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Smartnic Jobs in Seattle, WA (NOW HIRING)

Software Developer 5

Seattle, WA · On-site

$130 - $160/hr

... SmartNIC/DPU offload, or high-performance AI/HPC networking is a significant plus. This role also requires an engineer who is ready to use modern agentic engineering practices responsibly. We expect ...

Sr Principal Software Engineer- VPC

Seattle, WA · On-site

$142K - $196K/yr

Experience with DPU/SmartNIC technologies (NVIDIA BlueField, AMD Pensando, Intel IPU) * Knowledge of eBPF, XDP, DPDK, or other high-performance networking frameworks * Experience with CNI ...

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Smartnic information

What is a SmartNIC?

SmartNICs, or Smart Network Interface Cards, are advanced network cards that go beyond traditional NICs by offloading networking, storage, and security tasks from the main server CPU. They use onboard processors, such as FPGAs or ARM cores, to handle complex operations like packet filtering, encryption, and virtualization. This improves network performance, reduces latency, and frees up server resources for other tasks. SmartNICs are commonly used in data centers and cloud environments to enhance efficiency and scalability.

What are the typical daily responsibilities of a SmartNIC engineer and how do they interact with other teams?

A SmartNIC engineer typically spends their day designing, implementing, and testing network functions that run on programmable network interface cards. Their work often involves collaborating closely with software developers, network architects, and DevOps teams to ensure seamless integration of SmartNIC solutions into data center environments. Daily tasks may include writing and optimizing firmware, troubleshooting performance issues, and validating network security features. Communication and teamwork are key, as SmartNIC engineers must align their developments with broader network and business requirements.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a SmartNIC engineer, and why are they important?

To excel as a SmartNIC Engineer, you need a solid background in computer networking, hardware architecture, and programming (such as C/C++ or Verilog), often supported by a degree in computer engineering or a related field. Familiarity with network protocols, FPGA development tools, and SmartNIC platforms (like NVIDIA BlueField or Intel FPGA solutions) is typically required. Strong problem-solving abilities, collaboration, and adaptability are critical soft skills for innovating and integrating networking solutions. These competencies are essential for developing, optimizing, and deploying high-performance network interface cards that enable efficient, programmable data processing in modern data centers.

What is the difference between Smartnic vs Network Engineer?

AspectSmartnicNetwork Engineer
Required CredentialsCertifications like Cisco CCNA, CompTIA Network+Certifications like Cisco CCNA, CCNP, CompTIA Network+
Work EnvironmentData centers, hardware development, network infrastructureCorporate offices, ISPs, enterprise networks
Industry UsageNetworking hardware manufacturers, data center providersTelecommunications, IT services, enterprise networks

Smartnic and Network Engineer roles share overlapping certifications and work environments, but Smartnic specialists focus on hardware acceleration and network hardware design, while Network Engineers handle network setup, configuration, and troubleshooting. Both roles are vital in modern networking infrastructure, often collaborating within data centers and enterprise networks.

What are popular job titles related to Smartnic jobs in Seattle, WA?

For Smartnic jobs in Seattle, WA, the most frequently searched job titles are:

What job categories do people searching Smartnic jobs in Seattle, WA look for?

The top searched job categories for Smartnic jobs in Seattle, WA are:

What cities near Seattle, WA are hiring for Smartnic jobs?

Cities near Seattle, WA with the most Smartnic job openings:

Senior Product Manager, AI Software Defined Networking

Nvidia

Seattle, WA • Hybrid

$144K - $190K/yr

Full-time

Posted 10 days ago


Nvidia rating

9.6

Company rating: 9.6 out of 10

Based on 18 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

7th of 246 rated software companies


Job description

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. As an NVIDIAN, you'll be immersed in a diverse, supportive environment where everyone is inspired to do their best work. Come join the team and see how you can make a lasting impact on the world.

NVIDIA is building the software-defined network for the AI factory. Our SDN team is building an open, upstream-first stack that delivers bare-metal-class network performance and multi-tenant isolation to VMs, Kubernetes pods, and bare-metal hosts. The stack is built on OVN, OVS, and OVN-Kubernetes, and ships across NVIDIA and NVIDIA Cloud Partner (NCP) DSX deployments. This is a networking product role. The product manager will help develop our AI Factory SDN stack throughout its entire scope: North/South tenant networking, East/West GPUDirect networking over Spectrum-X, the OVN-Kubernetes CNI, and OVN host networking. Our team is a core contributor to upstream OVN, OVS, and OVN-Kubernetes, so the role helps steer where the ecosystem goes: deciding which capabilities land upstream, guiding that development, and aligning it with NVIDIA's own releases. The ideal candidate is as comfortable in an EVPN control-plane trade-off or a DPU offload decision as in a strategy narrative or a partner brief. Curious what it takes to move a feature from an internal build into upstream? We'd love to hear from you!

What You'll be doing:

  • You will partner with engineering, NVIDIA ISV and cloud partners, and the open-source community to bring SDN to the AI Factory. Core responsibilities include:

  • Setting the product strategy and multi-quarter roadmap for our AI Factory SDN open-source projects.

  • Guiding upstream development across OVN, OVS, and OVN-Kubernetes: identifying which features should land upstream, deciding what ships where, and aligning NVIDIA's work with the community's.

  • Defining requirements and priorities, and making the trade-off calls that keep the roadmap focused and shippable.

  • Surfacing the key product and architecture decisions and resolving them with engineering partners.

  • Mapping dependencies across internal DPU, fabric, and virtualization teams and upstream releases, flagging risks early and keeping the critical path clear.

  • Working with NCP operators and ISVs to translate their needs into the roadmap, ready reference deployments, and represent the work to the community and to leadership.

What We Need to See:

  • We're looking for a product manager who can lead a technical product end to end and go deep with engineering.

  • A background in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or equivalent experience sets a strong foundation, along with:

  • 12+ years in technical product management, grounded in networking: SDN, data center networking, or cloud network infrastructure.

  • Depth in network fundamentals: overlays/underlays, VRF, VxLAN, BGP/EVPN, ACLs, NAT, routing, and load balancing.

  • Familiarity with OVN/OVS, and how logical networking maps to a hardware-offloaded data plane on a DPU or SmartNIC.

  • Comfort with Kubernetes as a networking delivery surface: the CNI model, CRDs, and how pod and VM networking is provisioned and isolated.

  • A track record of crafting multi-quarter product vision and shipping networking or infrastructure products together with engineering teams.

  • Experience in or alongside open-source communities, and with cloud service providers or platform partners.

  • Bachelor's degree, equivalent experience

Ways to stand out from the crowd:

  • Hands-on work with OVN, OVS, or OVN-Kubernetes, and the upstream cloud-native community (CNCF, Kubernetes SIGs).

  • DPU/SmartNIC-accelerated networking, hardware offload, or data-plane acceleration.

  • BGP/EVPN control-plane design and VRF/VxLAN multi-tenant isolation in production fabrics.

  • GPU or HPC cluster networking: GPUDirect, RoCE, or Spectrum-X fabrics.

  • Experience taking a project into open source, including defining community and contribution strategy.

Widely considered to be one of the technology world's most desirable employers, NVIDIA offers highly competitive salaries and a comprehensive benefits package. As you plan your future, see what we can offer to you and your family www.nvidiabenefits.com/

#LI-Hybrid

Your base salary will be determined based on your location, experience, and the pay of employees in similar positions. The base salary range is 208,000 USD - 327,750 USD for Level 5, and 240,000 USD - 379,500 USD for Level 6.

You will also be eligible for equity and benefits.

Applications for this job will be accepted at least until August 24, 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.

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