Firmware Development Principal Engineer
Qualcomm· Semiconductors· Sep 17, 2026 · 1mo ago
Santa Clara, California, United States of America · Austin, Texas, United States of America · Austin, TX, USA
In office
Full-time
Principal
$168K–$230K est.
8+ years exp
Job description
Company:
Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.
Job Area:
Engineering Group, Engineering Group > Software Engineering
General Summary:
Relocation Required: Candidates must be willing to relocate to Santa Clara, CA or Austin, TX if not currently based in one of these locations.
As a leading technology innovator, Qualcomm pushes the boundaries of what's possible to enable next-generation experiences and drives digital transformation to help create a smarter, connected future for all. As a Qualcomm Software Engineer, you will design, develop, create, modify, and validate embedded and cloud edge software, applications, and/or specialized utility programs that launch cutting-edge, world class products that meet and exceed customer needs. Qualcomm Software Engineers collaborate with systems, hardware, architecture, test engineers, and other teams to design system-level software solutions and obtain information on performance requirements and interfaces.
General Summary:
As a CPU Performance Management FW Developer, you are responsible for working with a team on the enablement of the power management solution for Qualcomm's custom CPUs. You will collaborate internally to help define a standard driven solution, and implement embedded firmware, to manage performance of the CPU subsystem. You will also be responsible for helping characterize and tune this solution for all Qualcomm SoCs utilizing Qualcomm custom CPUs.
In CPU Power Management FW developer role, with focus on CPU performance management, you will be working closely both with the hardware power management and firmware development teams. You will have an opportunity to engage with third parties on enablement of new platforms, as well as providing input to our SoC and platform architects on future designs.
New 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.
Role and Responsibilities:
· Drive the firmware design, implementation and verification, in pre-silicon and post-silicon environments.
· Assist in the definition CPU Performance Management solutions for future generation of Qualcomm CPUs.
· Actively engage with open source communities to contribute support for processor architectures, device drivers, and firmware features
· Assist in identifying skills requirements and in hiring engineers, collaborating with other teams on platform bring-up/debug/diags, firmware lifecycle, etc.
Preferred Qualifications:
· BS/BEng in Electrical, Computer Engineering, or Computer Science (or equivalent professional experience) with 5 years' experience in embedded firmware development
· Self-starter who takes initiative and brings technical leadership
· Proficient writing and debugging C and assembly
· Driver development experience in RTOS or OS Kernel environments
· Demonstrated development experience with embedded OSes such as Zephyr, eCos, uC/OS or FreeRTOS
· Experience developing for pre-silicon environments including simulators and FPGA emulation
· Experience developing, characterizing and tuning performance management solutions an SoC subsystem will be a considerable plus.
· Familiarity with ARM v8 architecture. Development experience for a ARMV8 platform is a plus.
Physical Requirements:
· Frequently transports between offices, buildings, and campuses up to ½ mile.
· Frequently transports and installs equipment up to 5 lbs.
· Performs required tasks at various heights (e.g., standing or sitting).
· Monitors and utilizes computers and test equipment for more than 6 hours a day.
· Continuous communication which includes the comprehension of information with colleagues, customers, and vendors both in person and remotely.
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 :
$221,100.00 - $331,700.00
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 .
Application prep
Use the role’s language and application details while tailoring your materials.
Keywords to mirror
design systemjavapythonrest
- Platform
- eightfold
- Effort
- medium