Senior Software Engineer, Chips System Software - CA, Santa Clara, United States
$184,000 - $356,500 USD yearly
Originally posted 20 August 2026 by the employer.
Design and develop Chip specific kernel drivers and embedded software with a focus on Linux kernel development and Core OS enablement.
About the role
This role involves designing and developing key aspects of Chip specific kernel drivers and embedded software, with a strong focus on Linux kernel development, Core OS enablement, Chip and Platform Bring-up, and automation across both pre-silicon and silicon platforms.
What you'll do
- Design, develop, and verify features for Chips architecture, collaborating with hardware and software engineers.
- Influence hardware architecture and system software design through architecture reviews and design specifications.
- Work closely with hardware, silicon, and pre-silicon teams to bring up new platforms, products, and prototype systems.
- Enable Linux and core operating system software across simulation, emulation, FPGA, and silicon platforms.
- Debug and resolve complex hardware and software integration issues across multiple layers of the software stack.
What you'll need
- BS or MS degree in Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field, or equivalent experience.
- 8+ years of relevant software development experience.
- Hands-on technical experience in environments involving complex hardware and software designs.
- Strong expertise in C programming, Linux kernel development, and core operating system software.
- Experience developing and debugging Linux device drivers.
- Strong background in complex system-level debugging and root cause analysis.
- Familiarity with computer architecture fundamentals including caches, buses, memory controllers, DMA, interrupts, and low-level hardware interactions.
- Demonstrated ability to independently drive projects from design through deployment with strong end-to-end ownership.
Skills: Chip specific kernel drivers, embedded software, Linux kernel development, Core OS enablement, Chip and Platform Bring-up
This role has been open 57 days — below the 60-day median for Systems Software Engineering roles.
Systems Software Engineering · Systems Software
|
Open roles in category
692
|
Median days open
60 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 (692 roles · 71 employers) |
|---|---|---|
| Open roles in this specialty | 134 | 692 |
| Open roles in the wider Software, Firmware & Systems family | 991 | 6157 · 145 employers |
| Median days open | 47 d | 60 d (−13 d vs this employer) |
| Median salary (USD postings) | — | $213k |
Skills observed across this category: Chip specific kernel drivers, embedded software, Linux kernel development, Core OS enablement, Chip and Platform Bring-up
Who's hiring in this category
- Qualcomm · 172 open roles · median 78 d
- NVIDIA (this employer) · 135 open roles · median 48 d
- AMD · 63 open roles · median 50 d
- Mobileye · 27 open roles · median 71 d
- Broadcom · 21 open roles · median 52 d
- Arm Holdings · 20 open roles · median 113 d
How we counted: 692 open Systems Software Engineering (Systems Software) roles from 71 employers tracked in the SemiconductorJobs index, counted 16 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.