Principal System Software Engineer, CUDA Driver

Nvidia

Confirmed live today High trust

Quick summary

Work type: On-site
Location: Santa Clara, CA
Salary: $272,000–$431,250 / yr
Employment: Full-time
Posted: 6 days ago
Freshness: Confirmed live today
Closes: Nov 1, 2026
Nearby: 99+ roles within 25 mi

Market check

Salary context

Above market

How this pay compares to similar roles

Similar $219k

This role $352k

$131k most similar roles pay here $463k

This role pays more than 99% of similar roles. Most pay $196,750–$240,293 — the shaded band above. At the midpoint, this role pays about $352k versus about $219k 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 892 open roles on FindRole.

Listed pay typically runs $184,000–$287,500 across 870 roles with salary data.

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At a glance

TL;DR · Principal System Software Engineer, CUDA Driver

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Principal System Software Engineer - CUDA Driver will join the team responsible for the CUDA driver, a core component of the platform used to accelerate general purpose computation on the GPU. This role involves crafting elegant solutions for complex problems, evangelizing and architecting new features, and overseeing development efforts across multiple teams while collaborating with hardware architecture teams. The engineer will define improvements to CUDA APIs and programming models, design performance and precision modeling, and develop maintainable code for various operating systems. Required skills include expert C programming, experience with operating system interfaces like thread control and virtual memory, and proficiency in HW/SW co-design and performance modeling using emulation or simulation. The role addresses the technical challenge of creating a unified programming model that interacts with GPU hardware, kernel mode drivers, switches, and the operating system.

Skills

CUDA C C++ Kernel Mode Drivers GPU Architecture Operating Systems Simulation Emulation High-Performance Computing

What you'll do

Develop and maintain the CUDA driver to accelerate general purpose computation on GPU hardware.
Architect and implement new features for the CUDA programming model and APIs.
Oversee and drive development efforts across multiple engineering teams.
Design and maintain performance and precision modeling for GPU workloads.
Write high-quality, maintainable, and well-tested code for multiple operating systems.
Collaborate with hardware architecture teams to align software features with hardware capabilities.
Create software programming model exposures for new hardware features.

What we're looking for

Bachelor of Science or Master of Science degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related field (or equivalent experience).
15+ years of relevant systems software development experience.
Strong C programming skills.
Experience designing, debugging, and maintaining complex software stacks.
Background with operating system interfaces for threads, process control, and virtual memory.
Experience with HW/SW co-design, performance modeling using emulation/simulation, and creating SW programming model exposures for HW features.
Expert interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills to achieve objectives under tight deadlines.
Understanding of system level architecture, kernel mode development, or C++ (preferred).

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