Software Engineering Intern, Software Systems (Summer 2027)

HP•San Francisco, CA

About The Position

As a Software Engineering Intern on the Systems team at HP IQ, you’ll work on low-level software that sits close to the hardware and helps power intelligent experiences across our products. This role is ideal for students who enjoy understanding how complex systems work under the hood. You’ll have the opportunity to work across multiple layers of the software stack, investigate performance bottlenecks, optimize system behavior, and build software that interacts closely with hardware and system resources. We’re looking for engineers who are curious about more than whether something works — you want to understand how it works, why it performs the way it does, and how to make it better.

Requirements

Currently pursuing a degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mathematics, Physics, or a related technical field.
Programming experience in C and/or C++.
Strong understanding of computer science fundamentals, including data structures and algorithms.
Familiarity with systems concepts such as memory management, operating systems, concurrency, computer architecture, or performance optimization.
Experience building, debugging, or optimizing technically complex software through coursework, research, internships, or personal projects.
Interest in understanding software at a deeper systems level and working close to hardware.
Ability to break down complex technical problems and clearly communicate your approach.

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with modern C++
Experience with Android development, especially native apps or AOSP
Experience with Linux Kernel driver development
Experience porting reference algorithms to hardware accelerators (GPU, DSP, etc)
Familiarity with ARM System-on-Chip (SOC) architecture
Experience developing bare-metal firmware for microcontrollers
Ability to use common lab equipment (eg, logic analyzers) to debug low-level SW issues

Responsibilities

Build and optimize low-level systems software using languages such as C and C++.
Investigate performance bottlenecks and improve the speed, efficiency, and reliability of existing systems.
Work on data processing and sensor pipelines that connect software with underlying hardware.
Analyze and improve memory usage, resource management, and system performance.
Work across multiple layers of the software stack to understand how individual components affect overall system behavior.
Contribute to build systems, libraries, tooling, and system configuration.
Debug complex software and system-level issues.
Partner with firmware, electrical engineering, and other software teams to solve cross-functional technical problems.
Own a meaningful technical project from exploration and implementation through testing and evaluation.

Benefits

Health insurance
Dental insurance
Vision insurance
Long term/short term disability insurance
Employee assistance program
Flexible spending account
Life insurance
Generous time off policies, including; 4-12 weeks fully paid parental leave based on tenure
11 paid holidays
Additional flexible paid vacation and sick leave