Senior System Software Architect - Automotive Applications

NVIDIA; Santa Clara (CA); On-site; USD 184,000 - 287,500; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity benefits

Job summary

A leading technology company in Santa Clara is seeking a System Software Engineer to lead architectural design and optimization for autonomous vehicle software. The role demands expert-level C++ skills and extensive experience with low-level systems, ensuring Tegra platforms boot efficiently. Candidates must possess a strong background in OS internals and optimizing boot-loaders. A salary range of $184,000 to $287,500 offers competitive compensation and equity benefits.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience with modern C++ standards, template meta-programming, and C++ memory model for concurrent systems.
• Proven track record in optimizing boot-loaders (UEFI, U-Boot) and firmware.
• Profound understanding of OS internals (Linux, QNX, RTOS) regarding device drivers.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement high-performance, low-latency software foundations.
• Own the end-to-end optimization strategy for boot times.
• Collaborate with silicon architects to define boot-strapping sequences.

Skills

Expert-level C++

Low-level systems proficiency

Boot-loaders optimization

OS internals understanding

ARMv8/v9 SoC architectures experience

Education

BS, MS, or PhD in Computer Science or related field

Job description

NVIDIA is seeking a System Software Engineer to lead the architectural design and optimization of our NVIDIA Autonomous Vehicle software stack for Tegra Platforms! We are looking for a specialist who combines expert-level C++ with a deep proficiency in low-level systems to ensure our Tegra based platforms boot and operate with surgical precision and uncompromising performance.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Architect Core Systems: Design and implement high-performance, low-latency software foundations for AV AI applications using Modern C++ (17/20/23).
• Lead Boot Optimization: Own the end-to-end optimization strategy, reducing time-to-first-frame (TTFF) for cameras and streamlining kernel and process initialization and execution.
• Hardware-Software Co-Design: Collaborate with silicon architects to define boot‑strapping sequences for next‑gen SoCs, focusing on parallelizing hardware initialization and minimizing pre‑OS latency.
• System Tuning: Conduct deep-dive performance analysis of the entire stack, eliminating every millisecond of "dark time" during startup.
• Code Excellence: Mentor the team on systems‑level performance patterns, memory barriers, and writing deterministic, cache‑aware C++ code.

What We Need To See

• BS, MS, or PhD in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a related technical field (or equivalent experience).
• 8+ years of experience with modern C++ standards, template meta-programming, and the C++ memory model for concurrent systems.
• Proven track record in optimizing boot-loaders (UEFI, U‑Boot) and firmware with a deep understanding of early-stage hardware init and hand‑off sequences.
• Profound understanding of OS internals (Linux, QNX, or RTOS), specifically regarding device drivers, kernel modularization, and memory management.
• Significant experience with ARMv8/v9 SoC architectures, including PCIe enumeration, DMA engines, and cache coherence protocols.

Ways To Stand Out From The Crowd

• Fast Boot Specialist: Hands‑on experience reducing cold‑boot times on complex embedded SoCs.
• Safety‑Critical Systems: A history of writing C++ compliant with ISO 26262 (ASIL) or MISRA standards.
• Kernel & Driver Guru: Experience upstreaming patches to the Linux kernel or developing high-performance custom drivers for hardware accelerators.
• Secure Boot Mastery: Deep understanding of establishing a Hardware Root of Trust and maintaining a chain of trust without compromising startup speed.

You will also be eligible for equity and benefits.

Your base salary will be determined based on your location, experience, and the pay of employees in similar positions. The base salary range is 184,000 USD - 287,500 USD.

NVIDIA is committed to fostering a diverse work environment and proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate 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.