Principal Graphics Developer Tools Engineer

Nvidia

Quick summary

Work type
On-site
Location
Santa Clara, CAAustin, TXHillsboro, ORDurham, NCSeattle, WA
Salary
$272,000–$431,250 / yr
Posted
3 days ago

Market check

Salary context

Above market

How this pay compares to similar roles

Similar $191k
This role $352k
$115k most similar roles pay here $465k

This role pays more than 99% of similar roles. Most pay $162,000–$220,875 — the shaded band above. At the midpoint, this role pays about $352k versus about $191k for comparable roles.

Based on 240 similar postings.

Employer

About Nvidia

Nvidia is a leading designer of graphics processing units (GPUs) and system-on-chip units, powering gaming, professional visualization, data centers, and artificial intelligence workloads. Industry: Semiconductors & AI Computing

Nvidia currently has 1005 open roles on FindRole.

Listed pay typically runs $168,000–$270,250 across 993 roles with salary data.

Most-posted roles

View all roles at Nvidia

At a glance

TL;DR · Principal Graphics Developer Tools Engineer

The Graphics Developer Tools team at NVIDIA is looking for a senior technical leader to drive innovation in graphics development. This hands-on role involves defining and implementing strategic initiatives that enhance developer productivity through next-generation tools and workflows. You will collaborate with cross-functional teams including GPU architects, driver engineers, and SDK developers to prototype new ideas and deliver production-ready solutions. Responsibilities include mentoring engineers, engaging with external partners, and representing NVIDIA at industry events. Ideal candidates have over 15 years of experience in graphics software development, a deep understanding of modern APIs like DirectX and Vulkan, and expertise in C++ for large-scale systems. Additional skills in GPU architecture, ray tracing, neural rendering, and applying AI to software workflows are highly valued.

What you'll do

  • Define and implement the technical vision for next-generation developer tools and workflows.
  • Design and prototype new graphics development tools that evolve into production software.
  • Mentor engineers and establish engineering excellence within the Developer Tools organization.
  • Engage with external developers to understand real-world pain points and needs.
  • Influence product direction by collaborating with GPU architects, driver engineers, and SDK teams.
  • Represent NVIDIA at industry events and technical conferences to promote new technologies.

What we're looking for

  • Extensive experience (15+ years) in graphics software development or related systems.
  • Deep understanding of modern graphics APIs like DirectX, Vulkan, and Metal.
  • Strong C++ skills with proven ability to build large-scale software systems.
  • Demonstrated technical leadership in driving complex projects across multiple teams.
  • Expertise in GPU architecture, memory systems, performance analysis, and debugging.
  • Experience designing software architectures and influencing technical direction broadly.
  • Proven track record of transforming ideas into shipped products in ambiguous environments.

More like this

Similar roles

Senior Graphics System Software Engineer

Nvidia

Remote (Santa Clara, CA) 11 days ago $224,000$356,500
DirectX 12 Vulkan Windows Linux User Mode Drivers Game Engine Development Console Desktop Mobile CI/CD C++ Python CUDA OpenGL HLSL Git Jenkins Docker Kubernetes AWS Azure Google Cloud Platform PostgreSQL MySQL MongoDB RESTful APIs JSON YAML Swagger Selenium JUnit Mockito SonarQube Prometheus Grafana
Remote

Senior Software Engineer, Graphics Performance

Nvidia

Remote (Santa Clara, CA) +1 126 days ago $184,000$287,500
C C++ OpenGL Vulkan Linux Shader programming Graphics rendering Compilers Optimizations Memory management Resource management Scheduling Process control Hardware virtualization CI/CD
Remote

Graphics Compositing UI Rendering Engineer, Graphics, Games, & ML

Apple Inc

Cupertino, CA 64 days ago $181,100$318,400
C/C++ Metal Vulkan DirectX Shader development Layer-based rendering systems Scene graph architectures Graphics performance analysis Optimization techniques CI/CD Metal Shading Language Compositing algorithms Color management HDR Wide color gamut workflows CPU/GPU synchronization Multi-threaded rendering Client/server graphics architectures Swift Objective-C GPU profiling tools

Graphics (GPU) Hardware Project Engineer

Qualcomm

San Diego, CA 156 days ago $195,200$292,800
ASIC GPU System-on-Chip Hardware Design Verification Silicon Implementation Validation Product Management Program Management Cost/Benefit Analysis Transistors Tools Patent Applications Project Management Quality Goals Process Improvement PowerPoint Technical Communication CI/CD Linux

Visual Tech Systems Project Engineer

Qualcomm

San Diego, CA 46 days ago $148,300$222,500
C++ Python Linux DSP Image_Processing Video_Codec Computer_Vision Databases CI/CD Git JIRA Confluence UML Doxygen SystemVerilog VHDL Simulation_Tools Debugging_Tools