Careers at Principal
Your whole self is welcome here. Discover, grow, and thrive as part of a team that supports you—within a dynamic organization that's been around for more than 140 years.
View U.S. job openingsA career with real benefits
What you can expect from us
- Total rewards approach. We offer fair pay to help you save enough, protect enough, and have enough—because it's what we do. Our life enhancing benefits include physical, emotional, mental, and financial wellbeing programs.
- Work-life flexibility. You can have a great career and a great life. We provide the flexibility you need to best fit your work and your life.
Awards and recognition
- Named one of the NAFE Top Companies for Executive Women by the National Association for Female Executives—this is our 20th year on the list. (2020)
- Recognized by Pensions & Investments as one of the Best Places to Work in Money Management for the 9th consecutive year. (2020)
When I started at Principal I joined as a retirement specialist. After growing my experiences with the support of my leader, I stretched myself in a new way and joined another team within the organization. I'm happy to say I experienced the same culture of support in this new area—this is what you can expect when you join Principal."
Anna, client implementation manager
Our benefits package
- Medical, dental and vision coverage
- You'll have a selection of plans, with coverage options for you, your spouse/domestic partner and/or children.
- Retirement plans
- Prepare for "someday" with a 401(k) plan and a pension plan. Our 401(k) plan includes a company match of 75% of your contribution up to 8% of your pay. Our pension plan is a 100% company-paid benefit.
- Disability, life, and accident insurance
- When life doesn't go as planned, these benefits can help. We offer short- and long-term disability coverage, life insurance, accidental death & dismemberment (AD&D) insurance and business travel accident insurance.
- Employee stock purchase plan
- Buy Principal stock at a discount.
- Free access to financial professionals
- Get expert guidance and access to financial planning products.
- Education assistance program
- Want to continue your education? We'll help you cover some of the costs.
- Adoption reimbursement
- We'll help you pay for certain costs related to adopting a child.
- Employee discount program
- Money-saving discounts from local and national businesses.
Our success depends on every employee.
What you can expect from us
- Respect for your unique perspective. What we do matters. We provide an environment based on integrity, inclusion, and trust.
Awards and recognition
- Included in the top 10 on the list of America's Best Employers for Diversity. (2020)
- Included in Forbes list of Best Employers for Women for the 3rd year in a row (2020)
- Scored 100 out of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation Corporate Equality Index for support of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer equality in the workplace.—this is our 5th year on the list. (2021)
I've never felt a glass ceiling as a woman in technology at Principal. I'm fortunate to work with talented engineers who challenge me and encourage me to grow and learn."
Amra, senior data engineer
Our mission and core values
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Purpose
Foster a world where financial security is accessible to all -
Mission
Help more people save enough, protect enough, and have enough -
Aspiration
Inspire trust by exceeding customer and partner expectations, leading the way to financial confidence
What we expect from our employees
How we do our work is just as important as the work we do. Our core values are the ideals on which we refuse to compromise in pursuit of our purpose—to foster a world where financial security is accessible to all.
- Start with the customer. We start with and solve for our customers—every day and with every decision.
- Do what's right. Integrity is nonnegotiable. It guides everything we do.
- Own what's next. We continuously learn and advance ourselves in pursuit of tomorrow.
- Invest for our future. We make smart decisions with our resources to ensure our customers future success and ours.
Learn, grow, and challenge yourself.
What you can expect from us
- Continuous learning while doing challenging work. We welcome innovative ideas from all employees. You get to try new things, do important work, and make a difference.
- More than just great customer service. We help you understand our customers in meaningful ways. And you'll understand our vision, so you can prioritize your work and deliver value.
Awards and recognition
- Recognized by IDG's Computerworld as one of its 100 Best Places to Work in IT for 19 consecutive years. (2020)
- One of Forbes and JUST Capital's Most JUST companies in America. (2020)
I have been encouraged and able to move around the company. This has allowed me to get exposed to and solve a variety of business problems with different technologies."
Kwasi, director, software engineering
At Principal, I know I’m part of something bigger where my work matters. Helping our customers understand their retirement benefits is so rewarding. I’m challenged to learn new things, creatively build my skills and I get to work in a team of individuals with diverse backgrounds who help bring out the best in everyone."
David, participant contact center
I really enjoy working at Principal. Everyone takes pride in what they do. They truly care about the company and are willing to go the extra mile to get things done the right way."
Ramon, software engineer
Our hiring process
Application
After you apply, our teams of dedicated recruiting professionals carefully review all applications to determine potential next steps.
Generally within a few weeks of submitting your application, decisions for 1st round interviews will be made.
Interview
If selected for 1st round interviews, you'll be asked to complete either a video or phone interview with a recruiter. The recruiter will then recommend candidates to interview with the hiring manager.
If you're selected for a 2nd round interview, you'll speak with the leaders either in person, or via a phone or video call. The number of interviews varies from position to position.
Offer
If you’re selected to join the team after interviewing, congratulations! Our recruiters will call you to discuss the details of your customized offer. If you choose to accept, we’ll follow up with the details you need to prepare for your first day—and a start to a great career.
A people-first reputation
Of all the accolades we've received at Principal, we're proudest of being recognized as a top workplace for employees by a variety of publications and associations. Many of our honors are included in the company profile (PDF). These are just a few that stand out:
- 2020
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- Recognized by Barron's as a 2020 Top 100 Most Sustainable Company in America.
- Recognized by Working Mother as a 2020 Working Mother 100 Best Companies.
- Scored 100 out of 100 on the Disability Equality Index (DEI) for our disability inclusion efforts.
- Named to DBP Inclusion Index recognizing diversity and inclusion best practices.
- 2021
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- Included in the Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index (GEI) in gender-data reporting.
- CDP Climate Performance Leader with an "A-" CDP score—the 8th straight year of achieving Leadership status, placing Principal in the top 35% of all global financial services firms reviewed by CDP.
- One of 100 companies to be named one of the World's Most Ethical Companies by the Ethisphere Institute—this is our 9th year on the list.
Ask about reasonable accommodation
If at any stage of the employment application process you need a reasonable accommodation due to a disability, contact Human Resources. Read our employment policies for more information.
Principal is an affirmative action and equal opportunity employer and an E-Verify participant. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status. View employment policies at Principal. If you live in or are applying for work in NJ, there are state laws protecting you against employment discrimination. View your rights in NJ (PDF).