AI/ML Platform Architect - Engineer, Principal
Qualcomm· enterprise· Semiconductors· Sep 17, 2026 · 1mo ago
San Diego, California, United States of America
In office
Full-time
Principal
$150K–$214K est.
8+ years exp
Job description
Company:
Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.
Job Area:
Engineering Group, Engineering Group > Machine Learning Engineering
General Summary:
We are looking for an experienced Windows platform architect to drive AI system performance and power enhancements into the SW and HW stacks and SW tools of state-of-the-art machine learning solutions on Snapdragon platform such that the AI performance and power is delivered to final applications while keeping application developer experience and ease of deployment competitively high.
As a senior member of the team responsible for competitive advantages in end-to-end delivery of AI functionality, performance, power on Snapdragon compute platform, you will have opportunity to drive joint HW-SW design and architecture spec while representing requirements of Windows on Snapdragon application developers for multiple AI use-cases and ensure the Snapdragon AI platform, and tools deliver the industry leading performance and power including necessary security requirements. You will also study Enterprise agentic AI workflows, define, and drive implementation of on-device AI platform components such that Snapdragon becomes the preferred choice for Enterprise AI PCs. You will work closely with software and hardware architects, project engineers, product managers, customer engineers, OEMs, OS partners and application developers.
Ideal candidate has extensive experience in architecture aware AI Model system performance optimization on Windows PC/Laptop, architecture aware benchmarking, and performance breakdown analysis with GPU, NPU, and knowledge of state of the art in AI for multiple domains such as Computer Vision, Audio, Generative AI, Agentic AI.
Minimum Qualifications:
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, or related field and 8+ years of Hardware Engineering, Software Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related work experience.
OR
Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, or related field and 7+ years of Hardware Engineering, Software Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related work experience.
OR
PhD in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, or related field and 6+ years of Hardware Engineering, Software Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related work experience.
Responsibilities:
• Understand trends in ML network design, through customer engagements and latest state of the art, and determine how this will affect both SW and HW design
• Analyze bottlenecks in end to end use-cases and application of ML/AI algorithms and workloads on exploratory and existing Qualcomm HW and SW stacks through simulation and on-device characterization
• On-device correlation and tuning of algorithm versus pre-silicon predictions
• Analyze Enterprise AI workflows for common user personas and propose components that make Snapdragon AI PCs work complimentarily with cloud AI components of the enterprise workflow to deliver measurably increased productivity and user-experience for enterprise users
• Interface with other cross-site and cross-functional teams to arrive at best-in-class performant reference implementations, tools, and documentation that are directly leveraged by 3rd party app developers
• Analyze, develop, propose new features and designs to system design of next gen SoCs that reduce performance bottlenecks through the workflow
Skills and Experience:
• Excellent understanding of AI frameworks (e.g., TensorFlow, PyTorch), GPU/NPU programming, and parallel computing. Experience with large language models/foundational models development and deployment a plus
• Good Understanding of complete Software stack and familiarity with AI and other multimedia hardware acceleration technologies
• Experience with performance optimization of AI application on Windows using processor specific optimization tools/libraries/primitives on GPU, NPU
• Strong background in end to end system performance analysis using profiling tools, and algorithmic modification methods for performance improvement is essential
• Knowledge of state of the art in Agentic AI
• Knowledge of computer architecture, embedded system implementations
• Strong software engineering principles are essential
• Proficiency in programming languages such as Python, C++
• Excellent communication skills to articulate complex technical concepts to non-technical and technical stakeholders.
• Strong leadership abilities to motivate and guide development teams.
• Detail-oriented with strong problem-solving, analytical, and debugging skills with the ability to think strategically and drive innovative solutions.
• Demonstrated ability to learn, think and adapt in a fast-changing environment
• Familiarity with software development methodologies, version control systems, and agile project management practices.
• 15+ years experience in High Performance Computing System Engineering or Software with 5+ years in AI system optimization
• Masters or PhD in Computer Science or Electrical Engineering
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.
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 :
$223,600.00 - $335,400.00
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 .
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