Senior Software Architect, DriveOS

NVIDIA AI; Santa Clara (CA); On-site; USD 224,000 - 431,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Benefits

Job summary

NVIDIA DriveOS team in Santa Clara seeks a strong technical leader to guide architecture across software virtualization, system software, graphics, compute, and platform safety.

You will decompose DriveOS requirements with engineers, drive architectural decisions, and influence NVIDIA SoC and GPU designs while coordinating across countries and time zones to deliver safe and reliable self-driving systems.

Qualifications

• Master's degree or equivalent experience in a relevant field.
• 12+ years related work experience in engineering.
• 5+ years proficiency in Embedded Systems and System Software.
• Strong understanding of multi-core hardware, operating systems design, concurrency, and hardware acceleration.
• Experience with design and development software in compliance with industrial-grade quality standards (ISO 26262, ISO 21434, ASPICE).
• Clear and concise communication and presentation skills.
• Highly organized and able to work across multiple countries and time zones.

Responsibilities

• Decompose DriveOS requirements with engineers and align bottom-up designs into integrated solutions.
• Provide technical direction to resolve issues and improve development processes.
• Develop architecture and analysis documents and present them to internal/external audiences.
• Collaborate with hardware and software stakeholders to influence SoC and GPU designs.

Skills

Embedded Systems

System Software

Multi-core hardware

Operating systems design

Concurrency

Hardware acceleration

ISO 26262

ISO 21434

ASPICE

Communication

Leadership in matrixed orgs

Education

Master's degree or equivalent experience

Tools

Cursor

Claude Code

GitHub Copilot

Job description

Job Requisition ID JR2013418

Job Category Engineering

Time Type Full time

DriveOS is the software platform that powers millions of autonomous vehicles and other intelligent machines around the world! It combines a virtualization platform, system software, and acceleration libraries for AI, computer vision pipelines, graphics, and multimedia processing. The system is certified for both automotive safety (ISO 26262 ASIL-D) and cybersecurity (ISO 21434, UN Reg 155), and is being adapted to other regulated markets including robotics, avionics, and medical devices.

We're looking for a strong technical leader: someone with the technical ability to deeply understand complex systems, apply modern methods to design creative solutions, and leadership to inspire our engineering teams across the entire company to implement them. As a key member of DriveOS software architecture group, you'll focus on challenges unique to the automotive industry and our automotive products. With your help, we'll be delivering advanced solutions to build safe and reliable self driving vehicle systems!

What You’ll Be Doing

• Work with software engineers and architects in system software, virtualization, graphics, compute, platform safety/security, sensor processing, and networking to decompose DriveOS requirements and align bottom-up designs into integrated solutions.
• As a technical leader, provide insight and technical direction to resolve issues, drive development processes, and to help improve our workflows and development methodology
• Using strong communication skills, build and drive architecture, analysis documents and communications to internal and/or external audiences about our technology.
• Collaborate with the major software and hardware stakeholders throughout NVIDIA to tackle system-level problems and influence NVIDIA SoC and GPU designs

What We Need To See

• Master's degree or equivalent experience
• 12+ years related work experience
• 5+ years proficiency in Embedded Systems and System Software
• Strong understanding of multi-core hardware, operating systems design, concurrency, and hardware acceleration
• Experience with design and development software in compliance with industrial-grade quality standards (ISO 26262, ISO 21434, ASPICE)
• Clear and concise communication and presentation skills
• Highly organized and driven, with the ability to work in a dynamic, fast paced environment across multiple countries and time zones

Ways To Stand Out From The Crowd

• Past Automotive AI/Autonomous System Software experience
• Previous experience in highly matrixed organizations in a leadership position
• Experience with formal verification of software programs
• Experience with AI tools (Cursor, Claude Code, or GitHub Copilot)

Your base salary will be determined based on your location, experience, and the pay of employees in similar positions. The base salary range is 224,000 USD - 356,500 USD for Level 5, and 272,000 USD - 431,250 USD for Level 6.

You will also be eligible for equity and benefits.

Applications for this job will be accepted at least until September 20, 2026.

This posting is for an existing vacancy.

NVIDIA uses AI tools in its recruiting processes.

NVIDIA is committed to fostering an inclusive work environment and proud to be an equal opportunity employer. As we highly value diversity in our current and future employees, 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.