | 56 |
| South West | +3 | 92 | £100,000 | - | 14 |
| North of England | -2 | 68 | £92,500 | +2.78% | 23 |
| South East | -13 | 68 | £85,000 | +25.00% | 21 |
| East of England | +9 | 63 | £80,000 | -20.00% | 20 |
| North West | +6 | 47 | £90,000 | - | 17 |
| East Midlands | -7 | 38 | £70,000 | -6.67% | |
| Midlands | -28 | 38 | £70,000 | -6.67% | 4 |
| North East | - | 17 | £100,000 | - | 1 |
| Yorkshire | - | 4 | £100,000 | - | 5 |
| Principal Software Engineer UK |
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Principal Software Engineer Skill Set Top 30 Co-Occurring Skills & Capabilities in England
For the 6 months to 24 October 2026, Principal Software Engineer job ads cited 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 Principal Software Engineer job ads across the England region.
| Rank | Skill | Share | Job Ads |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Software Engineering | 100.0% | 435 |
| 2 | Security Cleared | 12.0% | 52 |
| 3 | SC Cleared | 11.7% | 51 |
| 4 | Technical Leadership | 11.0% | 48 |
| 5 | AI | 9.2% | 40 |
| 6 | Agile | 8.7% | 38 |
| 7 | Degree | 8.5% | 37 |
| 8 | C++ | 7.8% | 34 |
| 9 | Java | 7.4% | 32 |
| 10 | Computer Science | 6.0% | 26 |
| 11 | Python | 5.5% | 24 |
| 12 | BPSS Clearance | 4.8% | 21 |
| 12 | DV Cleared | 4.8% | 21 |
| 12 | Full-Stack Development | 4.8% | 21 |
| 12 | Mentoring | 4.8% | 21 |
| 12 | TypeScript | 4.8% | 21 |
| 17 | CI/CD | 4.4% | 19 |
| 17 | Computer Science Degree | 4.4% | 19 |
| 17 | Mathematics | 4.4% | 19 |
| 20 | Machine Learning | 4.1% | 18 |
| 21 | Rust | 3.9% | 17 |
| 21 | SDLC | 3.9% | 17 |
| 21 | Software Architecture | 3.9% | 17 |
| 21 | Validation | 3.9% | 17 |
| 25 | AWS | 3.7% | 16 |
| 25 | Continuous Improvement | 3.7% | 16 |
| 25 | DevSecOps | 3.7% | 16 |
| 25 | Linux | 3.7% | 16 |
| 25 | Open Source | 3.7% | 16 |
| 30 | C | 3.4% | 15 |
Principal Software Engineer Skill Set Co-Occurring Skills & Capabilities in England 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 | 10.3% | 45 |
| 2 | Senior Software Engineer | 8.7% | 38 |
| 3 | Lead Software Engineer | 5.1% | 22 |
| 4 | C++ Software Engineer | 4.4% | 19 |
| 5 | Electronics Engineer | 3.4% | 15 |
| 6 | DevSecOps Engineer | 2.1% | 9 |
| 7 | Java Software Engineer | 1.8% | 8 |
| 7 | Principal Java Engineer | 1.8% | 8 |
| 7 | Python Software Engineer | 1.8% | 8 |
| 7 | Rust Software Engineer | 1.8% | 8 |
| 11 | Full-Stack Software Engineer | 1.6% | 7 |
| 12 | AWS Software Engineer | 1.1% | 5 |
| 12 | Senior C++ Software Engineer | 1.1% | 5 |
| 14 | Mobile Software Engineer | 0.9% | 4 |
| 15 | C# Software Engineer | 0.7% | 3 |
| 16 | .NET Software Engineer | 0.5% | 2 |
| 16 | Artificial Intelligence Engineer | 0.5% | 2 |
| 16 | Control Systems Engineer | 0.5% | 2 |
| 16 | Power Platform Engineer | 0.5% | 2 |
| 16 | Principal Systems Engineer | 0.5% | 2 |