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#Embedded NPU Software Engineer, Senior

Qualcomm Technologies
San Diego, CA Full Time
POSTED ON 4/16/2026
AVAILABLE BEFORE 5/16/2026
Company:
Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.

Job Area:
Engineering Group, Engineering Group > Software Engineering

General Summary:
** This position is not eligible for Qualcomm immigration sponsorship. **

As a leading technology innovator, Qualcomm pushes the boundaries of what's possible to enable next-generation experiences and drive digital transformation across industries. As a Qualcomm Software Engineer, you will design, develop, create, modify, and validate embedded and cloud-edge software, applications, and specialized utility programs that launch cutting-edge, world-class products.

Qualcomm is looking for software engineers to develop embedded platform software for CPU, DSP, and NPU processors and AI engines comprising its SoC portfolio for mobile, automotive, compute, and other markets. In this role, you will utilize your solid foundation in embedded software development, operating systems, and drivers to deploy platform software for complex AI and multimedia use cases running on our SoCs.

As part of the NPU Platform Software Team, you will work across all levels of the stack on Qualcomm Snapdragon processors. You'll contribute to the design and implementation of inter-processor communication, memory management mechanisms, execution environments, concurrency management, and other software frameworks that enable NPU acceleration for machine learning inference, computer vision, image/video processing, sensors, IoT, automotive, audio, and more.

We are looking for enthusiastic, versatile, and self-motivated engineers ready to take ownership of technical deliverables and grow into system-level contributors.

Minimum Qualifications:
Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science, or related field and 2 years of Software Engineering or related work experience.
OR
Master's degree in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science, or related field and 1 year of Software Engineering or related work experience.
OR
PhD in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science, or related field.
2 years of academic or work experience with Programming Language such as C, C , Java, Python, etc.

Responsibilities
  • Architect, design, and develop multimedia frameworks across heterogeneous processors.
  • Develop high-performance system drivers for compute resources and AI acceleration.
  • Profile and optimize software for performance, memory, and power efficiency.
  • Collaborate with hardware, systems, and test teams to ensure seamless integration.
  • Participate in design and code reviews; contribute to system-level debugging and issue resolution.
  • Offsite and occasional onsite work with OEMs and Independent Software Vendors may be required.

Preferred Qualifications
  • Master's degree in Engineering, Computer Science, or related field.
  • 5 years of experience in embedded software development.
  • Strong proficiency in C/C and real-time operating systems.
  • Experience with multi-threaded programming, hardware drivers, and inter-processor communication.
  • Solid understanding of computer architecture and embedded system design.
  • Experience with Qualcomm Hexagon DSP or similar platforms.
  • Multimedia software development experience on Android, Windows, or Linux.
  • Exposure to machine learning or computer vision workloads.
  • Familiarity with scripting (Python, shell) and test automation.
  • Strong debugging and profiling skills using tools like Trace32, JTAG, etc.
  • Versatile attitude to learn new architectures and operating systems.
  • Self-motivated and able to work independently.

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 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:
$111,300.00 - $166,900.00

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.

Salary : $111,300 - $166,900

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