Is Principal Financial Group a good company to work for as a Software Developer?

Software Developer professionals working at Principal Financial Group have rated their employer with 3.6 out of 5 stars in 208 Glassdoor reviews. This is a lower than average score with the overall rating of Principal Financial Group employees being 3.8 out of 5 stars. Search open Software Developer Jobs at Principal Financial Group now and start preparing for your job interview by browsing frequently asked Software Developer interview questions at Principal Financial Group .

Does Principal Financial Group pay Software Developer employees well?

Software Developer professionals rate their compensation and benefits at Principal Financial Group with 3.6 out of 5 stars based on 208 anonymously submitted employee reviews. This is 2.7% worse than the company average rating for salary and benefits. Find out more about Software Developer salaries at Principal Financial Group.

How happy are Software Developer professionals working at Principal Financial Group?

66% of Software Developer employees at Principal Financial Group would recommend their employer to a friend. This rating has increased by 4% in the past 12 months. Software Developer professionals have also rated Principal Financial Group with a 4.1 rating for work-life-balance, 4.0 rating for diversity and inclusion, 4.0 rating for culture and values and 3.6 rating for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Principal Financial Group?

Software Engineer (163) , Analyst (103) , Financial Advisor (53) , Data Engineer (48) , Senior Software Engineer (45) , Retirement Specialist (44) , Software Developer (42) , Intern (38) , Business Analyst (31) , Process Specialist (28) , Software Engineer(Internship) (25) , Associate Consultant (24) , Financial Analyst (24) , Client Service Associate (23) , Senior Analyst (22)

What are the pros of working at Principal Financial Group according to real employee reviews?

"Good benefits and documented processes" ((in 256 reviews)); "Very fulfilling work with great people" ((in 145 reviews)); "they have a good pay" ((in 101 reviews)); "Good work culture and processes" ((in 84 reviews)); "providing jobs and good salaries" ((in 62 reviews))

What are the cons of working at Principal Financial Group according to real employee reviews?

"3. Bad management infact they do not know to manage at all. 4. No employee importance." ((in 109 reviews)); "Most managers have next to no idea what an employee is doing and rely very heavily on surveys given to each team." ((in 45 reviews)); "There is no training and you are literally thrown into the fire and nobody helps you." ((in 42 reviews)); "Low pay, team politics, old boys network, nepotism(It’s very common for upper management have family working here, and they do get preferential treatment), some people don’t get promotions regardless of the experience and dedication, some managers don’t even make eye contact with the regular Joe unless you play golf." ((in 12 reviews)); "Senior management is not the brightest by any stretch of the imagination, and junior expressing any ambition to contribute beyond their role is immediatley squashed." ((in 11 reviews))

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Principal Financial Group

Principal Financial Group Software Developer reviews

3.6

66% would recommend to a friend

(208 total reviews)

Deanna Strable

80% approve of CEO

68% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

4.1

Work/Life balance

4.0

Culture & values

4.0

Diversity & inclusion

3.6

Compensation and benefits

3.6

Career opportunities

3.5

Senior management

Software Developer employees have rated Principal Financial Group with 3.6 out of 5 stars, based on 208 company reviews on Glassdoor. This indicates that most Software Developer professionals have a good working experience there. Principal Financial Group is rated in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) by Software Developer professionals compared to other employers within the Financial Services industry (3.7 stars).

Ratings by demographic groups

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Reviews by job title

208 reviews

3.0

Sep 11, 2025

Great work environment for a price

Software engineer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Lots of opportunity for growth. Very good work-life balance.

Cons

The environment at the company depends heavily on which team you are on. The pay IS below average for some roles. They use a 3rd party company for their salary data. The data from the 3rd party seems to be flawed or manipulated for some roles, as it is known that the pay is less than similar roles at other companies. They seem to just use it as an excuse to pay employees less because the data is kept from the employees intentionally.

2.0

Sep 8, 2025

Good to work

Software engineer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Work culture is good here

Cons

Work from office for 3 days is compulsory

Principal Financial Group Response

10mo

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. Our approach to flexibility continues to evolve to balance employee preferences with the value of in-person collaboration. We offer three days a week of work from the office, combining hybrid work practices, and are aligned with our global and industry standards.

3.0

Sep 4, 2025

Good for trainees

Software engineer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Good culture, payroll for starting career

Cons

Still dependent on legacy systems

Principal Financial Group Response

10mo

Thank you for your feedback. Principal is committed to adopting cutting-edge technology. While we will continue working with legacy systems, we are continuously adopting new technologies through AI/GenAI tools, RPA, and automation. Please connect with your leader to understand how to get involved in these projects.

Viewing 22 - 24 of 208 Reviews

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Principal Financial Group reviews FAQs

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Principal Financial Group

Principal Financial Group Software Developer reviews

Ratings by category

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Great work environment for a price

Good to work

Good for trainees

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