Senior System Software Engineer - Autonomous Vehicles

NVIDIA is hiring a Senior System Software Engineer - Autonomous Vehicles in Santa Clara, United States. It pays $184k-$288k a year and Level rates it ; you can apply on NVIDIA.

Level's read on this job

Level rates this software engineer role Little AI ●○○○: aI is not part of the work.
The listed pay starts 10% above the typical software engineer posting on Level.
Level classifies it as a senior role.
Level lists 2,700+ other open roles at NVIDIA.

AI in this role

The Autonomous Vehicles Platform team is now looking for a Senior System Software Engineer. Our team builds the NVIDIA DriveWorks SDK with the goal to provide a scalable software stack and framework to build autonomous vehicles. We are seeking software engineers with interests in designing, developing and maintaining many aspects of the core technology around sensor drivers and interfaces, data streaming, data recording and playback, and vehicle interface abstraction.

What You Will Be Doing:

Create and optimize software architecture and frameworks for real-world performance while matching or exceeding customer requirements.
Working with vendors developing innovative sensors for vehicles.
Developing sensor drivers, plug-ins, and processing functions around sensor data.
Create highly efficient sensor data recording, playback and visualization tools.
Performing in-vehicle tests, collecting data and analyzing integrity.
Working with our car teams and control teams to develop interfaces to the vehicles to enable self-driving.
Supporting data collection campaigns for our autonomous vehicle program.
Developing unit tests, documentation for features, evaluating quality and proposing corrective actions.
Creating highly efficient product code in C++, making use of high algorithmic parallelism offered by GPGPU programming (CUDA), and following quality and safety standards such as defined by MISRA.

What We Need to See:

BS/MS in Computer Engineering, Computer Science or related field (or equivalent experience).
Excellent C and C++ programming skills.
8+ years of proven experience developing and debugging multithreaded/distributed applications like multimedia systems, game engines, etc.
Strong knowledge of programming and debugging techniques, especially for parallel and distributed architectures.
Background on Linux, Android, and/or other real-time operating systems.
Experience with sensors such as cameras, LiDAR, radar, ultrasonics, IMU, GPS
Experience with vehicle control interfaces.
Thrive on writing low latency, highly performant code.
Great communication and analytical skills.

Ways to Stand Out from the Crowd:

Understanding of embedded architectures.
Experience with data-parallel and/or GPGPU programming, CUDA, and OpenCL.
Software development for modern OpenGL (Core Profile) and Linux.
Experience with version control systems GIT and build system CMake.

#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.

How we rate this

Senior System Software Engineer - Autonomous Vehicles at NVIDIA rates 11 out of 100 for how much of the daily work is AI. That makes it Little AI (AI Level 1 of 4). The level is about AI in the job, not seniority.

Classification

Little AI. AI is not part of the work.

●●●● 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.