Senior Software Engineer, Embedded Platform Middleware — Automotive and Robotics - CA, Santa Clara, United States
$184,000 - $356,500 USD yearly
Originally posted 2 August 2026 by the employer.
This role focuses on building foundational system software for NVIDIA DRIVE and Jetson platforms.
About the role
This role involves building foundational system software for safe, high-performance data sharing and synchronization across GPUs, CPUs, and specialized accelerators on NVIDIA DRIVE (autonomous vehicles) and Jetson (robotics & edge AI) platforms.
What you'll do
- Design and evolve middleware APIs for buffer sharing, cross-engine synchronization, streaming, and inter-process communication.
- Lead end-to-end feature development that meets stringent automotive safety and security standards (ISO 26262, ASPICE, ISO 21434).
- Optimize performance in resource-constrained embedded environments and partner with hardware and firmware engineers.
- Drive technical direction across teams, collaborating with CUDA, graphics, camera, and AV framework engineers.
- Modernize software development by introducing automation, static analysis, fuzzing, and generative-AI tooling.
- Mentor and influence team members, representing the platform in cross-organizational design discussions.
What you'll need
- BS or MS in CS, CE, EE, or related field — or equivalent experience.
- 8+ years of relevant software development experience.
- Strong proficiency in C and modern C++.
- Deep experience with embedded systems and system architecture — multi-threaded software spanning CPUs, accelerators, and heterogeneous chips.
- Strong understanding of operating systems internals: memory management, synchronization primitives, IPC, and drivers.
- Hands-on experience with the Linux kernel (drivers, subsystems, or kernel-space development).
- Experience delivering safety-critical software — ISO 26262, DO-178C, IEC 61508, or equivalent certified-software development processes.
- Proven track record of driving solutions from concept to production in cross-functional, distributed teams.
Skills: Embedded Platform Middleware, Autonomous Vehicles, Robotics, ISO 26262, system architecture
This role has been open 71 days — well below the 91-day median for Embedded Firmware Engineering roles.
Embedded Firmware Engineering · Automotive IC
|
Open roles in category
74
|
Median days open
91 d
|
Median salary
$159k
|
See the full market breakdown ▾Category comparison, skills in demand, and who else is hiring
| Metric | NVIDIA | All employers we track in this specialty (74 roles · 15 employers) |
|---|---|---|
| Open roles in this specialty | 11 | 74 |
| Open roles in the wider Software, Firmware & Systems family | 973 | 6114 · 145 employers |
| Median days open | 71 d | 91 d (−20 d vs this employer) |
| Median salary (USD postings) | — | $159k |
Skills observed across this category: Embedded Platform Middleware, Autonomous Vehicles, Robotics, ISO 26262, system architecture
Who's hiring in this category
- Qualcomm · 17 open roles · median 192 d
- Infineon Technologies · 12 open roles · median 87 d
- NVIDIA (this employer) · 11 open roles · median 72 d
- NXP Semiconductors · 9 open roles · median 47 d
- Renesas Electronics · 5 open roles · median 67 d
- Arrow Electronics · 4 open roles · median 113 d
How we counted: 74 open Embedded Firmware Engineering (Automotive IC) roles from 15 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.