Principal Software Engineer Visa Sponsorship Jobs in Illinois
Illinois is a strong market for principal software engineer roles, with major tech employers like Motorola Solutions, Discover Financial, and Caterpillar headquartered here, plus a dense cluster of opportunities across Chicago's West Loop and River North neighborhoods. Companies in fintech, enterprise software, and logistics actively sponsor H-1B visa and other work visas for senior engineering talent.
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INTRODUCTION
NVIDIA is seeking a Sr. Principal Systems Software Engineer for the Apache Spark Acceleration group. GPU accelerated data processing has moved from proof of concept to production deployments. Enterprises now recognize the need for accelerated computing to handle large data processing needs. Multi-node GPU deployments will reduce cloud computing costs and lower latency batch ETL workloads. At NVIDIA, we have been invested in accelerating Apache Spark, providing an open source plugin for Apache Spark. Apache Spark is the most popular data processing engine in data centers. We strive to accelerate Spark applications on GPUs without any code changes. Our OSS RAPIDS Spark library is integrated with on-premise and cloud services such as AWS EMR, Databricks, Google Dataproc, Oracle Cloud Data Flow, Bytedance Volcengine, Tencent Cloud and Cloudera. We are passionate about working on hard problems that have an impact. You will need to have strong programming skills, a deep understanding of software development related. You will work with a team that is using open source libraries like cuDF to accelerate reading, writing and batch data operations in Spark.
ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES
What You'll Be Doing
- Develop Java, Scala and CUDA/C++ libraries to accelerate DataFrames and I/O operations on common file formats such as Parquet, ORC and JSON
- Enable interoperability with table formats such as Apache Iceberg and Delta Lake, and metastores such as Unity Catalog
- Work with open source communities to enhance libraries like NVIDIA cuDF, CCCL and UCX through technical discussion and code contributions
- Collaborate with distributed systems teams to craft solutions to distributed processing problems challenges at large scale
- Provide recommendations and feedback to teams regarding decisions surrounding topics such as infrastructure, continuous integration and testing strategy
- Build, test and optimize CUDA/C++ libraries across different platforms
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS
What We Need To See
- BS, MS, or PhD in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or closely related field (or equivalent experience)
- 15+ years of work experience in software development
- Outstanding technical skills in designing and implementing high-quality distributed systems
- Excellent programming skills in C++, Java, and/or Scala
- Ability to work with teams across organizational boundaries and geographies
- Familiarity with the open source data platform ecosystem (Apache Spark, Velox, Presto, Apache Arrow, Apache DataFusion, etc.). Meaningful contributions to the OSS community a plus.
- Highly motivated with strong interpersonal skills
- Database query optimization is a strong plus
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 272,000 USD - 431,250 USD. You will also be eligible for equity and benefits. Applications for this job will be accepted at least until July 19, 2026. This posting is for an existing vacancy.
NVIDIA uses AI tools in its recruiting processes. NVIDIA is committed to fostering an inclusive 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.
deeplearning, JR2021260
Principal Software Engineer Job Roles in Illinois
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Search Principal Software Engineer Jobs in IllinoisPrincipal Software Engineer Jobs in Illinois: Frequently Asked Questions
Which companies in Illinois sponsor visas for principal software engineers?
Several large Illinois employers have consistent H-1B sponsorship histories for senior engineering roles. Motorola Solutions, Discover Financial Services, Caterpillar, Walgreens Boots Alliance, and United Airlines have all filed Labor Condition Applications for principal-level software engineering positions. Chicago-based tech firms and major consulting firms with Illinois offices also appear regularly in DOL disclosure data for this role level.
Which visa types are most common for principal software engineer roles in Illinois?
The H-1B is the most common visa category for principal software engineers in Illinois, as the role clearly qualifies as a specialty occupation requiring at least a bachelor's degree in computer science or a related field. Candidates already holding L-1A or L-1B status through multinational employers, or those with O-1A extraordinary ability classification, also fill principal engineering roles at Illinois companies without H-1B lottery exposure.
Which cities in Illinois have the most principal software engineer sponsorship jobs?
Chicago accounts for the significant majority of principal software engineer sponsorship activity in Illinois. The West Loop, River North, and Fulton Market districts concentrate the highest density of tech employers and corporate headquarters. Lisle, Deerfield, and Peoria also have sponsoring employers, primarily large industrial and enterprise software companies like Caterpillar and Motorola Solutions with suburban or downstate campuses.
How to find principal software engineer visa sponsorship jobs in Illinois?
Migrate Mate filters job listings specifically by visa sponsorship availability, making it straightforward to browse principal software engineer openings in Illinois without sifting through roles that don't sponsor. Because principal-level positions are typically filled through targeted searches rather than high-volume applications, filtering by sponsorship status and seniority level on Migrate Mate helps narrow to employers who have both the intent and infrastructure to support the process.
Are there any Illinois-specific considerations for principal software engineers seeking visa sponsorship?
Illinois falls under the DOL Chicago National Processing Center for Labor Condition Applications, which affects prevailing wage determinations for H-1B petitions. Principal software engineer roles in the Chicago metropolitan area are typically mapped to higher wage levels given the seniority of the position, meaning employers must meet elevated DOL wage requirements. Illinois is also home to strong university computer science programs at UIUC and Northwestern, which creates a consistent pipeline of internationally trained engineers already familiar with the Illinois market.
What is the prevailing wage for sponsored principal software engineer jobs in Illinois?
U.S. employers sponsoring a visa must pay at least the prevailing wage, which is what workers in the same role, area, and experience level typically earn. The Department of Labor sets this rate to make sure companies aren't hiring foreign workers simply because they'd accept lower pay than a U.S. worker. It varies by job title, location, and experience. You can look up current prevailing wage rates for any occupation and location using the OFLC Wage Search page.