GPU Design Engineer — Principal/Director Level

Job Title

GPU Design Engineer — Principal/Director Level

Role Summary

Lead a high-performance RTL Design and Design Verification organization focused on Qualcomm's family of GPUs. The role combines hands-on technical leadership in architecture, RTL micro‑architecture, and verification strategy with people and program leadership to deliver complex silicon at scale.

Responsible for setting technical direction, ensuring RTL quality and verification sign‑off, mentoring senior engineers, and partnering with cross-functional teams (architecture, physical design, software, SoC, program management) to meet product milestones.

Experience Level

Senior — Principal or Director level. The posting requests ~20+ years of relevant semiconductor industry experience and proven experience leading and scaling teams (11+ engineers).

Responsibilities

Primary responsibilities include technical leadership, execution, and team development across RTL and verification.

• Provide hands‑on technical leadership across RTL design and design verification; lead architecture and micro‑architecture reviews.
• Define and enforce verification strategy, coverage goals, and sign‑off discipline for GPU products.
• Participate in design reviews, debug complex issues, and resolve high‑impact schedule or quality risks.
• Influence architecture tradeoffs for performance, power, area (PPA), scalability, and robustness.
• Champion modern verification methodologies: constrained‑random, coverage‑driven verification, assertions, formal, and automation.
• Set technical direction, execution priorities, and accountability across multiple parallel programs to achieve RTL freeze and tape‑out readiness.
• Hire, mentor, and develop staff; own succession planning, performance management, and career development for the organization.
• Establish and optimize processes, metrics, and best practices to enable scale, reuse, and sustained execution velocity.

Requirements

Must-have technical skills, leadership experience, and delivery track record. Degrees and formal education are summarized separately in the Education Requirements section below.

• Extensive experience in RTL design and verification (SystemVerilog/Verilog) and verification methodologies.
• Proven track record delivering complex GPU, CPU, and/or ASIC designs from micro‑architecture through silicon.
• Demonstrated ability to build, lead, and scale engineering teams (experience managing 11+ RTL/DV engineers and senior technical leads).
• Strong expertise in verification planning, coverage, debug, and tape‑out readiness.
• Experience driving program execution, risk identification, and mitigation across multiple programs.
• Excellent communication, organizational, and people leadership skills; ability to operate at executive and technical levels while remaining hands‑on.
• Experience partnering with architecture, physical design, software, SoC integration, and program management.
• Preferred: experience with formal techniques, automation, and large‑scale verification infrastructure.

Education Requirements

Master's degree in Computer Science or Electrical Engineering is specifically listed in the Required Qualifications. The Minimum Qualifications also allow: Bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related field (with 6+ years relevant experience); or Master's degree (with 5+ years); or PhD (with 4+ years). Equivalent practical experience is accepted where stated.

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.