Emulation Engineer / Emulation Platform Engineer

Job Title

Emulation Engineer / Emulation Platform Engineer

Role Summary

Manage, build, and operate hardware emulation platforms to accelerate pre-silicon validation and support RTL delivery. Work closely with design and verification teams to bring up designs on emulators and run regressions at scale.

Experience Level

Mid-level. Role expects several years of relevant engineering experience in emulation, verification, or systems engineering.

Responsibilities

The engineer will own emulation platform setup, job automation, and debug for pre-silicon verification.

• Set up, configure, maintain, and operate emulation platforms for bring-up and regression runs.
• Compile and partition RTL designs for emulation; resolve synthesis and mapping issues.
• Develop and maintain job scripts, automation, and monitoring infrastructure for emulation runs.
• Port testbenches and verification environments to the emulator in collaboration with DV teams.
• Debug emulation targets using Angel debug monitor and semihosting for early I/O and diagnostics.
• Manage job scheduling, resource allocation, and triage failures on shared emulation hardware.
• Maintain version-controlled flows and scripts (Git).

Requirements

Must-have technical skills and hands-on experience required to perform the role.

• Proficiency in SystemVerilog (RTL and/or testbench).
• Strong Git usage: branching, merging, and multi-team flow management.
• Hands-on experience with at least one emulation platform (Veloce, Palladium, ZeBu, or similar).
• Familiarity with the ARM Angel semihosting protocol and using Angel debug monitor for target bring-up.
• Understanding of emulation compilation flows: partitioning, clock-domain handling, and memory modeling.
• Scripting for automation and flow management (Python, Tcl, or Shell).
• Familiarity with UVM-based verification environments.
• Experience with high-performance microprocessor design.

Education Requirements

Degree required: Bachelor's in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a related field (with 4+ years relevant experience), OR Master's in those fields (with 3+ years relevant experience), OR PhD in those fields (with 2+ years relevant experience). Related technical fields acceptable.

Nice to Have

Optional skills that improve candidate fit.

• Experience with SystemVerilog DPI or transactor-based emulation interfaces.
• Background in FPGA synthesis or logic equivalence checking.
• Knowledge of CDC analysis and constraints.
• Experience with job schedulers such as LSF or Slurm.
• Familiarity with embedded OSes (Zephyr, FreeRTOS, embedded Linux) and their bring-up on emulated/FPGA platforms.

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.