CPU Firmware Verification and Validation / Staff Engineer

Job Title

CPU Firmware Verification and Validation / Staff Engineer

Role Summary

Lead a global verification and validation organization responsible for end-to-end verification of CPU firmware and related software stacks. This hands-on technical leader coordinates across SoC, firmware development, configuration and release management, product and program management to ensure stability, scalability, lifecycle support, and high-quality releases.

Experience Level

Senior-level. The posting requests substantial senior experience; sections cite minimums ranging from 8+ years up to 15+ years in embedded software/firmware quality, with at least 5 years of leadership experience referenced in one section.

Responsibilities

Key responsibilities include technical leadership, team scaling, and ensuring firmware quality and release processes.

• Build, manage, and scale a global firmware verification and validation organization.
• Define and implement automation and CI/CD strategies to accelerate verification cycles.
• Plan resource allocation across multiple concurrent programs and manage support pipelines and SLAs.
• Improve firmware release cadence through robust testing, validation and tooling.
• Implement risk management and reduce technical debt to ensure production stability.
• Drive SW/FW integration and contribute to firmware architecture and Design For Test (DFT).
• Act as the quality interface between production software teams and customer engineering.
• Foster skills development, knowledge retention and provide career coaching to engineers.
• Advocate and measure quality milestones aligned with business requirements.
• Optimize processes through automation, tools integration and continuous improvement.

Requirements

Must-have and preferred skills, technologies and experience.

Must-have:

• Extensive experience in embedded software/firmware quality; one section specifies 15+ years overall with 65 years in leadership.
• Proven track record working with cross-functional teams and communicating requirements and technical solutions.
• Hands-on experience with CI/CD, automation, tooling, and test-driven validation.
• Proficiency in programming and scripting (C, C++, Python; Shell/Bash; familiarity with PowerShell).
• Experience with SW/FW integration, BIOS/UEFI, and operating systems for x86, ARM64 or RISC-V.

Nice-to-have:

• Experience with SoC-focused SW/FW engineering and ARM/GCC/LLVM toolchains.
• Experience with Windows, Linux and Android environments and deploying AI tools to automate validation.
• Prior experience optimizing release cadence, support pipelines and SLA management.

Education Requirements

Bachelors degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering or a related field is listed. The posting also includes degree-based alternatives: Bachelor's with 8+ years, Masters with 7+ years, or PhD with 6+ years of software engineering experience; an earlier section additionally cites a Bachelor's with 15+ years and 65 years leadership. Fields mentioned: Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, Electrical Engineering, or related technical fields.

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.