Principal Architect, System Software - Orbital Data Center

Job Title

Principal Architect, System Software - Orbital Data Center

Role Summary

Lead the end-to-end system software architecture for NVIDIA's Space-1 Orbital Data Center (ODC) and successor modules. The role owns the integrated software stack from BMC/BIOS and firmware through host OS, drivers, CUDA and manageability telemetry to deliver resilient inference platforms for low-Earth orbit missions.

Work closely with hardware system architects, platform and mechanical engineering, and constellation operators to translate mission requirements into a production-ready, rad-tolerant system software architecture for long-duration LEO operation.

Experience Level

Senior — 15+ years of relevant experience in server/platform system software and full-stack integration across firmware, OS, drivers, and accelerator software.

Responsibilities

The position is responsible for architecture, reliability, and operational behavior of the full system software stack for orbital data center modules.

• Own system software architecture for inference and application stacks; design for fault tolerance and graceful degradation in space environments.
• Co-architect interfaces and partitioning across silicon, board, firmware, OS, and AI workload layers for multi-year LEO missions.
• Define and implement manageability features for unreachable, autonomous data centers: remote bring-up, in-orbit firmware updates, dual-module redundancy, telemetry, and fleet-level operations.
• Architect rad-tolerant behaviors: ECC handling, memory scrubbing, latch-up mitigation, deterministic recovery, and lifecycle considerations for thermal cycling and radiation exposure.
• Drive adoption of management protocols (Redfish, MCTP, PLDM) across BMC, BIOS, and host software to enable ground-like operations for orbital fleets.
• Specify BMC feature set, boot architecture, pin budgets, and redundancy strategy in partnership with platform and mechanical engineering.
• Partner with cloud and constellation customers to translate mission requirements (orbit, duty cycle, security, networking, SLAs) into actionable architecture.
• Lead reliability, optimization, and telemetry quality from first silicon through launch and in-orbit operations.

Requirements

Must-have technical skills and proven experience.

• 15+ years in server/platform system software covering firmware, BIOS, host OS, drivers, and manageability at scale.
• Proven track record architecting and delivering platform software for large-scale data centers or mission-critical embedded systems; experience with AI infrastructure.
• Deep knowledge of server architecture, data center manageability, telemetry, and fault management workflows.
• Hands-on familiarity with hardware management interfaces (USB, SMBus/I2C, PCIe) and management protocols (Redfish, MCTP, PLDM).
• Strong programming and debugging skills in C/C++ and Python; experience with pre-silicon and platform bring-up environments.
• Experience with SCM (Git, Perforce) and project management tools like Jira.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, strong teamwork, self-starter mentality, and commitment to delivery quality.

Nice-to-have:

• Experience architecting platform software for space, aerospace, defense, or other radiation/thermal/vibration-constrained environments (SEU/SEFI mitigation, ECC strategy, TID/SEE qualification).
• Hands-on experience with autonomous or unreachable data center operations (in-orbit firmware update, dual-module redundancy, recovery without physical access).
• Familiarity with NVIDIA AI software stack (CUDA, DCGM, DOCA, GPU drivers) and x86 or ARM (Grace/Vera) system architectures.
• Familiarity with aerospace standards (VPX, MIL-STD shock/vibe, NASA EEE-INST-002) and NSA PHIPs or post-quantum networking concepts.
• Proven technical leadership on large programs spanning firmware, OS, driver, and AI stack teams.

Education Requirements

BS, MS, or PhD in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or a related technical field — or equivalent practical experience.

About the Company

Company: NVIDIA

Headquarters: Santa Clara, California, USA

NVIDIA is a global leader in accelerated computing, renowned for its innovative solutions in AI and digital twins that transform diverse industries. The company specializes in networking technologies, providing end-to-end InfiniBand and Ethernet solutions for servers and storage that optimize performance and scalability. NVIDIA serves sectors such as high-performance computing, enterprise data centers, and cloud computing, constantly reinventing its products and services to stay ahead in the market.