Principal Data Platform Architect
NVIDIA · Santa Clara, CA
$272,000–$431,250from the description
Jul 1, 2026
Santa Clara, CA
Jul 20, 2026
What this job asks for AI summary
Senior level · 15+ years · Santa Clara, CA · Full-time
Advertised as Principal, but the requirements read as Senior.
“or” means any one of them counts — you don't need all of them.
We read this from the posting text with AI. Skim the description below before ruling yourself out.
How this req sits in the market our data
Roughly 7 people in the Santa Clara, CA area plausibly meet what this posting asks for (database architects). range 4–10
Applicant volume Moderate — A normal amount of company. The rare requirements below are what will separate a shortlisted application from the rest.
Most people in this occupation already list these. Still required — just not what gets you shortlisted.
What the occupation pays Median $202,313 (middle half $144,101–$222,457). This posting is about at that midpoint.
Estimated from BLS employment for this occupation and area, per-skill prevalence across our listing corpus, and published wage benchmarks — as of Jul 28, 2026. It is a model, not a headcount.
Why we read it this way (5)
The role is titled 'Principal Data Platform Architect' but the actual requirements — 15+ years of experience, an MS preferred or BS accepted, and scope focused on leading technical teams rather than setting org-wide technical direction — are consistent with a Senior-level role on a normal career ladder. The 'Principal' title alone does not elevate the band when the JD's scope and gates do not support it.
The observability platforms listed (Apache Spark, Elasticsearch/OpenSearch, Grafana, Prometheus) are presented as a single 'experience with … such as' requirement. Apache Spark is used as the primary name with the others captured as alternatives, reflecting that the JD treats them as interchangeable examples of the same capability gate.
The degree requirement states 'MS (preferred) or BS … or equivalent experience.' Because equivalent experience is explicitly accepted, no formal degree is hard-required.
The 'Ways to Stand Out' section (background in ML/deep learning, datacenter management, AI researcher collaboration, EDA, infrastructure software, DevOps) is treated as preferred — it is a secondary, aspirational block distinct from the 'What We Need To See' requirements block.
Location is inferred as Santa Clara, CA (NVIDIA HQ); the posting does not explicitly state a city but NVIDIA's Hardware Infrastructure org is headquartered there. No remote option is mentioned.
Read the full posting
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