Senior Systems Engineer - Autonomous Driving
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 (10 min ago) · observed since
About this job
Today, NVIDIA is tapping into the unlimited potential of AI to define the next era of computing. An era in which our GPU serves as the intelligence behind computers, robots, and autonomous vehicles that perceive the world. Doing what’s never been done before takes vision, innovation, and the world’s best talent. We pioneered a supercharged form of computing loved by the most demanding computer users in the world - scientists, designers, artists, and gamers. It’s not just technology though! It is our people, some of the brightest in the world, and our diverse company culture make NVIDIA one of the most fun, innovative and dynamic places to work in the world! At the center of NVIDIA's culture are our core values like innovation, excellence and determination and team, that guide us to be the best we can be. As an NVIDIAN, you’ll be immersed in a diverse, encouraging environment where everyone is motivated to perform at their highest level. Come join the team and see how we can make a lasting impact on the world.
What you’ll be doing:
- Develop use cases and system requirements for L3 and L4 autonomous driving products based on customer needs, traffic regulations, certification standards, and industry guidelines.
- Perform system-level analysis to define performance requirements and allocate performance budgets across subsystems.
- Formulate test cases and define critical performance metrics to ensure compliance with functional and safety requirements.
- Define and drive online and offline test strategy and execution at both vehicle and component levels.
- Partner closely with Data Analytics, Test Engineering, and System Integration & Test teams. Ensure the right evaluators and important metrics are developed. Prove that datasets cover sufficient scenarios and requirements. Target appropriate sampling strategies through Data Collection and Real-World Driving.
- Establish strong multi-functional relationships with collaborators across engineering, safety, validation, and product teams.
- Drive innovation in requirements decomposition, traceability, and verification processes.
- Promote and cultivate a strong systems engineering approach across the organization.
What we need to see:
To succeed in this role, you should have:
- MS or PhD in Engineering, Physics, Computer Science, or a related field (or equivalent experience).
- 8+ years proven experience in safety-critical systems engineering, system analysis, data analysis, and software architecture.
- Strong software development background with proven coding skills.
- Hands-on experience in SOTIF analysis (ISO 21448), functional safety (ISO 26262), and multi-functional architectural trade-off analysis.
- Strong leadership and interpersonal skills, with the ability to drive alignment across large organizations.
- Proven understanding of trade-offs between End-to-End deep learning approaches, classical modular perception/planning stacks, and associated validation and test strategies.
Ways to Stand Out from the crowd:
- Experience contributing to a launched L3/L4 autonomous vehicle program.
- Experience in AI safety and safety validation for ML-based systems.
- Hands-on experience with large-scale datasets, data science, and analytics workflows.
- Strong software engineering experience with proficiency in Python, SQL, and C++.
#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 56% of the 4,289 Software Engineering roles in California listed on this site; 128 others list the same floor. Their median floor is $176,000; the middle half runs from $149,100 to $203,000.
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 7, 2026.
This listingSenior Systems Engineer - Autonomous Driving$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 Systems Engineer - Autonomous Driving (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 • US, Remote (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.
