This role pays more than
99%
of similar roles. Most pay
$169,550–$234,718
— the shaded band above.
At the midpoint, this role pays about
$352k
versus about
$202k
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
896 open roles
on FindRole.
Listed pay typically runs
$184,000–$287,500
across 876 roles with salary data.
As a Principal Process Architect, Automotive Software, you will join the team developing DriveOS, a software platform for autonomous vehicles and intelligent machines. You will lead the canonical process architecture, terminology, and roles across engineering, program management, quality, functional safety, and cybersecurity. Your daily work involves developing risk-based tailoring frameworks, establishing release-readiness criteria, and translating industry standards into verifiable workflows and templates. You will partner with domain leads to align plans and evidence while converting recurring defects into durable process improvements. The role requires expertise in Automotive SPICE, ISO 26262, ISO/SAE 21434, and ISO 8800. You will utilize workflow tooling and AI-assisted capabilities to improve engineering processes for safety-critical systems. This position solves the challenge of creating a coherent, scalable development model that balances complex compliance requirements with practical product execution in a multi-variant environment.
Lead the canonical DriveOS process architecture, terminology, roles, and interfaces across engineering and quality departments.
Develop and govern a risk-based tailoring framework to define variant applicability and acceptance criteria.
Establish release-readiness and quality-gate criteria to identify risks early in the development cycle.
Translate industry standards into clear, verifiable workflows, templates, and guidance for development teams.
Align plans, evidence, and handoffs across product variants with program managers and domain leads.
Convert recurring defects and assessment observations into durable improvements to common processes and training.
Drive process automation and AI-assisted workflows to reduce rework while maintaining governance and traceability.
Serve as an independent technical authority to identify and resolve gaps in process coherence and efficiency.
What we're looking for
Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in engineering, computer science, systems engineering, quality, or a related field.
15+ years of experience in automotive or other safety-critical product development including process architecture, engineering quality, systems engineering, or technical program leadership.
Deep understanding of Automotive SPICE and how it translates into effective engineering behavior and assessable evidence.
Strong understanding of the software and systems development lifecycle, including requirements, architecture, implementation, verification, validation, configuration, change, and release management.
Hands-on experience with automotive functional safety, cybersecurity, and AI/ML safety requirements, including ISO 26262, ISO/SAE 21434, and ISO 8800.
Proven track record of building risk-based tailoring, establishing quality gates, and balancing compliance needs in a multi-variant product environment.
Excellent written communication, facilitation, and influence skills to make requirements actionable for engineers and decision-ready for leaders.
Experience using data, workflow tooling, and AI-assisted capabilities to improve engineering processes while maintaining accountability and traceability.