Senior Software Architect, DriveOS

NVIDIA Gruppe; Santa Clara (CA); On-site; USD 224,000 - 356,500; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Comprehensive benefits

Job summary

NVIDIA Gruppe in Santa Clara is looking for a strong technical leader for its DriveOS software architecture group. The ideal candidate will have in-depth knowledge of complex systems, solid experience in Embedded Systems, and a Master's degree, with 12+ years of relevant work experience.

This critical role focuses on delivering advanced solutions for safe and reliable self-driving vehicle systems. You will collaborate across teams and provide strategic technical direction, driving improvements in workflows and processes.

The position offers a competitive salary range between 224,000 and 356,500 USD for Level 5 roles, along with equity and benefits.

Qualifications

• 12+ years related work experience.
• 5+ years proficiency in Embedded Systems and System Software.
• Strong understanding of industrial-grade quality standards compliance.

Responsibilities

• Work with software engineers to align DriveOS requirements into integrated solutions.
• Provide insight and technical direction to resolve issues.
• Build and drive architecture and analysis documents communications.

Skills

Embedded Systems

System Software

Multi-core hardware

Operating systems design

Concurrency

Hardware acceleration

Communication skills

Education

Master's degree or equivalent experience

Job description

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 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.

NVIDIA is committed to fostering a diverse 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.