SoC Systems & Infrastructure Engineer (Design • Validation • Debug • FPGA • Emulation • Software)

Company

Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.

Job Area

Engineering Group, Engineering Group > ASICS Engineering

General Summary

About Qualcomm

Qualcomm is a global technology leader driving innovations in wireless communications, AI, computing, and connected systems. Our engineering teams develop industry-leading silicon, software, FPGA prototyping platforms, emulation systems, and validation solutions that enable the next generation of mobile, automotive, AI, and edge computing products.

Role Summary

We are seeking highly motivated engineers to join Qualcomm's SoC Design, Validation, Debug, Infrastructure, FPGA, and Emulation organizations. In this role, you will work on industry-leading SoCs and development platforms spanning design, validation, system debug, silicon characterization, CAD software, FPGA prototyping, and emulation.

You will collaborate closely with architects, RTL designers, verification engineers, software developers, and validation teams to develop innovative solutions that improve product quality, accelerate system bring-up, and enable next-generation computing platforms.

Key Responsibilities

Develop and enhance solutions supporting SoC design, validation, debug, FPGA prototyping, and emulation environments.
Design, implement, validate, and debug hardware and software components used in advanced SoC development platforms.
Perform pre-silicon and post-silicon bring-up, failure analysis, root-cause investigation, and performance characterization.
Develop automation, infrastructure, and tooling using modern programming languages and scripting environments.
Support debugging of low-level hardware and software issues across complex SoC platforms.
Analyze system performance, power, functionality, reliability, and timing across multiple subsystems.
Collaborate with global engineering teams, technology partners, and tool vendors to improve methodologies, workflows, and product quality.
Leverage automation and AI technologies to improve engineering productivity and debug efficiency.


Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or a related technical field.
Experience in one or more of the following areas:
ASIC / SoC Design
Hardware or System Debug
Validation Engineering
FPGA Development
Emulation Platforms
CAD / EDA / Software Development
Strong analytical, debugging, and problem-solving skills.
Ability to work effectively in a collaborative, cross-functional environment.

Preferred Qualifications

Master's or PhD in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or related field.
Experience with complex SoC architectures including CPUs, DSPs, GPUs, DDR, NoCs, peripherals, and interconnects.
Experience with Linux and embedded software development.
Familiarity with modern AI-assisted engineering workflows and automation technologies.


Core Technical Skills

Programming & Software

C/C++
Python
Tcl
Perl
Linux / Embedded Linux
Software Design and Development Practices
Automation and Scripting


Hardware & SoC

ASIC Design
SoC Architecture
Hardware Validation
Hardware Debug
Performance and Power Analysis
RTL Design
Verilog / SystemVerilog
FPGA Design


Tools & Infrastructure

JTAG Debug
Git
JIRA
CI/CD Automation Flows
Simulation, Emulation, and Prototyping Tools
Linux Development Environments
Hardware and Software Debug Tools


Specialized Skills Areas: Candidates may specialize in one or more of the following domains:

Content And Validation

SoC/System Validation Expertise – End-to-end pre-silicon and post-silicon validation, bring-up, system integration, and silicon debug.

Hardware-Software Co-Debug – Strong debugging across SoC architecture, embedded software, firmware, drivers, and hardware interfaces.
Validation Content & Framework Development – Design scalable test content, automation frameworks, CI/CD pipelines, analysis, and debug infrastructure.
Low-Level Programming – Proficiency in C/C++, Python, Assembly, Linux, device drivers, and bare-metal software development.
Architecture & Domain Knowledge – Deep understanding of CPU, DDR, NoC/interconnects, memory hierarchy, clock/power management, low-power modes, and performance architecture.
Performance, Power & Concurrency Analysis – System-level validation of bandwidth, latency, QoS, throughput, scalability, and power-performance tradeoffs.
Pre-Silicon Platforms – Experience with simulation, emulation (RUMI/Veloce/FPGA), RTL understanding, and validation readiness.
AI-Driven Validation – Applying AI/ML to improve validation productivity.
Lab & Debug Tools – Hands-on experience with JTAG, logic analyzers, oscilloscopes, kernel debuggers, and silicon debug methodologies.
Technical Leadership & Cross-Functional Collaboration – Work effectively across architecture, design, firmware, software, and validation teams to drive silicon quality.


Silicon Validation & Debug

Pre-silicon and post-silicon bring-up
Failure analysis and root-cause debugging
Platform-level debug
Lab equipment usage
JTAG and trace-based debugging
PVT and marginality analysis
AI-assisted debug automation


Power & Performance Validation

Power characterization
Thermal analysis
Vmin/Fmax characterization
CPU/GPU/DDR/NoC analysis
Performance optimization
Low-power design methodologies


DFT & Manufacturing Validation

MBIST
ATPG
Structural testing
Yield analysis
Scan-based debug
Silicon characterization


FPGA Firmware & Embedded Systems

Xilinx and Intel FPGA platforms
FPGA firmware development
Embedded Linux
PCIe, AXI, Ethernet, and I2C protocols
High-speed digital design
Clock domain crossing and timing closure


Emulation & Platform Methodology

FPGA prototyping
Palladium and Veloce platforms
Emulation build generation
Platform bring-up
System-level debug methodologies
Timing closure and deployment flows


CAD & EDA Software Development

CAD tool development
Algorithms and data structures
Emulation infrastructure
Synthesis optimization
Partitioning
Clock optimization
Compute and storage optimization


Why Join Us

Work on industry-leading mobile, AI, automotive, and computing SoCs.
Collaborate with world-class engineers across hardware, software, FPGA, emulation, validation, and debug domains.
Solve challenging technical problems that span the entire silicon development lifecycle.
Gain exposure to cutting-edge technologies, advanced development platforms, and large-scale engineering infrastructure.
Help shape the future of connected computing, AI, and next-generation semiconductor products.


Build the future of AI and mobile computing. From SoC design and validation to silicon debug, FPGA prototyping, emulation, and software infrastructure, Qualcomm offers opportunities to work across the full spectrum of semiconductor development.

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in Science, Engineering, or related field.


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).

To all Staffing and Recruiting Agencies: Our Careers Site is only for individuals seeking a job at Qualcomm. Staffing and recruiting agencies and individuals being represented by an agency are not authorized to use this site or to submit profiles, applications or resumes, and any such submissions will be considered unsolicited. Qualcomm does not accept unsolicited resumes or applications from agencies. Please do not forward resumes to our jobs alias, Qualcomm employees or any other company location. Qualcomm is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes/applications.

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.

Qualcomm expects its employees to abide by all applicable policies and procedures, including but not limited to security and other requirements regarding protection of Company confidential information and other confidential and/or proprietary information, to the extent those requirements are permissible under applicable law.

Pay Range And Other Compensation & Benefits

$98,500.00 - $147,700.00

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.
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