FPGA Design & Firmware Engineer, Staff

Job Title

FPGA Design & Firmware Engineer, Staff

Role Summary

Individual contributor on Qualcomm's Global CAD team focused on FPGA-based emulation and prototyping for next-generation IoT, mobile, compute, and data center platforms. The role leads FPGA system architecture, HW/SW partitioning, firmware design, implementation, and system integration for large, complex FPGA systems.

Experience Level

Senior level. The posting requests experienced engineers with approximately 5+ years of professional FPGA design, firmware, or RTL/digital-hardware development experience.

Responsibilities

Deliver hands-on FPGA RTL, firmware, and system integration for custom emulation and prototyping platforms. Key responsibilities include:

• Design, implement, integrate, and debug FPGA RTL and firmware for emulation/prototyping platforms.
• Develop FPGA solutions using AMD/Xilinx and Intel platforms and toolchains.
• Contribute to system architecture, HW/SW partitioning, and FPGA implementation strategy.
• Work on clock/reset architecture, clock-domain crossings, high-speed interfaces, and timing closure for large designs.
• Design and integrate high-speed interfaces such as PCIe, MGT/SerDes, and LVDS.
• Develop and integrate embedded software and firmware that support FPGA-based systems.
• Improve FPGA tools, methodologies, automation, and design flows; apply AI/ML techniques where applicable.
• Collaborate with hardware, software, CAD, and system engineering teams to debug system-level issues.

Requirements

Must-have technical skills and experience:

• 5+ years professional experience in FPGA design, firmware, RTL development, or related digital hardware work.
• Hands-on RTL/HDL design experience with SystemVerilog/Verilog.
• Experience with modern FPGA platforms (AMD/Xilinx UltraScale+, MPSoC, Versal; Intel Stratix, Agilex) and toolchains.
• Familiarity with FPGA toolflows such as AMD Vivado or Intel Quartus.
• Proven debugging, analytical, and problem-solving skills for complex FPGA systems.
• Experience or ability to develop embedded software/firmware to support FPGA systems.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills; able to work independently and cross-functionally.

Preferred (nice-to-have):

• Experience with CDC, timing closure, clock/reset architecture, and high-speed design techniques.
• Hands-on MGT/SerDes and LVDS integration, bring-up, and debug experience.
• C++ and Python programming experience.
• Experience with interfaces/protocols such as AXI, PCIe, Ethernet, I2C.
• Experience with large, rack-based multi-FPGA systems and inter-FPGA connectivity.
• Experience or interest in applying AI/ML to hardware design, verification, or CAD flows.
• Experience with Linux/Embedded Linux, ARM-based systems, and device drivers.
• Familiarity with modern RTL-generation frameworks (e.g., SpinalHDL, Amaranth) and development workflows (Git, Jira, CI/automation).

Education Requirements

Required: Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related technical field; Qualcomm also lists alternatives using equivalent experience (e.g., Master's or PhD with fewer years of experience). Preferred: Master's or PhD in related technical fields. (Source specifies degree or equivalent-experience combinations.)

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.