Embedded NPU Software Engineer, Senior
Qualcomm· Semiconductors· Sep 17, 2026 · 1mo ago
San Diego, California, United States of America
In office
Full-time
Senior
$150K–$200K est.
2+ years exp
Job description
Company:
Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.
Job Area:
Engineering Group, Engineering Group > DSP Architecture and Design
General Summary:
Qualcomm is seeking a Staff Embedded NPU Software Engineer to lead the design and development of embedded platform software for CPU, DSP, and NPU processors and AI engines across our Snapdragon SoC portfolio. You will architect and optimize software frameworks that enable high-performance, low-power multimedia and machine learning workloads across mobile, automotive, compute, and XR platforms.
As part of the NPU Platform Software Team, you will work across all levels of the stack — from low-level drivers to high-level frameworks — and collaborate with hardware, systems, and product teams to deliver scalable, production-grade solutions. You’ll be expected to drive technical decisions, mentor engineers, and contribute to the evolution of Qualcomm’s NPU software architecture.
We’re looking for engineers with deep technical expertise, a track record of system-level ownership, and the ability to lead complex development efforts across cross-functional teams.
Minimum Qualifications:
• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or related field and 2+ years of Software Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related work experience.
OR
Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or related field and 1+ year of Software Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related work experience.
OR
PhD in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or related field.
• 2+ years of experience with high-performance microprocessor design.
Responsibilities
• Architect and design NPU software frameworks, runtime libraries, and system drivers for compute and AI acceleration.
• Lead development of complex NPU features and ensure system-level integration across CPU/DSP/NPU subsystems.
• Optimize software using advanced NPU architecture techniques (SIMD, multi-threading, memory hierarchy, etc.).
• Collaborate with hardware, systems, and product teams to align software design with platform goals and roadmap.
• Mentor engineers, conduct design/code reviews, and contribute to technical strategy and long-term planning.
• Drive debugging and profiling efforts across the NPU stack to meet performance, power, and reliability targets.
• 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.
• 8+ years of experience in embedded software development.
• Deep expertise in NPU programming, computer architecture, and real-time operating systems.
• Proven experience leading technical projects or owning system-level software components.
• Strong proficiency in C/C++ and debugging tools (Trace32, JTAG, etc.).
• Experience with Qualcomm Hexagon DSP and SDK frameworks.
• Familiarity with multimedia frameworks (Android, Linux, Windows) and AI acceleration pipelines.
• Exposure to machine learning, computer vision, or signal processing workloads.
• Strong understanding of inter-processor communication and concurrency management.
• Ability to mentor engineers and influence technical direction across teams.
• Versatile attitude to learn new architectures and operating systems.
• Excellent communication and cross-functional collaboration skills.
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 :
$133,900.00 - $200,900.00
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 .
Application prep
Use the role’s language and application details while tailoring your materials.
Keywords to mirror
aimachine learningrest
- Platform
- eightfold
- Effort
- medium
Benefits
Benefits detected in the listing.
Vision