Principal Software Engineer - DGX Cloud
NVIDIA is hiring a Principal Software Engineer - DGX Cloud in Santa Clara, United States. It pays $272k-$431k a year and Level rates it ; you can apply on NVIDIA.
Level's read on this job
- Works on AI ●●●○ is how Level rates this software engineer role: the daily work is on AI products, without building the model.
- Pay on this posting starts 62% higher than the typical software engineer posting on Level.
- The posting mentions Go, Java and Python among its tools and skills.
- NVIDIA has 2,700+ other open roles on Level.
- Posted in the last few days.
AI in this role
Lead software engineer building foundational systems, APIs, and orchestration for NVIDIA's high-performance AI GPU cloud infrastructure.
NVIDIA has been transforming computer graphics, PC gaming, and accelerated computing for more than 25 years. It’s a unique legacy of innovation that’s fueled by great technology—and amazing people.
We are looking for a Principal Software Engineer to join our DGX Cloud team and build the foundational systems that drive NVIDIA’s high-performance GPU infrastructure. You will play a meaningful role in crafting scalable automation solutions, integrating diverse systems, and enabling seamless workflows across global cloud operations. As a Principal Engineer in DGX Cloud, you will be at the pinnacle of technical leadership. You will directly craft the platform that fuels the future of AI and cloud computing.
What you'll be doing:
- Lead the build and development of next-generation APIs, state management, and workflow orchestration systems that automate fleet lifecycle operations at a massive scale.
- Drive technical alignment across dependent systems and partner teams to ensure cohesive integration, clear interfaces, and reliable end-to-end workflows, with a strong focus on delivery.
- Act as a force-multiplier by coaching, mentoring, and encouraging senior engineers, elevating the technical standards and guidelines across the organization.
- Maintain an incredible focus on the customer experience and product requirements, translating deep technical insight into high-impact business solutions.
- Partner with executive and engineering leadership to codify critical business processes into self-measuring, scalable, and operationally consistent platforms, drastically reducing manual toil.
- Direct the integration strategy for key technologies, including common AI schedulers (e.g., Kubernetes, Slurm) and innovative observability systems (e.g., Prometheus, OpenTelemetry, Grafana).
What We Need To See:
- 16+ years of progressive industry experience
- Master’s or bachelor’s degree in computer science or a related field, or equivalent experience defining and shipping complex distributed systems.
- Deep, hands-on expertise in establishing, operating, and scaling services in a fast paced, high-reliability environment.
- Thrive in ambiguous, fast paced environments by rapidly testing ideas, iterating toward working solutions, and then hardening the winners into reliable, scalable systems.
- Outstanding proficiency in modern systems programming languages such as Go, Java, or Python.
- Proven track record of defining, owning, and evolving the architecture of high-scale distributed systems, including advanced patterns for APIs, control planes, and data pipelines.
- Deep understanding of global cloud infrastructure (AWS, GCP, Azure) and container ecosystems (Docker, Kubernetes).
- Demonstrated ability to drive technical strategy and influence outcomes across organizational boundaries.
- Outstanding ability to communicate complex technical concepts, drive organizational consensus, and mentor high-performing engineers.
Ways to Stand Out from the Crowd:
- A history of successfully leading the development and adoption of organization-wide workflow orchestration systems for petabyte-scale infrastructure.
- Experience in a Principal/Staff+ capacity, delivering measurable improvements in operational efficiency, reliability, and security across a large engineering org.
- Deep familiarity with the operational and deployment aspects of the NVIDIA AI/ML software stack (CUDA, cuDNN, containerization).
- Patent contributions or a strong publication record in areas related to distributed systems, cloud computing, or infrastructure automation.
Widely considered to be one of the technology world’s most desirable employers, NVIDIA offers highly competitive salaries and a comprehensive benefits package. As you plan your future, see what we can offer to you and your family www.nvidiabenefits.com/
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 October 27, 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.How we rate this
Principal Software Engineer - DGX Cloud at NVIDIA rates 65 out of 100 for how much of the daily work is AI. That makes it Works on AI (AI Level 3 of 4). The level is about AI in the job, not seniority.
Works on AI. The daily work is on AI products, without building the model.
- ●●●● Builds AI80 to 100
- ●●●○ Works on AI60 to 79
- ●●○○ Uses AI40 to 59
- ●○○○ Little AI0 to 39
Levels come from how often the tools, models and workflows of the role are named in the posting itself. Read the description and count the AI tools, models and workflows it names.
Prepare for this job
Built from this posting and from similar jobs on Level.
Skills and AI tools this role asks for
Also common in software engineer jobs at this level
Pay
- This job starts at
- $272k
- Typical software engineer job
- $168k
This posting starts 62% above the typical software engineer job. See software engineer jobs
Questions you could be asked
- Tell me about a project where distributed systems was part of your work. What did you do?
- Tell me about a project where api design was part of your work. What did you do?
- Tell me about a project where cloud infrastructure was part of your work. What did you do?
- Tell me about a project where workflow orchestration was part of your work. What did you do?
- Walk me through how you've used Go in your day-to-day work.
Adapt your resume
- List these exact terms on your resume: Distributed Systems, API Design, Cloud Infrastructure, Workflow Orchestration, and Go. An applicant tracking system matches the wording, not the idea.
- Attach one line of real, concrete experience to at least one of them. A tool named with nothing behind it rarely survives a human read.
- Show where AI is part of your daily process, not a one-off project. This role expects it to be a running habit.
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