1

Optix Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Senior GPU Raytracing Engineer

Santa Clara, CA · On-site

$122K - $168K/yr

Handson proficiency with CUDA and at least one GPU raytracing framework (OptiX, Vulkan RT, Embree), with a track record of writing productionquality GPU code. * Proficiency in GPUfriendly spatial ...

Optix information

See California salary details

$14

$31

$42

How much do optix jobs pay per hour?

As of Aug 15, 2026, the average hourly pay for optix in California is $31.50, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $26.35 and $35.58 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is the difference between Optix vs 3D Renderer?

AspectOptix3D Renderer
Required CredentialsTypically requires knowledge of NVIDIA Optix SDK, computer graphics, and programming skillsRequires proficiency in rendering software, 3D modeling, and sometimes scripting
Work EnvironmentPrimarily used in software development, visual effects, and simulation environmentsUsed in animation studios, architectural visualization, and product design
Industry UsageCommonly employed in high-performance computing and real-time rendering applicationsWidely used in creative industries for producing visual content

Optix is a GPU-accelerated ray tracing engine mainly used in technical and real-time rendering applications, requiring programming skills. 3D Renderers are software tools used for creating visual images from 3D models, focusing on artistic and design outputs. While both relate to rendering, Optix is more technical and development-focused, whereas 3D Renderers are user-friendly tools for artists and designers.

Infographic showing various Optix job openings in California as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 93% Full Time, 4% Part Time, and 3% Contract. Highlights an 88% Physical, 6% Hybrid, and 6% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $65,512 per year, or $31.5 per hour.

Senior GPU Raytracing Engineer

Nvidia

Santa Clara, CA • On-site

$122K - $168K/yr

Full-time

Re-posted 23 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 244 rated software companies


Job description

We are seeking a selfmotivated senior engineer for the Aerial Omniverse Digital Twin team. This hire will lead the design and implementation of a realtime, GPUaccelerated propagation engine that predicts how radio signals travel through realistic 3D environments - producing both perlink channel characterisations and radio maps at the speed required by production RAN stacks! This position offers the opportunity to work on foundational technology for 5G and 6G network simulation, using NVIDIA's worldclass GPU and raytracing platforms.

What you'll be doing:

As a member of NVIDIA's Aerial team, you will architect and implement a GPU raytracing engine that operates at two time scales. At the planning scale, the engine produces volumetric radio maps - coverage, SINR, and bestserver maps at multiple resolutions, composable across cells, frequencies, and beam configurations - that network operators use to design and optimise deployments. At the realtime scale, the same engine delivers perlink multipath channel updates at the millisecond cadence that a production RAN stack requires, using adaptive algorithms that exploit temporal coherence to avoid recomputing what hasn't changed. Laying the foundations for realtime ray tracing on GPU hardware - algorithms, data structures, and multiGPU scaling strategies that make submillisecond propagation updates feasible - is the defining technical challenge of this role.

What we need to see:

  • PhD in computer graphics, highperformance computing, computational electromagnetics, or a closely related field (or equivalent experience).

  • 8+ years of relevant experience.

  • Handson proficiency with CUDA and at least one GPU raytracing framework (OptiX, Vulkan RT, Embree), with a track record of writing productionquality GPU code.

  • Proficiency in GPUfriendly spatial data structures (BVH, spacefilling curves, hash maps) and the ability to reason about memory hierarchy, occupancy, and computevsbandwidth tradeoffs at the kernel level.

  • Working knowledge of electromagnetic wave propagation phenomena (reflection, transmission, diffraction, scattering) sufficient to implement and validate a propagation engine.

  • Impactful publications in GPU ray tracing, realtime rendering, or deterministic propagation modelling.

Ways to stand out from the crowd:

  • Experience with realtime or nearrealtime raytracing engines shipping in production systems.

  • Prior work on multiGPU partitioning for raytracing or largescale simulation workloads.

  • Familiarity with 3GPP channel models and wireless network planning tools.

  • Knowledge of geospatial coordinate systems and tiling schemes.

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 May 25, 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


Nvidia logo

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