Product Applications Engineer, Principal (Connectivity Products Group)
QualcommJob Title
Product Applications Engineer, Principal (Connectivity Products Group)
Role Summary
Principal-level hardware applications engineer supporting Qualcomm's Connectivity Products Group. Provide technical leadership for product integration, validation, and customer support focused on datacenter interconnects using direct-detect and coherent DSP products.
Work with Product Management, Sales, R&D and external optical transceiver vendors to enable customer designs from prototype through production ramp.
Experience Level
Senior-level. Minimum qualifications vary by degree (see Education Requirements) and the role expects multi-year experience; job text references both a 5+ years baseline for relevant experience and degree-linked requirements of roughly 6–8+ years.
Responsibilities
Key responsibilities include:
- Lead technical engagement with customers from design kickoff to production ramp, coordinating internal teams as needed.
- Author technical collateral: data sheets, product briefs, user guides, and application notes.
- Support design of evaluation boards and reference design kits representative of customer applications.
- Validate product performance in representative applications and diagnose/debug issues during bring-up and validation.
- Drive integration of Qualcomm technology into optical transceiver modules in partnership with vendor engineers.
- Provide high-quality customer support materials and responses to exceed customer expectations.
- Occasional travel to customer sites or partners.
Requirements
Must-have skills and experience:
- Several years of hands-on experience in board-level design, optical module design, or hardware/applications engineering (job text references 5+ years as a baseline).
- Domain knowledge of high-speed interconnect technologies, including DSPs and optics for PAM4 and/or coherent transmission.
- Experience debugging and troubleshooting firmware and hardware issues involving high-speed DSPs, optical components, optoelectronic components, and optical modules.
- Proven ability to validate product performance and resolve design issues during prototype and production stages.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills for technical documentation and customer interactions.
Nice-to-have:
- Extensive experience with DSP-based Ethernet SerDes for electrical or optical applications.
- Experience with datacenter interconnects at 800 Gbps, 1.6 Tbps and related high-bandwidth systems.
Education Requirements
The posting lists degree-based minimums: Bachelor's in Electrical/Electronics Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field (typically paired with ~8+ years relevant experience); Master’s in Electrical/Electronics Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field (~7+ years); or PhD in the same fields (~6+ years). The posting also references a minimum of ~5+ years relevant experience in some sections and allows related work experience as an alternative to formal degrees.
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.
