Principal Scientist, Web Video & Graphics Acceleration (WebGPU)

Posted:
2/23/2026, 8:31:54 AM

Location(s):
Colorado, United States

Experience Level(s):
Expert or higher ⋅ Senior

Field(s):
Software Engineering

Workplace Type:
Remote

The Opportunity

Adobe is building the future of video creation on the web. Our team is part of the Adobe Video organization, delivering high‑performance video editing and playback experiences across desktop, mobile, and web platforms.

We are seeking a Principal Scientist to lead the technical direction for GPU‑accelerated graphics and compute in our web video applications. This role is responsible for defining architecture, influencing platform strategy, and advancing the use of WebGPU and emerging web technologies in production‑scale creative tools.

As a Principal Scientist, you will operate with broad autonomy and organizational influence. You will partner with engineering, product, design, and research leaders to shape long‑term technical strategy, while remaining hands‑on with critical architecture, prototyping, and technical decision‑making.



What You’ll Do

  • Define and drive the technical vision and architecture for GPU‑accelerated rendering, compute, and video processing in Adobe’s web video platform
  • Lead design and implementation of performance‑critical systems using WebGPU and modern browser graphics APIs
  • Evaluate, prototype, and guide adoption of emerging web standards and platform capabilities, influencing Adobe’s long‑term technology roadmap
  • Partner closely with Product and Design to translate creative workflows into scalable, high‑quality technical solutions
  • Provide technical leadership across teams, aligning engineers and stakeholders around shared architectural principles
  • Mentor peer engineers and senior‑level contributors, raising technical rigor and growing future technical leaders
  • Lead or contribute to cross‑organizational initiatives with impact beyond a single product or team
  • Act as a domain expert and external representative in the broader web graphics and video ecosystem, as appropriate



Required Qualifications

  • Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or equivalent practical experience
  • 12+ years of professional software development experience, including work on complex or performance‑sensitive systems
  • Deep expertise in web graphics or GPU‑accelerated technologies, including WebGPU or comparable modern graphics/compute APIs
  • Background in GPU programming concepts such as pipelines, shaders, memory models, and performance profiling
  • Strong proficiency in JavaScript and TypeScript, with experience integrating low‑level or high‑performance components
  • Demonstrated success owning architecture and technical strategy for large‑scale products or platforms
  • Embraces generative and AI-assisted coding and architectural patterns, and is eager to learn and adapt as development tools continue to evolve
  • Proven ability to influence technical direction across teams and drive alignment without direct authority
  • Strong communication skills, with the ability to clearly articulate complex technical concepts to diverse audiences
  • Experience creating and maintaining clean/testable code and creating re-usable components
  • Passion for learning, sharing of new ideas, and creative thinking to provide innovative solutions to challenges
  • Thrives in a fast-paced, agile environment



Preferred Qualifications

  • Experience building video editing, compositing, rendering, or real‑time graphics systems
  • Familiarity with browser internals, platform‑level performance considerations, or web standards development
  • Contributions to open‑source projects, publications, patents, or industry forums in relevant technical domains
  • Passion for building tools that empower creators and enable new creative workflows
  • Working knowledge of concepts specific to development for video and compositing tools  
  • Experience working in an Agile development environment  

About Adobe

Adobe empowers everyone to create through innovative platforms and tools that unleash creativity, productivity and personalized customer experiences. Adobe’s industry-leading offerings including Adobe Acrobat Studio, Adobe Express, Adobe Firefly, Creative Cloud, Adobe Experience Platform, Adobe Experience Manager, and GenStudio enable people and businesses to turn ideas into impact, powered by AI and driven by human ingenuity.

Our 30,000+ employees worldwide are creating the future and raising the bar as we drive the next decade of growth. We’re on a mission to hire the very best and believe in creating a company culture where all employees are empowered to make an impact. At Adobe, we believe that great ideas can come from anywhere in the organization. The next big idea could be yours. 


Let’s Adobe together

At Adobe, we believe in creating a company culture where all employees are empowered to make an impact. Learn more about Adobe life, including our values and culture, focus on people, purpose and community, Adobe for All, comprehensive benefits programs, the stories we tell, the customers we serve, and how you can help us advance our mission of empowering everyone to create.

Adobe is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based on gender, race or color, ethnicity or national origin, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic. Learn more.

Adobe aims to make our Careers website and recruiting process accessible to any and all users. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation to navigate our website or complete the application process, email [email protected] or call +1 408-536-3015. 

AI Use Guidelines for Interviews:
Our interviews are designed to reflect your own skills and thinking. The use of AI or recording tools during live interviews is not permitted unless explicitly invited by the interviewer or approved in advance as part of a reasonable accommodation. If these tools are used inappropriately or in a way that misrepresents your work, your application may not move forward in the process.

At Adobe, we empower employees to innovate with AI — and we look for candidates eager to do the same. As part of the hiring experience, we provide clear guidance on where AI is encouraged during the process and where it’s restricted during live interviews. See how we think about AI in the hiring experience.

 

Expected Pay Range:

Our compensation reflects the cost of labor across several  U.S. geographic markets, and we pay differently based on those defined markets. The U.S. pay range for this position is $190,200 -- $360,500 annually. Pay within this range varies by work location and may also depend on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for the job location during the hiring process.

 

In Colorado, the pay range for this position is $219,500 - $317,775

At Adobe, for sales roles starting salaries are expressed as total target compensation (TTC = base + commission), and short-term incentives are in the form of sales commission plans.  Non-sales roles starting salaries are expressed as base salary and short-term incentives are in the form of the Annual Incentive Plan (AIP).

In addition, certain roles may be eligible for long-term incentives in the form of a new hire equity award.

State-Specific Notices:

California:

Fair Chance Ordinances

Adobe will consider qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records for employment in accordance with state and local laws and “fair chance” ordinances.

Colorado:

Application Window Notice

Feb 28 2026 12:00 AM

If this role is open to hiring in Colorado (as listed on the job posting), the application window will remain open until at least the date and time stated above in Pacific Time, in compliance with Colorado pay transparency regulations. If this role does not have Colorado listed as a hiring location, no specific application window applies, and the posting may close at any time based on hiring needs.

Massachusetts:

Massachusetts Legal Notice

It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Adobe

Website: https://www.adobe.com/

Headquarter Location: San Jose, California, United States

Employee Count: 10001+

Year Founded: 1982

IPO Status: Public

Last Funding Type: Venture - Series Unknown

Industries: Artificial Intelligence (AI) ⋅ Consulting ⋅ Enterprise Software ⋅ Graphic Design ⋅ Image Recognition ⋅ Photo Editing ⋅ SaaS ⋅ Software ⋅ UX Design ⋅ Web Design