#Wireless Software Engineer

Qualcomm • San Diego, CA

25d • $109,400 - $164,200

About The Position

Qualcomm Research’s Wireless R&D division develops research-grade prototypes and early-stage platforms for next-generation wireless technologies, including 6G. Its work spans RF, baseband, communication protocols and algorithms; user-experience technologies for XR, AI-powered context-aware communications, agentic AI and robotics; multimodal sensing; and system architectures supporting industry standards. Prototypes and platforms are end-to-end systems used to characterize and demonstrate advanced technologies, improve application performance and user experience, use Qualcomm compute platforms and applicable open-source libraries, and support pre-commercial interoperability trials and industry showcases.

The Wireless Software Engineer develops and integrates embedded software for advanced algorithms and standardized or standards-proposed protocols, primarily on general-purpose compute servers above RF and baseband. The engineer designs, develops and integrates features supporting the division’s objectives, contributing across the software development lifecycle in a fast-paced, technically challenging environment. The role combines research and implementation of software and tools for advanced research and products. This position is not eligible for Qualcomm immigration sponsorship.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering or a related field.
• Proficiency in C/C++ programming and object-oriented software design and development.
• Understanding of multithreading and operating-system fundamentals.
• Analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to communicate technical ideas and work status, including estimates, risks and dependencies, clearly in writing and verbally.
• Ability to work effectively across teams in a fast-paced, collaborative and diverse software engineering environment.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s degree in Computer Engineering, Computer Science or Electrical Engineering, or two years of work experience in embedded software engineering.
• Familiarity with debugging tools such as gdb and perf, and log analysis for root-cause investigation.
• Experience analyzing and optimizing CPU utilization, latency and throughput.
• Experience with distributed systems, client-server architectures or cloud/edge computing.
• Experience developing or integrating end-to-end applications.
• Knowledge of network protocols, wireless systems, QoS frameworks, and protocols such as 5G NR, LTE and 802.11.
• Aptitude for seeking and adopting productivity-enhancement processes and tools, including AI-based tools, alongside strong technical and programming skills.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, integrate and maintain embedded software across the full development lifecycle, with work typically supporting technology characterization, operator trials, demonstrations and industry showcases.
• Work with system architects to understand high-level system design and requirements, then synthesize software designs.
• Contribute engineering input to technical designs and reviews, including architecture, design trade-offs, schedules and risk areas.
• Perform on-target and off-target development and debugging, using embedded debugging tools and techniques to diagnose and resolve functional, performance and stability issues.
• Optimize performance and timing constraints in real-time embedded systems.
• Create and maintain technical documentation, including design descriptions, architecture specifications, usage notes and release notes.
• Contribute to subsystem-level integration and testing, gaining broader system understanding with guidance from experts.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including system architects, baseband and RF software engineers, and test engineers.

Benefits

• Competitive annual discretionary bonus program.
• Opportunity for annual RSU grants, except for employees on sales-incentive plans.
• Competitive benefits package designed to support employees at work, at home and at play.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level