Principal Engineer

Target; United States; Hybrid; USD 168,000 - 303,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k)

employee discount

short term disability

long term disability

paid sick leave

paid national holidays

paid vacation

Job summary

Target is seeking a Principal Engineer to set the strategy for software development and infrastructure across multiple portfolios. You will lead and approve engineering efforts to meet functional and non-functional requirements and mentor engineering talent.

You will collaborate with architecture teams, drive platform API design, and promote DevOps practices while aligning with business goals. This role may be remote or hybrid and may require limited travel to HQ.

Qualifications

• 4 year degree or equivalent experience.
• Continuing education to maintain knowledge of technical domains and latest technologies.
• 12+ years of experience in technology development or services.
• 4+ years of experience in strategic planning and setting technical direction.
• Strong understanding of systems programming and control languages; solving complex problems across domains.
• Ability to translate business vision into technical strategy with financial implications.
• Proven leadership, influence, interpersonal, and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent verbal, written, and presentation communication skills.
• Excellent planning and organizational skills.
• Experience in Java/J2EE, SQL/No-SQL, Python, Ruby, Chef, Drone, Kubernetes containers, Cloud tech.

Responsibilities

• Set the strategy for software development and infrastructure across portfolios.
• Lead and approve engineering efforts to meet functional and non-functional requirements.
• Mentor internal and external technical talent and contribute to the external community.
• Collaborate with Enterprise Architecture to drive direction and lifecycle management.
• Lead the design and building of the Target platform API with focus on scalability and performance.

Skills

Java/J2EE

SQL/NoSQL

Python

Ruby

Kubernetes

Cloud tech

Chef

Drone

Education

4 year degree

Tools

PostgreSQL

MongoDB

Cassandra

Graph databases

Job description

The pay range is $168,000.00 - $303,000.00 Pay is based on several factors which vary based on position. These include labor markets and in some instances may include education, work experience and certifications. In addition to your pay, Target cares about and invests in you as a team member, so that you can take care of yourself and your family.

Target offers eligible team members and their dependents comprehensive health benefits and programs, which may include medical, vision, dental, life insurance and more, to help you and your family take care of your whole selves.

• 401(k)
• employee discount
• short term disability
• long term disability
• paid sick leave
• paid national holidays
• paid vacation

Find competitive benefits from financial and education to well-being and beyond at https://corporate.target.com/careers/benefits.

About us

Working at Target means helping all families discover the joy of everyday life. We bring that vision to life through our values and culture. Learn more about Target here.

Job responsibilities

As a Principal Engineer you set the strategy for software development and/or infrastructure engineering at Target. You set the direction for how software and infrastructure engineering efforts will be designed, developed, and operationalized across multiple portfolios and drives adoption across TTS. You lead and approve software and infrastructure engineering efforts to meet functional and non-functional requirements. You are a thought leader and mentor for internal and external technical talent and actively contribute to the external technical community. Use your skills, experience and talents to be a part of groundbreaking thinking and visionary goals.

As a Principal Engineer, you’ll take the lead as you… Understand Target's business and technical environments and assist teams in resolving complex business challenges via current technical solutions by assessing viability/applicability/cost implication through POCs and prototypes. Collaborate with technical staff and Enterprise Architecture teams in setting technical direction across platform and drive technology lifecycle management and communication of standards/decisions to the engineering team. Participate in procurement specifications, installation, and maintenance of Target systems. Lead designing and building the Target platform API with deep focus on non-functional requirement including scalability, availability, performance, etc. while being a strong advocate of extreme agile and DevOps practices across engineers. Work with engineering leaders to build a high performing engineering team and provide technical leadership, coaching, motivation and participate in the selection of technical talent.

Core responsibilities of this job are described within this job description. Job duties may change at any time due to business needs.

About you

• 4 year degree or equivalent experience.
• Continuing education to maintain thorough knowledge of technical domains along with staying current in latest technologies
• 12+ years of experience in technology development or services
• 4+ years of experience in strategic planning and setting technical direction
• Possesses a strong understanding of systems programming and control languages as required by your domain. Has demonstrated success in solving complex technical problems in more than one technical or functional areas
• Understands business fundamentals and how technologies can support business goals along with how to translate business vision into a technical strategy while understanding the financial implications
• Has proven leadership capabilities, the ability to influence others, interpersonal skills, and problem solving skills
• Strong team player who understands concepts of teamwork and team effectiveness.
• Has excellent verbal, written, and presentation communication skills to convey complex technical solutions clearly to an organization
• Has excellent planning and organizational skills.
• Experience in Java/ J2EE, sql/ no-sql (postgre, mongoDB, Cassandra, graph structure, etc.), Python, Ruby, Chef, Drone, Kubernetes containers, Cloud tech, etc.

This position may be considered for a Remote or Hybrid (known internally at Target as "Flex for Your Day") work arrangement based on Target's needs. A Remote work arrangement means the team member works full-time from home or an alternate location that's not a Target location, does not have a desk at a Target location and may travel to HQ up to 4 times a year. A Hybrid/Flex for Your Day work arrangement means the team member's core role may be performed either remote or onsite at a Target location depending upon what your role, team and tasks require for that day. Work duties cannot be performed outside of the country of the primary work location, unless otherwise prescribed by Target.

Benefits Eligibility

Please paste this url into your preferred browser to learn about benefits eligibility for this role: https://tgt.biz/BenefitsForYou_F

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) In compliance with state and federal laws, Target will make reasonable accommodations for applicants with disabilities. If a reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, please reach out to [e-mail]. Non-accommodation-related requests, such as application follow-ups or technical issues, will not be addressed through this channel.

Application deadline is : 09/26/2026 Target is one of the world’s most recognized brands and one of America’s leading retailers. We make Target our guests’ preferred shopping destination by offering outstanding value, inspiration, innovation and an exceptional guest experience that no other retailer can deliver. Target is committed to responsible corporate citizenship, ethical business practices, environmental stewardship and generous community support. Since 1946, we have given 5 percent of our profits back to our communities. Our goal is to work as one team to fulfill our unique brand promise to our guests, wherever and whenever they choose to shop.

We'll contact you if you're selected for next steps.

Our Benefits

We care about and invest in you as a team member, so that you can take care of yourself and your family. Target offers eligible team members and their dependents comprehensive health benefits and programs, which may include medical, vision, dental, life insurance and more, to help you and your family take care of your whole selves.

• 401(k)
• employee discount
• short term disability
• long term disability
• paid sick leave
• paid national holidays
• paid vacation

Find competitive benefits from financial and education to well-being and beyond at https://corporate.target.com/careers/benefits.