Computer/Data Science Staff Engineer for CAD

Job Title

Computer/Data Science Staff Engineer for CAD

Role Summary

Lead the development of CAD technologies, design methodologies, and automation solutions for advanced semiconductor implementation flows (3nm and below). Work at the intersection of EDA, AI, optimization, and software engineering to translate research and algorithmic techniques into production-grade tools and flows.

Operate as a technical leader: define architecture and technical strategy, drive cross-team execution, and improve productivity, quality, and scalability across Qualcomm's design ecosystem.

Experience Level

Senior. This role expects substantial technical leadership, cross-organizational influence, and experience delivering production software and algorithmic solutions; see Education Requirements for degree and years guidance.

Responsibilities

Core responsibilities include:

• Architect and implement advanced automated reasoning and optimization frameworks (constraint programming, SAT solving, integer programming, metaheuristics, AI-based methods) for VLSI design problems.
• Design scalable software systems and production-quality CAD tools with attention to testing, CI/CD, observability, documentation, and maintainability.
• Translate EDA and semiconductor implementation requirements into algorithmic and software solutions applicable at scale.
• Drive technical strategy and roadmaps across distributed, multidisciplinary teams; influence stakeholders and align execution.
• Mentor engineers, lead design reviews, and raise engineering standards through coaching and best practices.
• Evaluate and apply data-driven approaches and analytics to improve design flows and solution quality.

Requirements

Essential skills and experience:

• Proven expertise in automated reasoning, mathematical optimization, constraint solving, operations research, or related computational methods applied to complex problems.
• Strong background in graph theory, combinatorial optimization, advanced data structures, and algorithm design, with experience applying these at scale.
• Experience architecting and delivering high-performance, production-grade software systems and establishing engineering best practices (testing, CI/CD, code quality, observability).
• Expert-level programming in Python and experience mentoring engineers and defining technical direction.
• Practical experience applying algorithms and software to EDA, semiconductor, or large-scale engineering optimization problems.
• Demonstrated leadership, stakeholder management, and cross-functional collaboration skills.

Nice-to-have:

• Experience with C/C++ and object-oriented design.
• Experience in synthesis or physical design flows, CAD tool development, or related EDA domains.
• Experience with data science approaches and visualization for large-scale problems.
• Research publications, patents, or other recognized technical contributions.

Education Requirements

Minimum qualifications indicate one of the following: Bachelor's degree in Science, Engineering, or a related field plus 4+ years' relevant experience; OR Master's degree plus 3+ years' experience; OR PhD plus 2+ years' experience. Preferred fields include Computer Science, Applied Mathematics, Operations Research, Electrical Engineering, or related technical disciplines. Equivalent practical experience will be considered. Research contributions (publications, patents) are valued.

About the Company

Company: Qualcomm

Headquarters: San Diego, California, United States

Qualcomm is a global leader in semiconductor and telecommunications equipment, specializing in mobile technologies and innovations. Known for its Adreno GPUs, the company provides solutions enabling advancements in mobile gaming, AI, VR/AR, and autonomous driving. Qualcomm's cutting-edge technology and commitment to high-performance, power-efficient designs drive the evolution of mobile graphics and connectivity worldwide.