Sr. Staff/Principal Engineer — GPU Driver & Systems Software

MediaTek; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 179,000 - 286,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401(k) benefits

Paid holidays and vacation

Job summary

MediaTek is seeking an experienced professional in San Diego, CA, to drive GPU software development. This role involves working across the full stack, from APIs to firmware, with flexibility and high-impact contributions.

The ideal candidate should have over 10 years of expertise in GPU drivers and be proficient in C/C++ and industry-standard APIs. The salary range is from $179,000 to $286,000, along with various benefits, including health insurance and a 401(k) plan.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience building GPU drivers, graphics systems, or low-level systems software.
• Fluent in C/C++ and comfortable working close to hardware.
• Deep expertise in industry-standard APIs like Vulkan, DirectX 12, or OpenCL.

Responsibilities

• Architect, develop, and optimize features for industry-standard APIs.
• Work deep in kernel-mode drivers and GPU firmware.
• Identify and eliminate performance bottlenecks.

Skills

GPU driver expertise

C/C++ proficiency

Deep understanding of APIs (Vulkan, DirectX)

Performance optimization

Job description

Job Description

About the Role:

Bring your GPU driver expertise and work directly with our Architecture and Micro‑architecture teams. You will help extract maximum performance from the silicon and play a pivotal role in driving our next‑generation GPU designs forward.

Work Location: San Diego, CA, or San Jose, CA

This is a full‑stack GPU software role. You will have the opportunity to work across industry‑standard graphics and compute APIs, kernel‑mode drivers, GPU firmware, performance optimization, and hardware/software co‑design.

What You’ll Do — The Full Stack

• API Layer: Architect, develop, and optimize features for industry‑standard APIs including Vulkan, DirectX, OpenGL ES, and OpenCL.
• Kernel & Firmware: Work deep in kernel‑mode drivers and GPU firmware to improve hardware control, stability, scheduling, memory management, and execution efficiency.
• Performance: Identify, analyze, and eliminate bottlenecks across the stack — including driver overhead, memory bandwidth, GPU scheduling, compute throughput, and power/performance tradeoffs.
• Architecture Collaboration: Partner closely with Architecture, Micro‑architecture, Compiler, and GPU Model teams to influence next‑generation GPU design and ensure the software stack fully leverages the hardware.
• Technical Leadership: Lead complex debug efforts, guide design decisions, mentor engineers, and help raise the technical bar across the GPU driver team.

Main Requirements and Qualifications

• You have 10+ years of experience building GPU drivers, graphics systems, or low‑level systems software.
• You are fluent in C/C++ and comfortable working close to hardware.
• You have deep expertise in one or more industry‑standard APIs such as Vulkan, DirectX 12, OpenCL, or OpenGL ES.
• You understand GPU internals at a deep level, including memory hierarchies, command submission, scheduling, synchronization, pipeline architecture, and performance bottlenecks.
• You enjoy working across boundaries — from API design to kernel drivers, firmware, compiler interaction, and hardware architecture.

Why This Role?

• No Silos: You are not restricted to only the API layer, kernel driver, firmware, or performance. You can work across the entire GPU software stack.
• Shape the Hardware: Your software insights will directly influence next‑generation GPU architecture and micro‑architecture.
• High‑Impact Work: Your contributions will help turn silicon capability into real‑world graphics, compute, and AI performance.
• Ready to own the stack? Apply today.

Salary range: $179,000 – $286,000

Employee may be eligible for performance bonus, short and long term incentive programs. Actual total compensation will be dependent upon the individual's skills, experience and qualifications. In addition, MediaTek provides a variety of benefits including comprehensive health insurance coverage, life and disability insurance, savings plan, company‑paid holidays, sick leave, vacation time, parental leave, 401(k) and more.

MediaTek is an Equal Opportunity Employer that is committed to inclusion and diversity to all, regardless of age, ancestry, color, disability (mental and physical), exercising the right to family care and medical leave, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, military or veteran status, national origin, political affiliation, race, religious creed, sex (includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and related medical conditions), and sexual orientation.