Principal Software Engineer Job Trends in Kent
Principal Software Engineer
South East > Kent
The median Principal Software Engineer salary in Kent is £65,000 per year, according to job vacancies posted during the 6 months leading to 30 October 2026.
The table below compares current salary benchmarking and summary statistics with the previous two years.
| 6 months to 30 Oct 2026 |
Same period 2025 | Same period 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | 90 | - | 78 |
| Rank change year-on-year | - | - | - |
| Permanent Principal Software Engineer jobs | 4 | 0 | 8 |
| As % of all permanent jobs in Kent | 0.23% | - | 0.85% |
| As % of the Job Titles category | 0.26% | - | 0.87% |
| Number of salaries quoted | 1 | 0 | 8 |
| 10th Percentile | - | - | - |
| 25th Percentile | - | - | £67,500 |
| Median annual salary (50th Percentile) | £65,000 | - | £75,000 |
| 75th Percentile | - | - | - |
| 90th Percentile | - | - | - |
| South East median annual salary | £85,000 | £68,000 | £75,000 |
| % change year-on-year | +25.00% | -9.33% | -13.04% |
All Permanent IT Job Roles
Kent
For comparison with the information above, the following table provides summary statistics for all permanent IT job adverts in Kent matching a recognised job title. The table also shows what proportion of all permanent IT job adverts they make up.
| 6 months to 30 Oct 2026 |
Same period 2025 | Same period 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Permanent job adverts in Kent matching a recognised job title | 1,544 | 631 | 917 |
| % of permanent job adverts matching a recognised job title | 90.03% | 83.69% | 97.04% |
| Number of salaries quoted | 1,084 | 397 | 446 |
| 10th Percentile | £28,000 | £27,300 | £28,000 |
| 25th Percentile | £35,000 | £30,000 | £37,500 |
| Median annual salary (50th Percentile) | £45,000 | £41,000 | £50,000 |
| Median % change year-on-year | +9.76% | -18.00% | - |
| 75th Percentile | £60,000 | £55,500 | £65,000 |
| 90th Percentile | £70,000 | £76,040 | £72,750 |
| South East median annual salary | £55,000 | £47,500 | £55,000 |
| % change year-on-year | +15.79% | -13.64% | - |
Principal Software Engineer Job Vacancy Trend in Kent
Historical trend showing the proportion of permanent Principal Software Engineer job postings relative to all permanent IT jobs advertised in Kent.
Principal Software Engineer Salary Trend in Kent
Salary distribution trend for Principal Software Engineer job vacancies in Kent.
Principal Software Engineer Job Locations in Kent
The table below looks at the demand and provides a guide to the median salaries quoted in Principal Software Engineer jobs within the Kent region over the 6 months to 30 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rochester | - | 1 | - | - | |
| Sevenoaks | - | 1 | - | - | |
| Sheerness | - | 1 | £65,000 | - | |
| Principal Software Engineer South East |
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Principal Software Engineer Skill Set Top 14 Co-Occurring Skills & Capabilities in Kent
For the 6 months to 30 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 Kent region.
| Rank | Skill | Share | Job Ads |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BPSS Clearance | 100.0% | 4 |
| 1 | C | 100.0% | 4 |
| 1 | Degree | 100.0% | 4 |
| 1 | DO-178B | 100.0% | 4 |
| 1 | Mentoring | 100.0% | 4 |
| 1 | Physics | 100.0% | 4 |
| 1 | Rational Rhapsody | 100.0% | 4 |
| 1 | Software Architecture | 100.0% | 4 |
| 1 | Software Engineering | 100.0% | 4 |
| 1 | Technical Leadership | 100.0% | 4 |
| 1 | UML | 100.0% | 4 |
| 1 | Validation | 100.0% | 4 |
| 1 | Verification and Validation | 100.0% | 4 |
| 14 | C++ | 75.0% | 3 |
Principal Software Engineer Skill Set Co-Occurring Skills & Capabilities in Kent 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 | 100.0% | 4 |