Six Figure Work

Senior System Software Engineer - AV Platform

NVIDIA

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

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  • LocationSanta Clara, CA
  • WorkplaceWorkplace not stated
  • Status at last checkSource accepting applications when checked
  • Last checked (6 min ago) · observed since

About this job

The Autonomous Vehicles System Software Team is looking for a hands-on System Software Engineer. As part of our team, you will work on our Autonomous Driving Platform software, implementing performant and scalable solutions for data collections and autonomous vehicle fleets. Our team is responsible for developing platform and middleware features for self-driving cars. This includes software that interacts with various sensors including Cameras, LIDAR, RADAR, GPS, IMU, Vehicle CAN etc. We are seeking candidates with interests in inventing, developing, and maintaining application framework and tools on multi-computer and heterogeneous architectures. The role encompasses working with various teams across the stack, from platform and embedded software to cloud infrastructure, underpinned by safety and performance. It extends an opportunity to contribute to the technology that will drive the cars of the future!

What you will be doing:

  • Designing and developing core components of NVIDIA DriveWorks SDK.
  • Developing and optimizing software architecture and frameworks for real-world performance while matching or exceeding customer requirements.
  • Working on areas such as sensor abstraction layers, data processing components, process scheduling, data serialization, network communications, and frameworks.
  • Performing in-vehicle tests, collecting data and completing autonomous drive missions.
  • Establishing unit tests, documentation for features, evaluating quality and proposing corrective actions.
  • Developing highly efficient production code in C++, making use of high algorithmic parallelism offered by GPGPU programming (CUDA). Follow quality and safety standards such as defined by MISRA and AUTOSAR.

What we need to see:

  • BS or MS in Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related engineering field (or equivalent experience).
  • 8+ years of professional experience working on autonomous vehicles software.
  • Excellent C and C++ programming skills.
  • Strong knowledge of programming and debugging techniques, especially for parallel and distributed architectures.
  • Proficient with AI-powered coding tools like Cursor, Copilot, Gemini, etc.
  • Strong background of Linux, QNX, and/or other real-time operating systems.
  • Thrive on writing low latency, highly performant code.
  • Great communication and analytical skills.

Ways to stand out from the crowd:

  • Experience with data-parallel and/or GPGPU programming, CUDA, OpenCL.
  • Knowledge of image processing APIs (e.g. OpenCV) and MATLAB tools.
  • Knowledge of automotive systems, notably ADAS applications.
  • Software development for modern OpenGL (Core Profile) and Linux.
  • Experience with version control systems GIT and build system Bazel.

#AutonomousVehicles

Your base salary will be determined based on your location, experience, and other objective job-related factors. The expected base salary ranges for this position are:
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 55% of the 4,198 Software Engineering roles in California listed on this site; 124 others list the same floor. Their median floor is $176,550; 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 range next to 6 other live NVIDIA roles with the nearest advertised base floor
Chart as a table
This range next to 6 other live NVIDIA roles with the nearest advertised base floor
RolePublished base
Senior System Software Engineer - AV Platform (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

Same $100K to $400K scale as every card. All NVIDIA roles · How to read the bar

Observed changes

  1. First observed on the employer's board
  2. 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.