Staff Firmware Engineer - 5G/6G Modem

Job Title

Staff Firmware Engineer - 5G/6G Modem

Role Summary

Develop timing-critical, real-time firmware for 5G/6G modem control, RF coordination, scheduling and state machines. The role sits on the Modem Firmware/RF team and requires close integration with PHY, hardware, and system teams to deliver stable, high-performance modem features.

Experience Level

Senior (staff-level). The posting references required experience ranges: Required: 3–6 years of embedded/firmware experience; minimum qualifications specify degree-based minima (examples below) and equivalent practical experience is accepted.

Responsibilities

Primary responsibilities focus on firmware design, integration, and problem resolution for modem control and RF functionality.

• Design and implement firmware for 5G/6G NR modem control flows, RF controls, scheduling, and state machines.
• Implement features based on 3GPP specifications (5G/6G NR, LTE, multi‑RAT operation).
• Collaborate with modem systems, PHY, and hardware teams to define and integrate end-to-end solutions.
• Debug complex issues spanning firmware, hardware, and system interactions; perform root-cause analysis.
• Participate in platform bring-up, integration, and feature commercialization.
• Contribute to design reviews, code reviews, and technical problem solving within the team.

Requirements

Key technical must-haves and relevant preferred skills for the role.

Must-have:

• Strong programming skills in C.
• Experience in embedded systems or firmware development (posting cites 3–6 years as typical).
• Understanding of real-time systems, interrupts, concurrency, and low-level control logic.
• Strong debugging and problem-solving skills for hardware-software interaction issues.

Nice-to-have:

• Experience with RF controls and RF loops.
• Experience in semiconductor/SoC projects and system firmware (scheduler design, control-plane logic).
• Familiarity with registers, DMA, timers, and working close to hardware.
• Exposure to 3GPP specifications and real-time embedded concurrency management.
• Experience using AI coding tools (e.g., Copilot, Claude Code).

Education Requirements

Degrees and equivalents: Bachelor's (B.Sc./B.Eng) in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science or related field is listed; Master's and PhD in these fields are also acceptable with reduced experience minima. The posting specifies degree-based experience alternatives (e.g., BSc + ~4–5 years, MSc + ~3–4 years, PhD + ~2 years) and states that equivalent practical experience will be considered.

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.