Distinguished Engineer – Data Center System Software Architect
Company websitenvidia.com (NVIDIA, opens in new tab)
Base salary $320,000 to $488,750
Employer-published annual base salary, USD. Advertised base range in Santa Clara, CA
You apply on the employer's own site. Six Figure Work does not handle applications.
- LocationSanta Clara, CA
- WorkplaceWorkplace not stated
- Status at last checkSource accepting applications when checked
- Last checked (1 h ago) · observed since
About this job
NVIDIA data center systems, such as DGX and HGX, have become core to NVIDIA's rapidly growing enterprise and cloud provider businesses. These platforms bring together the full power of NVIDIA GPUs, NVIDIA NVLink, NVIDIA InfiniBand networking, NVIDIA Grace CPUs, and a fully optimized NVIDIA AI and HPC software stack. We’re looking for a strong technical architect to own the end-to-end architecture of these products, at the system software level.
Including firmware, kernel drivers, operating systems, and user mode drivers. You will work with component leads internally and engage with industry leading cloud service providers on taking these products to market.
What you’ll be doing:
Serve as the primary technical point of contact for major customers, leading technological discussions, defining KPIs, gathering requirements, and addressing complex technical queries.
As a system software architect, lead technical innovation and strategic collaborations with major hyperscalers to architect next-generation data center products.
Align NVIDIA's roadmap with major customers' requirements through direct engagement.
Develop and drive adoption of new technologies and protocols.
Make critical technical decisions in ambiguous situations, mitigating risks through left-shift strategies.
What we need to see:
Deep expertise in scalable and performant server system architecture, focusing on SW/HW interfaces.
Extensive experience with complex system software for accelerators (GPUs, DPUs, FPGAs).
Mastery of system firmware (SBIOS, OpenBMC), embedded systems, and Linux kernel internals.
Proficiency in Out-of-Band and In-Band management architectures, device management protocols (e.g., MCTP, PLDM, SPDM, RDE) and system management protocols (Redfish, IPMI).
Extensive knowledge of networking technologies and protocols, including TCP/IP, Ethernet, InfiniBand, as well as advanced switching and routing concepts
Experience collaborating with platform security experts to define tradeoffs between security and ease of use.
Demonstrated success in leading complex, cross-functional projects to completion, showcasing the ability to influence and achieve results without direct authority in large-scale, collaborative environments. Demonstrable experience in implementing left shift strategy to de-risk program execution.
BS or MS degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering or related field (or equivalent experience).
20+ years in the area of System architecture and design.
Ways to stand out from the crowd:
Knowledge of cloud and cluster level deployment and management systems. Participation and contributions in standards bodies such as OCP and DMTF.
Familiarity with NVIDIA HPC programming models and libraries (CUDA, cuDNN, DOCA)
Knowledge of enterprise storage architectures and distributed parallel processing paradigms
NVIDIA is leading the way in groundbreaking developments in Artificial Intelligence, High-Performance Computing and Visualization. The GPU, our invention, serves as the visual cortex of modern computers and is at the heart of our products and services. We have some of the most forward-thinking and hardworking people on the planet working for us. If you're creative, passionate and self-motivated, we want to hear from you!
NVIDIA’s invention of the GPU in 1999 fueled the growth of the PC gaming market, redefined modern computer graphics, and revolutionized parallel computing. More recently, GPU deep learning ignited modern deep learning — the next era of computing — with the GPU acting as the brain of computers, robots, and self-driving cars that can perceive and understand the world. Today, we are increasingly known as “the AI computing company.” We're looking to grow our company and establish teams with the most thoughtful people in the world. Are you ready to change the next generation of computing? Join us at the forefront of technological advancement.
Your base salary will be determined based on your location, experience, and other objective job-related factors. The expected base salary range for this position is 320,000 USD – 488,750 USD.You will also be eligible for equity and benefits.
Applications for this job will be accepted at least until November 3, 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.Source: NVIDIA on Workday · View original posting (opens in new tab)
Pay in context
This role's base floor ($320,000) is above 97% of the 4,198 Software Engineering roles in California listed on this site; 23 others list the same floor. Their median floor is $176,500; the middle half runs from $149,200 to $204,000.
Only jobs on this site count, and each one publishes a base salary of $100,000 or more, so this compares six-figure jobs with each other, not with the whole market. Computed Nov 6, 2026.
This listingDistinguished Engineer – Data Center System Software Architect$320,000 to $488,750
Director, Software Engineering – Cloud Compute and Infrastructure$320,000 to $488,750
Director, Tegra Firmware$320,000 to $488,750
Quantum Product Architect$320,000 to $488,750
Senior Director, ATE Test Development$320K to $483K
Director, FSI Predictive Technology$320,000 to $488,750
Distinguished Engineer, Power Architecture$320,000 to $488,750
Chart as a table
| Role | Published base |
|---|---|
| Distinguished Engineer – Data Center System Software Architect (this listing) | $320,000 - $488,750 |
| Director, Software Engineering – Cloud Compute and Infrastructure | $320,000 - $488,750 |
| Director, Tegra Firmware | $320,000 - $488,750 |
| Quantum Product Architect | $320,000 - $488,750 |
| Senior Director, ATE Test Development | $320K - $483K |
| Director, FSI Predictive Technology | $320,000 - $488,750 |
| Distinguished Engineer, Power Architecture | $320,000 - $488,750 |
Observed changes
- First observed on the employer's board
- Began meeting the published-salary criteria
- Observed since
- Employer-stated posting date
- 2026-10-30
Where this pay comes from
Location as the employer wrote it: US, CA, Santa Clara
base salary will be determined based on your location, experience, and other objective job-related factors. The expected base salary range for this position is 320,000 USD – 488,750 USD.
- Method
- Employer text, read with fixed rules and re-verified
- Checked
- Rule set
- us-base-v2
The pay passage appears in the employer's own job text. Fixed, deterministic rules located it, and the passage below was checked against the stored copy of the posting.
What we verified
- The pay figures come from the employer's own listing, quoted exactly above.
- The pay is an annual base salary in US dollars with a minimum of at least $100,000.
- The role was publicly listed on the employer's job board when last checked.
We do not verify what the employer will actually offer, whether the employer is still recruiting for the role, or anything beyond what the employer published. Full methodology.
