Senior Data Center Engineer Jobs in California
Senior Data Center Engineer jobs in California are among the most active in the country, concentrated in the technology, cloud infrastructure, and enterprise IT sectors with demand at every level from data center technician through senior engineer. The largest hiring metros are San Jose, Los Angeles, and Sacramento, where companies like Google, Microsoft, and Equinix maintain significant data center footprints and ongoing staffing needs. The most in-demand specialties are critical systems design, power and cooling infrastructure, and network architecture for hyperscale environments. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.
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Showing 5 of 11+ Senior Data Center Engineer jobs
INTRODUCTION
NVIDIA has been transforming computer graphics, PC gaming, and accelerated computing for more than 25 years. It’s a unique legacy of innovation that’s fueled by great technology and amazing people. Today, we’re tapping into the unlimited potential of AI to define the next era of computing. An era in which our GPU acts as the brains of computers, robots, and self-driving cars that can understand the world. Doing what’s never been done before takes vision, innovation, and the world’s best talent. As an NVIDIAN, you’ll be immersed in a diverse, supportive environment where everyone is inspired to do their best work.
NVIDIA has a rapidly expanding ecosystem of data center platform designs. From single node HGX/DGX systems all the way up to large multi-node NVLink domain rack architectures. These designs have become core to NVIDIA's rapidly growing enterprise and cloud provider businesses. Each brings together the full power of NVIDIA GPUs, NVIDIA NVLink, NVIDIA InfiniBand networking, NVIDIA Grace CPUs, and a fully optimized NVIDIA AI and HPC software stack. We are searching for a highly motivated engineer to lead performance benchmarking and optimization efforts for our data center products. You will be instrumental in ensuring our data center solutions deliver industry-leading performance for accelerated computing workloads.
ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES
What you will be doing:
- Design and execute comprehensive performance benchmarking strategies for our data center platforms and products
- Characterize real-world AI training, inference, and HPC workloads at scale
- Define, track, and report key performance indicators (throughput, latency, efficiency, scaling)
- Build automation tools and frameworks for performance monitoring and analysis
- Identify and analyze performance bottlenecks across compute, memory, network and storage subsystems
- Work closely with architecture, hardware, software, networking, storage and customer teams to resolve performance issues
- Drive performance improvements through system tuning, configuration optimization, and architectural recommendations for future generation systems
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS
What we need to see:
- M.S. or Ph.D. in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering or related field (or equivalent experience).
- 8+ years of experience in performance engineering or system architecture
- Deep understanding of computer architecture, hardware-software interaction and computing at-scale
- Strong proficiency in performance profiling tools (Linux perf, NVIDIA Nsight Systems)
- Familiarity with GPU computing and parallel programming (CUDA)
- Background with HPC networking technologies (InfiniBand, RoCE, NVLink)
- Programming skills in Python, C++, and shell scripting. Excellent analytical and problem-solving abilities
- Adaptability and passion to learn new technologies
- Ability to communicate effectively and work with cross-functional global teams
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
Ways to stand out from the crowd:
- Experience with AI/ML frameworks (PyTorch, TensorFlow, JAX). Knowledge of MPI, collective communications (NCCL), distributed training and inference. Familiarity with NVIDIA DGX, HGX platforms and other data center solutions
- Familiar with containers, cloud provisioning and scheduling tools (Docker, Kubernetes, SLURM). Understanding of storage systems and I/O performance
- Track record of performance optimization in production environment. Experience with AI code generation tools
COMPENSATION
Your base salary will be determined based on your location, experience, and the pay of employees in similar positions. The base salary range is 184,000 USD - 287,500 USD for Level 4, and 224,000 USD - 356,500 USD for Level 5.
You will also be eligible for equity and benefits.
Applications for this job will be accepted at least until March 27, 2026.
This posting is for an existing vacancy. NVIDIA uses AI tools in its recruiting processes.
NVIDIA is committed to fostering a diverse work environment and proud to be an equal opportunity employer. As we highly value diversity in our current and future employees, we do not discriminate (including in our hiring and promotion practices) on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability status or any other characteristic protected by law.
INTRODUCTION
NVIDIA has been transforming computer graphics, PC gaming, and accelerated computing for more than 25 years. It’s a unique legacy of innovation that’s fueled by great technology and amazing people. Today, we’re tapping into the unlimited potential of AI to define the next era of computing. An era in which our GPU acts as the brains of computers, robots, and self-driving cars that can understand the world. Doing what’s never been done before takes vision, innovation, and the world’s best talent. As an NVIDIAN, you’ll be immersed in a diverse, supportive environment where everyone is inspired to do their best work.
NVIDIA has a rapidly expanding ecosystem of data center platform designs. From single node HGX/DGX systems all the way up to large multi-node NVLink domain rack architectures. These designs have become core to NVIDIA's rapidly growing enterprise and cloud provider businesses. Each brings together the full power of NVIDIA GPUs, NVIDIA NVLink, NVIDIA InfiniBand networking, NVIDIA Grace CPUs, and a fully optimized NVIDIA AI and HPC software stack. We are searching for a highly motivated engineer to lead performance benchmarking and optimization efforts for our data center products. You will be instrumental in ensuring our data center solutions deliver industry-leading performance for accelerated computing workloads.
ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES
What you will be doing:
- Design and execute comprehensive performance benchmarking strategies for our data center platforms and products
- Characterize real-world AI training, inference, and HPC workloads at scale
- Define, track, and report key performance indicators (throughput, latency, efficiency, scaling)
- Build automation tools and frameworks for performance monitoring and analysis
- Identify and analyze performance bottlenecks across compute, memory, network and storage subsystems
- Work closely with architecture, hardware, software, networking, storage and customer teams to resolve performance issues
- Drive performance improvements through system tuning, configuration optimization, and architectural recommendations for future generation systems
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS
What we need to see:
- M.S. or Ph.D. in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering or related field (or equivalent experience).
- 8+ years of experience in performance engineering or system architecture
- Deep understanding of computer architecture, hardware-software interaction and computing at-scale
- Strong proficiency in performance profiling tools (Linux perf, NVIDIA Nsight Systems)
- Familiarity with GPU computing and parallel programming (CUDA)
- Background with HPC networking technologies (InfiniBand, RoCE, NVLink)
- Programming skills in Python, C++, and shell scripting. Excellent analytical and problem-solving abilities
- Adaptability and passion to learn new technologies
- Ability to communicate effectively and work with cross-functional global teams
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
Ways to stand out from the crowd:
- Experience with AI/ML frameworks (PyTorch, TensorFlow, JAX). Knowledge of MPI, collective communications (NCCL), distributed training and inference. Familiarity with NVIDIA DGX, HGX platforms and other data center solutions
- Familiar with containers, cloud provisioning and scheduling tools (Docker, Kubernetes, SLURM). Understanding of storage systems and I/O performance
- Track record of performance optimization in production environment. Experience with AI code generation tools
COMPENSATION
Your base salary will be determined based on your location, experience, and the pay of employees in similar positions. The base salary range is 184,000 USD - 287,500 USD for Level 4, and 224,000 USD - 356,500 USD for Level 5.
You will also be eligible for equity and benefits.
Applications for this job will be accepted at least until March 27, 2026.
This posting is for an existing vacancy. NVIDIA uses AI tools in its recruiting processes.
NVIDIA is committed to fostering a diverse work environment and proud to be an equal opportunity employer. As we highly value diversity in our current and future employees, we do not discriminate (including in our hiring and promotion practices) on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability status or any other characteristic protected by law.
See All 11 Senior Data Center Engineer Jobs in California
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Find JobsSenior Data Center Engineer Jobs by City in California
Where California roles are concentrated, by current openings.
Senior Data Center Engineer Job Market in California
A snapshot from current California openings, updated as new roles post.
Who's Hiring
- NVIDIA8
- Gruve Tech1
- Intel1
- SB Energy1
Top Industries Hiring
- Technology & Software4
- Law & Legal Services3
- Electronics & Hardware2
- Energy1
- Science & Research1
What California Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in senior data center engineer jobs across California.
- Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, computer science, or a closely related technical field
- Five or more years of hands-on data center operations and infrastructure design experience
- Professional certifications such as CDCP, CDCS, or equivalent from recognized industry bodies
- Deep knowledge of power distribution, UPS systems, and critical cooling infrastructure at scale
- Experience with hyperscale or colocation environments including network architecture and cabling standards
- Familiarity with California Title 24 energy efficiency codes and ASHRAE thermal guidelines
Senior Data Center Engineer Jobs in California: Frequently Asked Questions
How do you become a senior data center engineer in California?
The most direct path is a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, computer science, or a related discipline followed by several years of progressively responsible data center operations experience. California does not require a state-issued license specific to data center engineering, but employers consistently value industry certifications such as the Certified Data Center Professional or Certified Data Center Specialist credentials. Candidates who have worked across California's hyperscale or colocation facilities tend to advance faster into senior roles.
Which companies hire senior data center engineers in California?
Employers hiring senior data center engineers in California right now include NVIDIA, Gruve Tech, and Intel, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of June 2026. California's dense concentration of technology headquarters, colocation campuses, and cloud providers means hiring is sustained year-round rather than driven by seasonal surges.
Which California cities have the most senior data center engineer jobs?
Santa Clara and Redwood City lead California for senior data center engineer openings right now. San Jose anchors the highest volume given Silicon Valley's concentration of hyperscale operators and enterprise technology headquarters, while Los Angeles draws demand from media, entertainment, and financial services firms, and Sacramento has grown significantly as a hub for state government and utility-adjacent data infrastructure projects.
Are there remote senior data center engineer jobs in California?
Yes, but they're rare. Data center engineering at the senior level is fundamentally a hands-on discipline requiring physical presence for infrastructure management, critical systems oversight, and on-site troubleshooting. About 27% of senior data center engineer openings tied to California are remote or hybrid as of June 2026, and those postings tend to cover design, architecture planning, or vendor management work that does not require a constant facility presence.
How can I get hired as a senior data center engineer in California with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path is starting as a data center technician or facilities operations associate at a colocation provider or cloud campus in the Bay Area or Los Angeles metro, then building toward senior roles from there. Large California operators run structured associate technician programs that accept candidates without prior data center experience and provide on-the-job training. Earning an entry-level infrastructure certification and demonstrating hands-on exposure to electrical or mechanical systems gives applicants a concrete edge over those with only academic backgrounds.
Where can I find and apply to senior data center engineer jobs in California?
You can find and apply to senior data center engineer jobs in California on Migrate Mate, which lists current California openings updated regularly. Search the available roles by location or specialty, find a position that fits your background and target market, and apply directly to the employer.
See All 11 Senior Data Center Engineer Jobs in California
Find roles in California that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
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