SoC Software Engineer – New College Graduate 2026 - CA, Santa Clara, United States
$108,000 - $195,500 USD yearly
Originally posted 13 October 2026 by the employer.
About the role
This role involves developing foundational technology for computing systems across SOC, Data Center, Automotive, and Embedded domains. The work spans hardware, firmware, operating systems, and applications to bring sophisticated products from early silicon through deployment.
What you'll do
- Design and develop SoC software, validation solutions, and test frameworks for CPU, SoC, and GPU-based platforms. - Build system validation and reliability software that supports the journey from virtual prototypes and first silicon to production-ready hardware. - Contribute to system software architecture and collaborate with internal teams to integrate new capabilities across the software stack. - Work closely with architecture, ASIC, firmware, platform, and new product introduction teams to understand requirements. - Investigate hardware and software issues, develop solutions, and improve performance, reliability, power efficiency, and serviceability of platforms. - Explore emerging technologies and industry standards, then apply what is learned to solve engineering problems.
What you'll need
- BS or MS in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a related field—or equivalent experience. - Strong C or C++ programming skills and an understanding of object-oriented design. - Familiarity with low-level systems software, device drivers and understanding of OS and computer architecture. - Strong problem-solving and debugging skills. - Clear communication skills and the ability to collaborate effectively in a team environment.
Skills: SoC Software Engineer, low-level systems software, device drivers, kernel, SoC boot software
This role has been open 0 days — well below the 61-day median for Systems Software Engineering roles.
Systems Software Engineering · Systems Software
|
Open roles in category
681
|
Median days open
61 d
|
Median salary
$217k
|
See the full market breakdown ▾Category comparison, skills in demand, and who else is hiring
| Metric | NVIDIA | All employers we track in this specialty (681 roles · 73 employers) |
|---|---|---|
| Open roles in this specialty | 137 | 681 |
| Open roles in the wider Software, Firmware & Systems family | 1008 | 6164 · 146 employers |
| Median days open | 46 d | 61 d (−15 d vs this employer) |
| Median salary (USD postings) | — | $217k |
Skills observed across this category: SoC Software Engineer, low-level systems software, device drivers, kernel, SoC boot software
Who's hiring in this category
- Qualcomm · 163 open roles · median 77 d
- NVIDIA (this employer) · 137 open roles · median 47 d
- AMD · 59 open roles · median 54 d
- Mobileye · 27 open roles · median 69 d
- Broadcom · 21 open roles · median 50 d
- Arm Holdings · 20 open roles · median 111 d
How we counted: 681 open Systems Software Engineering (Systems Software) roles from 73 employers tracked in the SemiconductorJobs index, counted 14 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.