Principal Desktop Engineer

Role Summary

The Principal Desktop Engineer is a hands-on engineering leader responsible for both leading and actively contributing to the design, build, and operation of enterprise endpoint platforms. This role combines people leadership with deep technical execution, requiring direct involvement in scripting, automation, endpoint configuration, and incident resolution.

This role co-owns the evolution of enterprise end-user computing strategy while maintaining direct accountability for engineering standards, platform health, and operational outcomes. The Principal leads a distributed team of approximately 20–25 desktop engineers and technicians, overseeing Windows and macOS platforms, virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI), and modern endpoint management capabilities.

This leader owns outcomes — not just tooling. They are accountable for endpoint security posture, OS lifecycle compliance, deployment reliability, automation maturity (including zero-touch provisioning), and virtual desktop stability across a hybrid workforce. The role establishes engineering discipline, enforces technical standards, and drives modernization efforts that improve resilience, performance, and user experience at scale.

Blending hands-on technical depth with execution-focused leadership, the Principal serves as both a strategic partner to Workplace Experience Technology leadership and the highest technical escalation point for complex endpoint challenges — ensuring that strategy is realized through rigorous engineering, operational excellence, and measurable platform performance.

Responsibilities

• Set the Desktop Engineering Strategy: Define and own the enterprise roadmap for end‑user computing, including OS modernization, cloud‑first endpoint management, automation, and adoption of emerging technologies aligned to business priorities.
• Provide Technical Architecture Leadership: Lead the design and standards for Windows, macOS, VDI, and endpoint management platforms, ensuring consistent configuration, patching, security, and compliance across the fleet.
• Drive Modernization & Automation: Champion initiatives such as Windows 11 upgrades, Intune and Autopilot adoption, zero‑touch provisioning, and self‑service or self‑healing solutions to improve efficiency and user experience.
• Serve as Senior Technical Escalation: Act as the highest‑level escalation point for complex or high‑impact endpoint issues, guiding root‑cause analysis and long‑term remediation to maintain service reliability.
• Lead and Develop the Team: Manage, mentor, and develop a team of ~20–25 engineers and technicians, setting clear priorities, fostering technical excellence, and building a high‑performance, inclusive culture.
• Deliver Major Programs and Projects: Oversee large‑scale desktop initiatives such as OS migrations, hardware refreshes, enterprise software deployments, and new platform rollouts, coordinating across Security, Networking, Cloud, and Service Desk teams.
• Partner with Stakeholders: Act as the primary subject‑matter expert for desktop services, collaborating with IT and business leaders to align solutions with user needs, security requirements, and operational goals.
• Ensure Operational Excellence: Establish KPIs, standard operating procedures, and runbooks; monitor service health, compliance, and incident trends; and manage vendor relationships, budgets, and endpoint asset lifecycles.
• Testing, Validation & Quality Assurance: Own the end‑user computing testing strategy, defining standards for pre‑production, pilot, and production validation across OS, hardware, applications, security, and endpoint changes. Lead UAT and business pilots, validate performance, stability, and security, and ensure regression testing for major releases. Drive defect management and remediation with engineering teams and vendors to maintain a high‑quality, low‑risk desktop environment.

Qualifications

Required:

• Education & Experience: Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, or equivalent experience, with 10+ years in IT engineering and 5+ years in enterprise desktop or end‑user computing roles, including leadership responsibilities.
• Desktop Platform Expertise: Deep, hands‑on knowledge of Windows and macOS in large enterprise environments, including OS deployment, imaging, troubleshooting, and lifecycle management.
• Endpoint Management Mastery: Expert‑level experience with Microsoft SCCM/MECM and Microsoft Intune, including software distribution, patching, compliance, and co‑management models.
• VDI & Remote Computing: Strong understanding of virtual desktop technologies (e.g., Citrix, VMware Horizon, Azure Virtual Desktop) and their integration with endpoint environments.
• Automation & Scripting: Proven ability to automate endpoint operations using PowerShell, Python, or similar scripting, including support for zero touch‑touch provisioning and configuration management.
• Security & Networking Acumen: Solid understanding of endpoint security best practices (encryption, EDR, identity, hardening) and desktop‑relevant networking concepts (LAN/Wi‑Fi, VPN, DNS/DHCP).
• Leadership & Communication: Demonstrated experience leading enterprise testing strategies, pilot programs, and vendor technical evaluations, including POCs and data‑driven recommendations for platform and tooling decisions.
• Large‑Scale Environment Experience: Leadership experience supporting thousands of endpoints across multiple locations and hybrid work models.
• Modern Endpoint Initiatives: Direct experience with Windows 365 Cloud PC, Autopilot, Intune‑first strategies, or major OS migrations (e.g., Windows 10 to 11).
• Innovation Mindset: A track record of improving end‑user experience through automation, analytics, or modern support models.

Preferred:

• Regulated Industry Background: Experience in financial services or similarly regulated environments with strong compliance and availability requirements.
• Vendor & Financial Management: Experience managing OEMs, software vendors, and service providers, including budgeting, licensing optimization, and contract oversight.

FINRA Requirements

FINRA licenses are not required and will not be supported for this role.

Work Flexibility

This role is eligible for hybrid work, with up to three days per week from home.

Base Salary Ranges

Please review the job posting for the location of this specific opportunity.

$159,000.00 - $272,000.00 for the location of: Maryland, Colorado, Washington and remote workers
$175,000.00 - $299,000.00 for the location of: Washington, D.C.
$199,000.00 - $339,000.00 for the location of: New York, California

Placement within the range provided above is based on the individual’s relevant experience and skills for the role.  Base salary is only one component of our total compensation package.  Employees may be eligible for a discretionary bonus, which is determined upon company and individual performance.

Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

At T. Rowe Price, our associates are our greatest asset. We thrive because our company culture is built on inclusion and because we sustain a work environment where associates can bring their best selves to work every day. The backgrounds, talents, and experiences of our global associates allow us to embrace new ideas and perspectives that move our business priorities forward and enable us to deliver strong client outcomes. Here, you can expect equal opportunity and fair and consistent treatment for all.

Benefits

T. Rowe Price is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity of thought, gender, and race. We believe our continued success depends upon the equal treatment of all associates and applicants for employment without discrimination on the basis of race, religion, creed, color, national origin, sex, gender, age, mental or physical disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, citizenship status, military or veteran status, pregnancy, or any other classification protected by country, federal, state, or local law.