Principal Systems Engineer Visa Sponsorship Jobs in Illinois
Principal systems engineer roles in Illinois are concentrated in Chicago's technology and financial services sectors, with major employers like Motorola Solutions, Discover Financial, and United Airlines regularly seeking senior engineering talent. The state's dense enterprise technology base and proximity to Big Ten university pipelines make Illinois one of the more active markets for visa-sponsored principal systems engineer positions.
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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 Systems Engineer Job Roles in Illinois
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Search Principal Systems Engineer Jobs in IllinoisPrincipal Systems Engineer Jobs in Illinois: Frequently Asked Questions
Which companies in Illinois sponsor visas for principal systems engineers?
Illinois-based employers with active sponsorship histories for senior engineering roles include Motorola Solutions, Discover Financial Services, Allstate, United Airlines, and Zebra Technologies. Large technology consultancies with significant Illinois operations, such as Accenture and Cognizant, also file regularly for principal-level systems engineering positions. Enterprise software and fintech firms headquartered in the Chicago metro tend to generate the most consistent sponsorship activity for this seniority level.
Which visa types realistically apply to principal systems engineer roles in Illinois?
Principal systems engineer is a specialty occupation requiring a directly related bachelor's degree or higher, so the H-1B visa, E-3 visa (Australian nationals), H-1B1 visa (Chilean and Singaporean nationals), and TN visa (Canadian and Mexican nationals holding an engineering degree) all apply. Candidates already in the U.S. may also be eligible for OPT or STEM OPT. Employers sponsoring permanent residence typically use the EB-2 or EB-3 employment-based green card categories via the PERM labor certification process.
Which cities in Illinois have the most principal systems engineer sponsorship jobs?
Chicago accounts for the large majority of principal systems engineer sponsorship activity in Illinois, driven by its concentration of financial services firms, technology companies, and enterprise software providers. Suburbs such as Schaumburg, Rosemont, and Deerfield also generate meaningful volume, particularly around Motorola Solutions' headquarters and other corporate campuses. Outside the Chicago metro, Champaign-Urbana has a smaller but active technology hiring presence connected to the University of Illinois.
How to find principal systems engineer visa sponsorship jobs in Illinois?
Migrate Mate lists principal systems engineer roles in Illinois filtered to employers with verified visa sponsorship histories, letting you focus applications on companies already familiar with the sponsorship process for senior engineering talent. Because principal systems engineer positions are senior individual-contributor or technical lead roles, filtering by experience level within Migrate Mate helps surface opportunities that match the seniority and scope this title typically requires in the Illinois market.
Are there state-specific factors that affect principal systems engineer sponsorship in Illinois?
Illinois does not impose additional state-level visa requirements beyond federal rules, but a few local factors shape sponsorship patterns. Chicago's density of Fortune 500 headquarters means many principal systems engineer openings are at large employers with established immigration programs, which generally simplifies the sponsorship process. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign produces a steady pipeline of advanced engineering graduates, contributing to employer familiarity with STEM OPT extensions and subsequent H-1B petitions for systems engineering roles.
What is the prevailing wage for sponsored principal systems 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.