Senior Scale-Up Network System Architect
Company websitenvidia.com (NVIDIA, opens in new tab)
Base salary $184,000 to $356,500
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 seeks a Senior Scale-Up Network System Architect to develop the next generation of NVLink-based scale-up networking for leading AI supercomputing platforms. You will develop the complete architecture of the interconnect that links GPUs within and between racks. This fabric enables sizable AI training and inference clusters to function as a single large accelerator. This system-level role involves teamwork across silicon, firmware, software, and topology development. You will translate workload and customer needs into architectural choices that will be part of NVIDIA’s flagship AI systems for years.
What You'll Be Doing:
- Define end-to-end system architecture for next-generation NVLink scale-up networks, from link and switch behavior through rack- and pod-level topology.
- Convert AI training and inference workload needs (LLM, MoE, and emerging model architectures) into specific networking, bandwidth, latency, and resiliency specifications.
- Drive architecture trade-off studies across performance, cost, power, and reliability, and build the models needed to justify those decisions with data.
- Collaborate closely with ASIC, firmware, software, and systems teams to ensure architecture decisions are implementable and land accurately in silicon and product.
- Develop and use simulation and analytical models to validate architecture choices before committing to silicon.
- Represent system architecture in multi-functional and customer-facing technical discussions, and serve as a technical expert on scale-up network behavior at scale.
What We Need to See:
- Bachelor's, Master's, or PhD in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
- 8+ years of industry experience in computer networking, system architecture, or high-performance interconnects.
- Strong grasp of network structure and dynamics at scale, including the impact of topology, congestion, and failure modes on distributed workload performance.
- Experience developing or using simulation/modeling environments to evaluate architecture trade-offs.
- Strong multi-functional collaboration skills — comfortable driving alignment across hardware, firmware, and software teams without direct authority over them.
- Clear technical communication, including the ability to explain complex architecture trade-offs to both engineering and non-engineering collaborators.
Ways to Stand Out from the Crowd:
- Direct experience with NVLink, NVSwitch, or comparable scale-up interconnect technologies.
- Hands-on experience with high-performance networking transports such as RoCE (RDMA over Converged Ethernet), including concepts low-latency transport, congestion control, and lossless fabric build.
- Experience with memory subsystem architecture, including memory hierarchies, cache coherency, and memory technologies such as HBM, DDR, or LPDDR.
- Working knowledge of large-scale AI model architectures and how they map to network requirements.
- Background in HPC or supercomputing-scale interconnect development.
184,000 USD – 287,500 USD for Level 4; and 224,000 USD – 356,500 USD for Level 5.
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 ($184,000) is above 80% of the 3,589 Engineering (non-software) roles in California listed on this site; 17 others list the same floor. Their median floor is $147,000; the middle half runs from $125,000 to $173,075.
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 7, 2026.
This listingSenior Scale-Up Network System Architect$184,000 to $356,500
Senior Software Engineer, Subnet Management$184,000 to $356,500
Senior Software Engineer, AI Networking$184,000 to $356,500
Senior Software Engineer, Machine Learning Safety$184,000 to $356,500
Senior Firmware Security Architect, Networking$184,000 to $356,500
Senior Compiler Engineer - AI$184,000 to $287,500
Senior System Software Engineer, Performance - CUDA Driver$184,000 to $356,500
Chart as a table
| Role | Published base |
|---|---|
| Senior Scale-Up Network System Architect (this listing) | $184,000 - $356,500 |
| Senior Software Engineer, Subnet Management | $184,000 - $356,500 |
| Senior Software Engineer, AI Networking | $184,000 - $356,500 |
| Senior Software Engineer, Machine Learning Safety | $184,000 - $356,500 |
| Senior Firmware Security Architect, Networking | $184,000 - $356,500 |
| Senior Compiler Engineer - AI | $184,000 - $287,500 |
| Senior System Software Engineer, Performance - CUDA Driver | $184,000 - $356,500 |
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 (Levels 4-5 combined)
184,000 USD – 287,500 USD for Level 4; and 224,000 USD – 356,500 USD for Level 5.
- 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.
