Principal Firmware Engineer – Server Manageability and Observability

NVIDIA Corporation; Santa Clara (CA); On-site; USD 272,000 - 431,000; Full time

Job summary

NVIDIA Corporation is seeking a senior technology leader in Santa Clara to act as the primary technical liaison with major customers, guiding architectural decisions for data center products. You will define KPIs, gather requirements, and address complex technical questions while aligning roadmaps with customer needs.

You will drive innovation with hyperscalers, champion new protocols, and lead cross‑functional initiatives to deliver scalable, secure, high‑performance systems.

Qualifications

• BS or MS in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering or related field (or equivalent experience).
• 15+ years in system architecture and design.
• Deep expertise in scalable and performant server system architecture, focusing on software/hardware interfaces.
• Extensive experience with complex system software for accelerators (GPUs, DPUs, FPGAs).

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary technical point of contact for major customers, leading technological discussions, defining KPIs, gathering requirements, and addressing complex technical queries.
• Lead technical innovation and strategic collaborations with major hyperscalers to architect next‑generation data center products.
• Align NVIDIA’s roadmap with major customers’ requirements through direct engagement.
• Develop and drive adoption of new technologies and protocols.
• Make critical technical decisions in ambiguous situations, mitigating risks through left‑shift strategies.

Skills

Server architecture

Accelerator software

Firmware & Linux

MCTP/PLDM

Networking (TCP/IP)

Security trade-offs

Cross-functional leadership

Left-shift strategies

Education

BS/MS CS/EE

Tools

OpenBMC

Redfish/IPMI

Job description

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary technical point of contact for major customers, leading technological discussions, defining KPIs, gathering requirements, and addressing complex technical queries.
• Lead technical innovation and strategic collaborations with major hyperscalers to architect next‑generation data center products.
• Align NVIDIA’s roadmap with major customers’ requirements through direct engagement.
• Develop and drive adoption of new technologies and protocols.
• Make critical technical decisions in ambiguous situations, mitigating risks through left‑shift strategies.

Qualifications

• Deep expertise in scalable and performant server system architecture, focusing on software/hardware interfaces.
• Extensive experience with complex system software for accelerators (GPUs, DPUs, FPGAs).
• Mastery of system firmware (SBIOS, OpenBMC), embedded systems, and Linux kernel internals.
• Proficiency in out‑of‑band and in‑band management architectures, device management protocols (e.g., MCTP, PLDM, SPDM, RDE) and system management protocols (Redfish, IPMI).
• Extensive knowledge of networking technologies and protocols, including TCP/IP, Ethernet, InfiniBand, and advanced switching and routing concepts.
• Experience collaborating with platform security experts to define trade‑offs between security and ease of use.
• Demonstrated success in leading complex, cross‑functional projects to completion, influencing and achieving results without direct authority in large‑scale, collaborative environments.
• Demonstrable experience in implementing left‑shift strategy to de‑risk program execution.
• BS or MS degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering or related field (or equivalent experience).
• 15+ years in the area of system architecture and design.

Preferred Skills

• Knowledge of cloud and cluster‑level deployment and management systems.
• Participation and contributions in standards bodies such as OCP and DMTF.
• Familiarity with NVIDIA HPC programming models and libraries (CUDA, cuDNN, DOCA).
• Knowledge of enterprise storage architectures and distributed parallel processing paradigms.

Benefits and Compensation

Your base salary will be determined based on your location, experience, and the pay of employees in similar positions. The base salary range is 272,000 USD – 431,250 USD. You will also be eligible for equity and benefits.

Application Deadline

Applications for this job will be accepted at least until July 22, 2026. This posting is for an existing vacancy.

Equal Opportunity Employment

NVIDIA is committed to fostering an inclusive work environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate (including in our hiring and promotion practices) on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability status or any other characteristic protected by law.