Principal System Software Engineer - AV Platform (Santa Clara)

NVIDIA is seeking a highly motivated Principal System Software Engineer to drive next-generation innovations in automotive platform software, system architecture, and performance engineering. In this highly visible technical leadership role, you will contribute directly to the architecture, development, optimization, and scaling of foundational software technologies powering NVIDIA automotive compute platforms.You will work closely with hardware, architecture, kernel, AI, middleware, and platform teams to deliver high-performance, scalable, and safety-critical system software solutions. This role requires deep technical expertise, substantial proven hands-on engineering experience, and the ability to solve complex system-level challenges across the software stack.What you'll be doing:Drive system software architecture and technical direction for next-generation automotive compute platforms.Lead performance optimization initiatives across CPU, GPU, memory, storage, networking, and platform subsystems.Design, develop, debug, and optimize low-level system software including kernel, drivers, middleware, runtime frameworks, and platform services.Collaborate closely with silicon, firmware, AI, and platform architecture teams to deliver optimized end-to-end solutions.Analyze complex system bottlenecks and develop scalable solutions to improve performance, reliability, determinism, and efficiency.Drive software bring-up, profiling, debugging, and performance tuning for new automotive platforms.Contribute hands-on to critical software development, architecture reviews, debugging, and system optimization efforts.Mentor engineers and help drive a culture of technical excellence, innovation, and execution.What We Need to See:Bachelor’s, Master’s, or PhD in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or related field (or equivalent experience).15+ years of substantial hands-on experience in systems software, embedded systems, platform software, kernel development, or performance engineering.Deep expertise in Linux system internals, kernel architecture, device drivers, and low-level system software development.Strong programming skills in C/C++ with experience in Python or scripting languages.Proven experience debugging and optimizing complex distributed or heterogeneous computing systems.Strong background in performance analysis and optimization across CPU, GPU, memory, storage, and interconnect subsystems.Experience with embedded Linux, RTOS, virtualization technologies, or multi-core system architectures.Demonstrated ability to lead technically while remaining deeply hands-on in development, debugging, and architecture activities.Experience collaborating across hardware and software organizations in highly matrixed environments.Strong communication, problem-solving, and technical leadership skills.Ways to stand out from the crowd:Experience with automotive software platforms, ADAS, or autonomous driving systems.Familiarity with ISO 26262, AUTOSAR, ASPICE, or automotive cybersecurity frameworks.Experience with GPU-accelerated computing and AI/ML software platforms.Contributions to Linux kernel, open-source systems software, or performance tooling.Experience building scalable software architectures for centralized vehicle compute platforms.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.Applications for this job will be accepted at least until May 31, 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.SummaryLocation: US, CA, Santa ClaraType: Full time