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Full Time Kernel Developer Jobs (NOW HIRING)

NIO

Senior OS/Kernel Engineer

San Jose, CA

$143K - $186K/yr

About the Position We are seeking a senior OS / kernel engineer to join our SkyOS team. The team is ... The US base salary range for this full-time position is $143,200.00 - $186,000.00. * Within the ...

NIO

Senior OS/Kernel Engineer

San Jose, CA · On-site

$143K - $186K/yr

About the Position We are seeking a senior OS / kernel engineer to join our SkyOS team. The team is ... The US base salary range for this full-time position is $143,200.00 - $186,000.00. * Within the ...

Data Direct Networks

CA

$150K - $250K/yr

Overview If you enjoy building deep infrastructure systems where networking, storage, kernel ... FULL_TIME

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As of Jun 6, 2026, the average hourly pay for full time kernel developer in the United States is $45.29, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $23.56 and $54.81 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.
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Sr. Hypervisor/Linux Kernel Developer - Software Platform

NIO

San Jose, CA

$163K - $212K/yr

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Retirement, PTO

Posted 2 days ago

Job description

JOB DESCRIPTION

About NIO

NIO is a pioneer and a leading company in the premium smart electric vehicle market. Founded in November 2014, NIO's mission is to shape a joyful lifestyle. NIO aims to build a community starting with smart electric vehicles to share joy and grow together with users.

NIO designs, develops, jointly manufactures and sells premium smart electric vehicles, driving innovations in next-generation technologies in autonomous driving, digital technologies, electric powertrains and batteries. NIO differentiates itself through its continuous technological breakthroughs and innovations, such as its industry-leading battery swapping technologies, Battery as a Service, or BaaS, as well as its proprietary autonomous driving technologies and Autonomous Driving as a Service, or ADaaS.

NIO's product portfolio consists of the ES8, a six-seater smart electric flagship SUV, the ES7 (or the EL7), a mid-large five-seater smart electric SUV, the ES6, a five-seater all-round smart electric SUV, the EC7, a five-seater smart electric flagship coupe SUV, the EC6, a five-seater smart electric coupe SUV, the ET7, a smart electric flagship sedan, and the ET5, a mid-size smart electric sedan.

About the Position
This role is ideal for an experienced kernel or hypervisor engineer who wants to work hands-on with the foundations of NIO's in-vehicle compute platform. You will join the core system software team behind SkyOS-H, NIO's in-house hypervisor, and other SkyOS variants - contributing from architecture design to production deployment in next-generation intelligent vehicles.
  • Hypervisor & Kernel Performance at Scale
You'll work on low-level system software designed for real-time, high-efficiency, and safety-critical automotive environments. This includes optimizing latency and throughput, refining vIRQ handling, improving cache and memory subsystem efficiency (SMMU, coherency, and paging), and leveraging Arm V8 virtualization extensions (VHE). You will contribute to hypervisor scheduling, partition isolation, and secure domain management to achieve automotive-grade determinism and performance on modern SoCs.
  • End-to-End Impact & Intelligent Vehicle Systems
From early architecture exploration to kernel integration, driver development, validation, and production rollout - your work will directly power live vehicle systems. You'll enable mission-critical domains such as AD/ADAS compute, sensor fusion, and secure boot/trusted execution (TrustZone, OP-TEE).
In collaboration with AI and cloud teams, you'll also support emerging LLM-based intelligent copilots and in-vehicle assistants, where hypervisor-level performance and scheduling directly enhance on-vehicle AI responsiveness. This role offers a rare opportunity to build real products that blend operating systems, virtualization, and intelligence at the edge - all within a fast-moving automotive environment.
Roles and Responsibilities:
  • Develop and execute a microkernel-based operating system and hypervisor tailored for diverse on-vehicle applications in autonomous driving vehicles.
  • Analyze and enhance operating system functionalities for real-time performance, high efficiency, security, and functional safety.
  • Collaborate with the team to discuss and refine designs and implementations.
  • Lead through demonstration, serving as both a mentor and a mentee to foster team growth and knowledge sharing.
Must Qualifications:
  • Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field.
  • 1+ years of experience in embedded systems or low-level system software development.
  • Strong coding skills in C, ARM assembly, and in-line assembly.
  • Deep understanding of Arm V8 architecture: GIC, SMMU, cache hierarchy, and Arm Virtualization Host Extensions (VHE).
  • Proficiency in Git, C/C++, Python, and object-oriented programming.
  • Experience with Linux kernel development or driver subsystems.
  • Knowledge of embedded system security: Arm TrustZone, OP-TEE, Secure Boot.
  • Ability to thrive and contribute effectively within a global, cross-functional engineering team.

Compensation:

The US base salary range for this full-time position is $163,500.00 - $212,400.00.

  • Within the range, individual pay is determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.

  • Please note that the compensation details listed in US role postings reflect the base salary only. It does not include discretionary bonus, equity, or benefits.

Benefits:

Along with competitive pay, as a full-time NIO employee, you are eligible for the following benefits on the first day you join NIO:

  • CIGNA EPO, HSA, and Kaiser HMO medical plans with $0 for Employee Only Coverage.

  • Dental (including orthodontic coverage) and vision plan. Both provide options with a $0 paycheck contribution covering you and your eligible dependents.

  • Company Paid HSA (Health Savings Account) Contribution when enrolled in the High Deductible CIGNA medical plan

  • Healthcare and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)

  • 401(k) with Brokerage Link option

  • Company paid Basic Life, AD&D, short-term and long-term disability insurance

  • Employee Assistance Program

  • Sick and Vacation time

  • 13 Paid Holidays a year

  • Paid Parental Leave for first 8 weeks at full pay (eligible after 90 days of employment with NIO)

  • Paid Disability Leave for first 6 weeks at full pay (eligible after 90 days of employment with NIO)

  • Voluntary benefits including: Voluntary Life and AD&D options for you, your spouse/domestic partner and dependent child(ren), pet insurance

  • Commuter benefits

  • Mobile Cell Phone Credit

  • Healthjoy mobile benefit app supporting you and your dependents with benefit questions on the go & support with benefit billing questions

  • Free lunch and snacks

  • Onsite gym

  • Employee discounts and perks program

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