Embedded Senior Software Engineer

Job Title

Embedded Senior Software Engineer

Role Summary

Develop low-level firmware, drivers, bootloaders and BSP for embedded SoC platforms. Work within hardware engineering and cross-functional teams to integrate, validate and optimize system software on resource-constrained devices.

Experience Level

Senior — typically 4–6 years of relevant experience; aligns with the posted minimum qualifications and degree/experience alternatives.

Responsibilities

Primary responsibilities include:

• Develop low-level drivers, bootloaders, board support packages, middleware and application firmware.
• Collaborate with hardware, RTL and DV engineers on silicon bring-up, integration and debug.
• Debug hardware–software integration using JTAG/SWD debuggers, oscilloscopes, logic and protocol analyzers.
• Improve development efficiency via scripting and automation; support CI/CD and continuous testing.
• Maintain source control and release processes; perform testing, static analysis and documentation for production-quality software.
• Coordinate across teams to validate SoCs and minimize schedule delays.

Requirements

Essential technical skills and experience (must-haves vs nice-to-have):

• Must-have:
• Strong C and C++ programming for resource-constrained systems.
• Proficient in Python for scripting and automation.
• Experience writing bare-metal firmware and low-level HW/IP drivers; RTOS-based driver development.
• Deep understanding of hardware and system software stack including power management and memory subsystems (DDR/LPDDR) and high-speed peripherals (USB, SDIO, Ethernet, PCIe).
• Experience on ARM Cortex, MIPS or RISC-V CPU platforms.
• Familiarity with embedded development and debug tools (JTAG, debuggers) and software configuration/defect tracking tools (Git, Jira, Confluence).
• Strong communication and teamwork skills.
• Nice-to-have:
  • Silicon bring-up and silicon validation experience.
  • FPGA platform experience.
  • Pre-silicon RTL co-simulation exposure and heterogeneous/multiprocessor SoC experience.
  • Experience with firmware optimizations.

Education Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Electrical/Electronics Engineering or related field with 2+ years of hardware engineering experience; OR Master's degree in a related field with 1+ year; OR PhD in a related field. Explicit degree examples in the posting include B.E./B.Tech and M.E./M.Tech/M.S. in Electronics, Electronics & Communication or Computer Science. Equivalent practical experience is acceptable per the listed alternatives.

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.