Staff Engineer - Power Engineer

Job Title

Staff Engineer - Power Engineer

Role Summary

Qualcomm is seeking a Staff Power Engineer to develop and optimize RTL and SoC power for high-performance, low-power ASIC products. The role works within ASICS Engineering, collaborating with RTL, verification, back-end, and validation teams to define, model, design, verify, and document IP and block-level power solutions.

Experience Level

Senior - typically 8–12 years of relevant ASIC power, design, verification, validation, or integration experience is expected.

Responsibilities

The engineer will own RTL-level power optimization and analysis, collaborate across teams, and deliver methodologies and automation to improve power and performance.

• Define and implement RTL power-optimization strategies and low-power design patterns.
• Perform RTL power analysis and optimization using industry tools and in-house flows.
• Debug RTL or gate-level power anomalies and identify root causes.
• Work with emulation and validation teams on power flow and methodology.
• Coordinate with synthesis/place-and-route teams to understand RTL impacts on post-layout power and timing.
• Develop Python automation, data pipelines, and AI/ML-driven analysis to support power optimization.
• Document design decisions, methodologies, and best practices; communicate results to stakeholders.

Requirements

Must-have technical skills and experience for this role.

• 8–12 years of experience in ASIC power, RTL design/verification, validation, or integration (senior/staff level).
• Solid understanding of RTL power fundamentals: switching activity, clock/enable efficiency, common low-power patterns.
• Experience with RTL power analysis and optimization tools such as PowerArtist, PTPX, PowerPro, or equivalents.
• Practical knowledge of low-power techniques: clock gating, power gating, and managing dynamic vs. leakage power tradeoffs.
• Familiarity with emulation power flows and methodology.
• Understanding of backend flows (logic synthesis, place-and-route) and how RTL decisions affect post-layout power and timing.
• Proven ability to debug RTL/gate-level power issues and identify root-cause structures or scenarios.
• Strong Python programming skills for automation, data pipelines, and ML-driven analysis.
• Excellent analytical, troubleshooting, written, and verbal communication skills; ability to collaborate in a global, cross-functional environment.

Education Requirements

Degree in a technical field is expected: Bachelor’s, Master’s, or PhD in Science, Engineering, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a related technical discipline. The posting allows equivalent practical experience in lieu of a degree (degree + varying years of experience or higher degrees with fewer years are acceptable).

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.