XR - Principal Software Engineer
Qualcomm· Semiconductors· Sep 17, 2026 · 1mo ago
San Diego, California, United States of America
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:
We are looking for a highly experienced Principal Engineer, XR Software to join our XR Software organization and help drive the next generation of Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), Mixed Reality (MR), and wearable computing platforms. This role involves working across system architecture, embedded software, graphics, AI/ML, computer vision, and customer enablement to deliver innovative XR experiences on Snapdragon platforms.
Key Responsibilities
• Lead architecture, design, and development of XR platform software including operating systems, middleware, frameworks, and customer-facing solutions.
• Work closely with product management, customers, hardware teams, and software organizations to define platform requirements and technical roadmaps.
• Analyze AR/VR use cases, data flows, and HW/SW partitioning to develop scalable and efficient system architectures.
• Translate product requirements into implementation specifications and software designs.
• Drive architectural trade-offs involving performance, latency, power, thermal efficiency, and overall user experience.
• Lead debugging, performance optimization, design reviews, code reviews, and system validation activities.
• Collaborate with experts in computer vision, machine learning, graphics, camera systems, DSPs, and embedded software to deliver commercial XR products.
• Provide technical leadership and influence architecture decisions across multiple teams and product areas.
Required Qualifications
• BS/MS in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical field.
• Extensive experience developing complex software systems and platform software.
• Strong proficiency in modern C++ (C++11/14/17/20).
• Experience developing software on heterogeneous computing systems including CPUs, GPUs, DSPs, and AI accelerators.
• Strong system-level debugging, profiling, and performance optimization skills.
• Experience with Android and/or Linux-based embedded platforms.
• Excellent communication, collaboration, and problem-solving skills.
Preferred Qualifications
• Experience with AR/VR/MR, smart glasses, wearable devices, or XR platforms.
• Expertise in one or more of the following areas: Computer Vision, AI/ML, Camera Software, Graphics/Rendering, SLAM, Sensor Fusion, or XR Frameworks.
• Experience conducting architecture trade-off analysis involving power, performance, latency, and scalability.
• Experience bringing commercial products from concept through customer deployment.
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.
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 :
$197,000.00 - $295,400.00
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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