Principal Linux Kernel Engineer – NVIDIA CPU Server Platforms - CA, Santa Clara, United States
Originally posted 5 August 2026 by the employer.
Lead the Linux kernel plan for NVIDIA CPU Server platforms.
About the role
As a Principal Linux Kernel Engineer, you will lead the effort to develop and perform an upstream-first Linux kernel plan for NVIDIA CPU Server platforms.
What you'll do
- Own and drive the Linux kernel strategy for NVIDIA CPU platforms with an upstream-first development model.
- Lead the upstream enablement of NVIDIA CPU platforms across major Linux kernel subsystems.
- Track Linux kernel evolution and drive technical roadmaps across core subsystems including memory management, scheduling, virtualization, PCIe, ACPI, RAS, CXL, networking, filesystems, and security.
- Partner with CPU architects, hardware designers, firmware teams, and software engineers to influence hardware architecture and interfaces for clean, upstream-friendly Linux support.
- Represent NVIDIA in the Linux open-source community by collaborating with subsystem maintainers, driving upstream reviews, and advocating for NVIDIA technologies.
What you'll need
- Bachelor’s, Master’s, or Ph.D. in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or equivalent experience.
- 14+ years of experience developing Linux kernel software.
- Deep expertise in Linux kernel internals and multiple kernel subsystems.
- Recognized contributor with an established reputation in the Linux kernel community, including experience reviewing and influencing upstream kernel development.
- Strong understanding of CPU architecture, memory management, interrupts, scheduling, synchronization, virtualization, ACPI, PCIe, and device drivers.
- Experience leading complex cross-functional software initiatives.
This role has been open 71 days — well above the 60-day median for Systems Software Engineering roles.
Systems Software Engineering · Systems Software
|
Open roles in category
682
|
Median days open
60 d
|
Median salary
$213k
|
See the full market breakdown ▾Category comparison, and who else is hiring
| Metric | NVIDIA | All employers we track in this specialty (682 roles · 71 employers) |
|---|---|---|
| Open roles in this specialty | 130 | 682 |
| Open roles in the wider Software, Firmware & Systems family | 973 | 6114 · 145 employers |
| Median days open | 46 d | 60 d (−14 d vs this employer) |
| Median salary (USD postings) | — | $213k |
Who's hiring in this category
- Qualcomm · 169 open roles · median 79 d
- NVIDIA (this employer) · 130 open roles · median 46 d
- AMD · 63 open roles · median 52 d
- Mobileye · 27 open roles · median 73 d
- Broadcom · 22 open roles · median 54 d
- Arm Holdings · 20 open roles · median 115 d
How we counted: 682 open Systems Software Engineering (Systems Software) roles from 71 employers tracked in the SemiconductorJobs index, counted 18 Oct 2026. Specialty figures count only roles carrying this exact specialty label, so an employer's related work in neighbouring specialties is not included there — it is counted in the wider Software, Firmware & Systems family row. Figures refresh nightly.