Senior SoC Software Engineer - CA, Santa Clara, United States
$184,000 - $356,500 USD yearly
Originally posted 7 October 2026 by the employer.
About the role
This role involves designing and developing SoC software, validation solutions, and test frameworks for complex heterogeneous computing systems.
What you'll do
- Design and develop SoC software, validation solutions, and test frameworks for complex SoCs and systems.
- Pioneer system validation and reliability software from virtual prototypes and first silicon to production.
- Improve the efficiency, intelligence, robustness, and user experience of software for design validation, thermal and power characterization, manufacturing screening, and platform bring-up.
- Investigate and drive root-cause analysis of complex board- and system-level failures across hardware and software boundaries.
- Collaborate across the company and with customers and partners to bring computing platforms to life.
What you'll need
- BS or MS in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or equivalent experience.
- 8+ years of relevant industry experience.
- Strong C and C++ programming skills, including object-oriented design and development.
- Experience with low-level systems software, device drivers, firmware, or hardware-facing programming.
- A strong understanding of processor architecture fundamentals, preferably ARM.
- Exceptional problem-solving and debugging skills for issues spanning multiple layers of the system.
Skills: SoC software, validation solutions, low-level systems software, device drivers, firmware, Linux kernel
This role has been open 1 day — well below the 58-day median for Systems Software Engineering roles.
Systems Software Engineering · Systems Software
|
Open roles in category
679
|
Median days open
58 d
|
Median salary
$213k
|
See the full market breakdown ▾Category comparison, skills in demand, and who else is hiring
| Metric | NVIDIA | All employers we track in this specialty (679 roles · 73 employers) |
|---|---|---|
| Open roles in this specialty | 128 | 679 |
| Open roles in the wider Software, Firmware & Systems family | 966 | 6052 · 146 employers |
| Median days open | 50 d | 58 d (−8 d vs this employer) |
| Median salary (USD postings) | — | $213k |
Skills observed across this category: SoC software, validation solutions, low-level systems software, device drivers, firmware, Linux kernel
Who's hiring in this category
- Qualcomm · 168 open roles · median 73 d
- NVIDIA (this employer) · 127 open roles · median 51 d
- AMD · 61 open roles · median 49 d
- Mobileye · 29 open roles · median 72 d
- Broadcom · 22 open roles · median 44 d
- Arm Holdings · 20 open roles · median 106 d
How we counted: 679 open Systems Software Engineering (Systems Software) roles from 73 employers tracked in the SemiconductorJobs index, counted 9 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.