Hardware System Design Engineer (Senior/Staff)
QualcommJob Title
Hardware System Design Engineer (Senior/Staff)
Role Summary
Design and deliver high-performance FPGA-based emulation platforms and their multi-board hardware systems. Own the full board design lifecycle - schematic capture, PCB stack-up and layout, power and signal integrity simulation, BOM management, and verification testing - and drive system-level architecture with software/firmware and customer teams.
At the Staff level, provide technical leadership across multiple boards/platforms, set design methodology and standards, act as a primary technical interface to customers, and mentor other engineers.
Experience Level
Senior or Staff. Typical experience: 5+ years in system architecture, hardware board design, and signal integrity simulations for Senior; 10+ years typically expected for Staff-level candidates.
Responsibilities
Primary responsibilities include designing, validating, and supporting FPGA-based boards and multi-board systems.
- Own board design lifecycle: schematic capture, PCB stack-up (26+ layers), PCB layout, BOM management, and design verification testing.
- Drive system-level architecture in collaboration with customers and software/firmware teams.
- Perform power and signal integrity simulations for 10 Gbps+ SERDES and high-speed I/O; extract models, run simulations, report results, and recommend design changes.
- Lead or support FPGA board design (Xilinx and/or Altera) including DDR3/DDR4/DDR5 discrete memory subsystems.
- Direct lab technicians during system installation, bring-up, and debug; perform root-cause analysis for complex issues.
- Collaborate with mechanical, PCB layout, and manufacturing teams to ensure DFM, manufacturability, and reliability.
- Author and maintain design documentation (HDDs, pinout tables, design review packages) for program reviews.
- Support factory/production builds and new product introduction (NPI) activities as needed.
Requirements
Must-have skills, tools, and experience for successful candidates. Degrees are summarized separately under Education Requirements.
- Proven board design experience: schematic capture, PCB stack-up and multi-layer layout, BOM management, and design verification/testing.
- FPGA board design experience (Xilinx and/or Altera) and FPGA HDL coding experience.
- Design experience with 10 Gbps+ SERDES and high-speed I/O.
- Experience performing power and signal integrity simulations from model extraction through simulation and reporting.
- Experience with DDR3/DDR4/DDR5 discrete memory subsystems.
- Familiarity with protocols: I2C, JTAG, UART, SPI, SD Card, PCIe, eMMC.
- Familiarity with test equipment: oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, protocol analyzers; board/system bring-up and debug experience.
- Basic Linux/Unix experience and familiarity with design tools such as Mentor DxDesigner/Expedition, Vivado, Quartus, HyperLynx, Sigrity PowerSI/PowerDC, ADS, HFSS, and SPICE.
- Strong cross-functional collaboration, written and verbal communication skills, and ability to present technical trade-offs to customers and stakeholders.
- Ability to work independently, prioritize tasks, and drive work to closure; experience mentoring junior engineers. Staff candidates should demonstrate technical leadership and mentoring of senior engineers.
Education Requirements
Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical/Electronics Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field is preferred; a PhD is also referenced in minimum qualifications. Equivalent practical experience is explicitly accepted. Industry certification such as IPC Certified Interconnect Designer (CID) is listed as a desirable credential.
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.
