Qualcomm 5G Modem Design Engineer Jobs: Browse Openings
Qualcomm's X-series modems sit inside hundreds of 5G phone models, which is a rare thing: a place where you can work on baseband silicon at real production scale rather than a single flagship part. The roles cover baseband processor design, digital front-end implementation, channel-coding hardware, and MAC and PHY layer RTL.
The work leans on wireless physical-layer algorithms, RTL design for baseband processing, and a working command of 5G NR from 3GPP Release 15 forward. Hands-on LDPC and polar-code hardware experience is a strong differentiator, since those blocks set modem throughput and power at the same time.
Qualcomm's X80 family runs at data rates that turn ordinary design problems into hard ones. Massive MIMO processing, millimeter-wave signal conditioning, and sub-6 GHz carrier aggregation all fight for area and power on the same die, and the schedule does not move for you.
Teams are organized around the full 5G NR stack: Layer 1 digital baseband DSP, RF transceiver design, the modem-to-application-processor interface, and the mmWave antenna module. The X70 and X75 modem-RF systems shipping today push peak downloads past 10 Gbps across a long list of band combinations, so verification and integration effort is as heavy as the design itself.
A lot of the day-to-day is closing coverage on channel-coding blocks and chasing corner cases that only appear when carrier aggregation and beam management run together.
SemiDesignJobs aggregates Qualcomm 5G modem openings from San Diego, CA (HQ), Raleigh, NC, San Jose, CA, Hyderabad, India, and Bengaluru, India. San Diego concentrates system architecture and top-level RTL; the India sites carry heavy block RTL, verification, and physical implementation. For the wider Qualcomm slate, browse Qualcomm semiconductor design jobs.
Related roles sit under Qualcomm RF IC engineer jobs and 5G baseband design engineer jobs.
US modem design roles at Qualcomm generally run from about $120K to $175K base at the mid and senior levels, with total comp climbing at staff and principal grades once RSUs vest. San Diego stays the densest cluster for this skill set. Create a SemiDesignJobs profile, set an alert for Qualcomm modem roles, and new openings reach your inbox as they post.
FAQ
What 5G NR features do Qualcomm modem design engineers work on
Qualcomm modem engineers build hardware for LDPC and polar channel coding, massive MIMO beamforming, carrier aggregation across up to eight carriers, mmWave beam management, and dual connectivity with LTE. Most features involve both the algorithm and the RTL that implements it, so you rarely stay on one side of that line.
What is the difference between Qualcomm modem design roles in San Diego and Hyderabad
San Diego mostly hosts modem system architecture, top-level RTL, and algorithm development. Hyderabad and Bengaluru focus on block RTL design, verification, and physical implementation. SemiDesignJobs shows the specific team focus in each listing, so read the posting before you assume the scope.
Do Qualcomm 5G modem design engineer jobs require a PhD
No. A PhD helps for system architecture and algorithm-to-hardware mapping, but most RTL and verification roles ask for an MS in EE or ECE plus strong digital design skills. Plenty of modem engineers ship silicon without a doctorate.