Company:

Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.

Job Area:

Engineering Group, Engineering Group > Software Engineering

General Summary:

General Summary:

The Principal Firmware Engineer will provide technical leadership and architectural guidance for embedded firmware across Qualcomm’s next-generation CPU subsystems. This role drives complex cross-functional initiatives, influences long-term platform strategy, and serves as a domain expert in CPU power management and embedded system design.

Replacement Headcount

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science, or related field and 8+ years of Software Engineering or related work experience. OR
  Master's degree in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science, or related field and 7+ years of Software Engineering or related work experience.
  OR
  PhD in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science, or related field and 6+ years of Software Engineering or related work experience.

• 4+ years of work experience with Programming Language such as C, C++, Java, Python, etc.

Preferred Qualifications:

· BS/BEng in Electrical, Computer Engineering, or Computer Science (or equivalent professional experience) with 12+ years of embedded firmware development experience

· Demonstrated ability to drive technical strategy, shape architectural direction, and align engineering efforts across teams

· Proficient in writing and debugging C and assembly

· Experience developing device drivers in RTOS or OS kernel environments

· Deep experience with embedded OSes such as Zephyr, e Cos, uC/OS, or FreeRTOS

· Expertise working in pre-silicon environments including simulators and FPGA emulation

· Experience defining inter-processor communication interfaces between embedded controllers and SoC platforms

· Familiarity with ARM v8 architecture; hands-on development for ARMv8 platforms is a plus

· Proven ability to influence HW/FW interface definition and FW architecture across multiple product lines

· Demonstrated experience mentoring senior engineers and leading teams through complex debug and system bring-up scenarios

Principal Duties and Responsibilities:

· Lead the end-to-end design, implementation, and verification of firmware in both pre-silicon and post-silicon environments

· Drive the definition and architectural direction of power management solutions for future Qualcomm CPU generations

· Collaborate with and contribute to open-source communities for device drivers, processor architecture support, and firmware enablement

· Define staffing needs, mentor engineers, and participate in hiring activities

· Lead cross-functional design reviews involving architecture, hardware, firmware, and validation teams

· Own long-term roadmap development for CPU power management firmware and influence platform-level power/performance architecture

· Serve as a technical authority for complex silicon debug, root-cause analysis, and system-wide issue resolution

· Provide technical leadership across internal teams and ensure alignment with company-wide best practices

Level of Responsibility:

· Operates independently with minimal supervision

· Makes decisions with impact beyond the immediate organization

· Communicates complex concepts clearly; negotiates and influences effectively

· Has meaningful influence on key organizational and technical decisions

· Leads extensive planning, prioritization, and problem-solving for multi-step, multi-team initiatives

· Recognized as a domain expert whose insights shape architectural choices and engineering strategy across organizations

Additional Job Description:

As part of Qualcomm’s CPU Power Management Firmware team, you will define and implement firmware solutions to manage power and performance for Qualcomm’s custom CPUs across multiple SoC verticals. Responsibilities include working on power management, boot flows, RAS, debug, security, and runtime services within the CPU subsystem.

You will collaborate closely with hardware teams, firmware development teams, and platform architects to influence future CPU and SoC designs. You will also work with external partners during new platform enablement and drive architectural decisions impacting future product generations.

· Act as primary technical liaison for partners and customers on CPU power management topics

· Provide architectural feedback into next-generation CPU microarchitecture and SoC power subsystem designs

Minimum Qualifications:

· Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science, or related field and 12+ years’ software engineering experience OR

· Master’s degree in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science, or related field and 11+ years’ software engineering experience OR

· PhD in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science, or related field and 10+ years’ software engineering experience

· 10+ years of experience with programming languages such as C, C++, Java, Python etc.

Qualcomm is an equal opportunity employer. If you are an individual with a disability and need an accommodation during the application/hiring process, rest assured that Qualcomm is committed to providing an accessible process. You may e-mail disability-accomodations@qualcomm.com or call Qualcomm's toll-free number found here. Upon request, Qualcomm will provide reasonable accommodations to support individuals with disabilities to be able participate in the hiring process. Qualcomm is also committed to making our workplace accessible for individuals with disabilities. (Keep in mind that this email address is used to provide reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities. We will not respond here to requests for updates on applications or resume inquiries).

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EEO Employer: Qualcomm is an equal opportunity employer; all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, Veteran status, or any other protected classification.

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Pay range and Other Compensation & Benefits:

$218,200.00 - $327,400.00

The above pay scale reflects the broad, minimum to maximum, pay scale for this job code for the location for which it has been posted. Even more importantly, please note that salary is only one component of total compensation at Qualcomm. We also offer a competitive annual discretionary bonus program and opportunity for annual RSU grants (employees on sales-incentive plans are not eligible for our annual bonus). In addition, our highly competitive benefits package is designed to support your success at work, at home, and at play. Your recruiter will be happy to discuss all that Qualcomm has to offer – and you can review more details about our US benefits at this link.

If you would like more information about this role, please contact Qualcomm Careers.