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Distinguished Architect Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Pinterest

Distinguished Engineer

Palo Alto, CA · On-site

Architect how LLMs and foundation models integrate with our core discovery stack (e.g., query ... Proven experience as a Distinguished Engineer, Architect, or equivalent senior technical leader ...

Pinterest

Distinguished Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

Architect how LLMs and foundation models integrate with our core discovery stack (e.g., query ... Proven experience as a Distinguished Engineer, Architect, or equivalent senior technical leader ...

Coherent

Distinguished MTS

Sunnyvale, CA

The Distinguished MTS will provide senior technical leadership for the Coherent OCS BU, bringing ... Provide senior technical leadership for fiberoptic components, OCS architecture, and system-level ...

Coherent Corp.

Distinguished MTS

Sunnyvale, CA · On-site

The Distinguished MTS will provide senior technical leadership for the Coherent OCS BU, bringing ... Provide senior technical leadership for fiberoptic components, OCS architecture, and system-level ...

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Distinguished Architect information

See California salary details

$31.8K

$168.2K

$231.1K

How much do distinguished architect jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 18, 2026, the average yearly pay for distinguished architect in California is $168,169.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $122,403.00 and $216,899.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a distinguished architect?

A Distinguished Architect is a senior technical leader responsible for shaping the overall architecture and strategy of complex systems or enterprise solutions. They provide expertise in design, scalability, and innovation, often influencing technical standards and best practices across an organization. Distinguished Architects collaborate with executives, engineering teams, and stakeholders to align technology with business goals. Their role requires deep industry knowledge, leadership skills, and the ability to solve high-level architectural challenges.

What are the typical daily responsibilities of a distinguished architect?

On a typical day, a Distinguished Architect will lead the conceptualization and design of complex technical solutions, review and approve high-level architectural decisions, and ensure alignment with business strategy. They often collaborate with cross-functional teams, mentor other architects and engineers, and provide technical guidance throughout the project lifecycle. Additionally, they may engage with executive leadership to communicate architecture vision and support long-term technology planning. This role also involves staying up to date on emerging technologies to ensure the organization’s architecture remains innovative and robust.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a distinguished architect?

Excelling as a Distinguished Architect requires deep expertise in systems design, enterprise architecture, and solution integration, typically supported by advanced degrees and considerable experience in architecture roles. Familiarity with frameworks like TOGAF, cloud platforms such as AWS or Azure, and architecture modeling tools are commonly expected, as are relevant certifications. Outstanding leadership, strategic vision, and the ability to communicate complex ideas to both technical and non-technical stakeholders distinguish top professionals in this role. These competencies are critical for driving large-scale technology initiatives and aligning architecture strategies with business goals.

What are the most commonly searched types of Distinguished Architect jobs in California?

The most popular types of Distinguished Architect jobs in California are:

What are popular job titles related to Distinguished Architect jobs in California?

For Distinguished Architect jobs in California, the most frequently searched job titles are:

What job categories do people searching Distinguished Architect jobs in California look for?

The top searched job categories for Distinguished Architect jobs in California are:

What cities in California are hiring for Distinguished Architect jobs?

Cities in California with the most Distinguished Architect job openings:

Distinguished Architect jobs near you
Infographic showing various Distinguished Architect job openings in California as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 93% Full Time, 1% Part Time, and 6% Contract. Highlights an 77% Physical, 8% Hybrid, and 15% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $168,169 per year, or $80.9 per hour.

Distinguished Engineer, Power Architecture

Nvidia

Santa Clara, CA • On-site

Full-time

Re-posted 4 days ago

Nvidia rating

9.6

Company rating: 9.6 out of 10

Based on 17 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

7th of 245 rated software companies

Job description

Join NVIDIA's Applied Power Architecture team and help define the perf/watt standards of our innovative silicon and systems across many domains. As a Distinguished Engineer, Power Architecture, you'll develop the long-term technical strategy for power architecture. This includes datacenter GPUs, GeForce and client products, automotive (DRIVE), robotics (Jetson, Isaac), and the broader edge-AI portfolio. This role suits a recognized expert who has personally crafted the power architecture of multiple successful silicon generations and is ready to lead the next decade of perf/watt advancement at NVIDIA. This is your chance to join a company that continually expands the possibilities of technology and innovation!

What you'll be doing:

  • Set multi-generation, cross-portfolio power strategy.

  • Own perf/watt across server-, client-, and edge-class platforms.

  • Drive performance-versus-power analysis that influences major silicon trade-offs and product roadmap decisions.

  • Lead silicon and vendor/IP co-architecture.

  • Define new technology frontiers.

  • Architect thermal and system-level power management end-to-end.

  • Drive ML- and workload-aware modeling and post-silicon optimization.

  • Influence across the company and the industry.

  • Develop the next generation of technical leaders.

  • Generate sustained IP and intellectual contribution.

What we need to see:

  • MSEE, MSCE, or PhD or equivalent experience demonstrating significant impact in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field.

  • 18+ years of relevant industry and/or academic experience.

  • Demonstrated ownership of power architecture across several successful silicon generations-server-class, client/mobile-class, or thermally-constrained SoC platforms. Took personal responsibility for decisions that significantly developed product outcomes.

  • Deep, applied expertise in the full stack of low-power and energy-efficient design techniques.

  • Authoritative understanding of modern GPU, CPU, and accelerator architectures; high-speed interconnects (NVLink, PCIe, Ethernet, optical, automotive networks); memory subsystems (HBM, LPDDR, on-die SRAM); and the system, OS, runtime, firmware, and workload layers that determine real-world perf/watt.

  • Proven history of developing and implementing power and performance modeling methods, important metrics, and tools widely used across the engineering organization. This includes projections before silicon creation and detailed validation after silicon production.

  • Demonstrated experience defining requirements with - and architecting power solutions across - internal silicon teams and external silicon, IP, foundry, or packaging partners.

Ways to stand out from the crowd:

  • Own the architecture for power and thermal development in a leading GPU, AI accelerator, mobile SoC, automotive SoC, robotics SoC, or large-scale server SoC with significant shipment volume.

  • Experience driving model-to-hardware co-optimization for perception, ML, or graphics workloads on power- and thermally-constrained platforms.

  • Background co-designing silicon with platform-level power delivery and cooling. This ranges from rack- and row-scale liquid or immersion cooling at the datacenter end. It also includes passively cooled and battery-constrained envelopes at the edge.

  • Published research or production work applying ML to power/performance modeling, workload characterization, or DVFS/AVFS strategies at scale.

  • Deep roots in RTL, microarchitecture, or backend implementation that allow you to operate fluently from architectural intent down to build realization with history of mentoring engineers into Principal- and Distinguished-level roles, and of building durable technical communities in power, performance, or architecture.

Your base salary will be determined based on your location, experience, and the pay of employees in similar positions. The base salary range is 320,000 USD - 488,750 USD.

You will also be eligible for equity and benefits.

Applications for this job will be accepted at least until May 18, 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.

What Nvidia employees say

Pay

Benefits

Hours and flexibility

Workplace

Get the full story on Breakroom

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About Nvidia

Sourced by ZipRecruiter

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.

Industry

Computer and electronic product manufacturing

Company size

10,000+ Employees

Headquarters location

Santa Clara, CA, US

Year founded

1993

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