Staff Hardware Design Engineer, SoC/SIP

Job Title

Staff Hardware Design Engineer, SoC/SIP

Role Summary

Design and deliver server and rack-level hardware (cards, motherboards, modules) for Qualcomm AI SoC/SIP products. Work with cross-functional teams and ODM/JDM partners to take designs from concept through manufacturing, verification, and deployment in data center environments.

Experience Level

Senior — role requires demonstrated hardware engineering experience at system/card/rack level. Typical experience guidance: minimum ~4 years with a Bachelor's, or fewer years with advanced degrees; senior applicants often have substantially more experience.

Responsibilities

Key responsibilities focused on system, card, and rack-level hardware development and delivery.

• Lead schematics, PCB layout, component selection, and design reviews for cards and modules.
• Define functional specifications for cards, subsystems, and rack-level architectures.
• Collaborate with mechanical, thermal, SI, regulatory, validation, manufacturing, and software teams.
• Support architecture, power delivery, electrical/mechanical integration, and PCB definition for accelerator SoCs and memory/I/O subsystems.
• Develop and execute test plans; assist bring-up and debug of cards, systems, and rack configurations.
• Support factory/manufacturing processes and provide technical oversight to ODMs/JDMs.
• Drive technical trade-offs and milestones; produce Statements of Work and product requirements for partners.
• Travel to development and customer sites as needed for integration, validation, and deployment.

Requirements

Must-have technical skills and domain experience. Degrees and formal education are summarized separately under Education Requirements.

• Proven system/card/rack-level development experience: architecture, design, validation, and deployment of enterprise-class platforms.
• Rack-level integration experience: chassis, backplane, cabling, airflow, thermal management, PDUs/VRMs/PMICs, and power budgeting.
• Board- and card-level expertise: PCIe cards, motherboards, daughtercards, backplane signal and power delivery, and chassis/airflow design.
• Hands-on experience with dense, multi-layer PCB designs (8–20+ layers) and PCIe add-in card/module design and debugging.
• Experience qualifying PMICs, voltage regulators, clock buffers, flash memory, and connectors for complex designs.
• Knowledge of high-speed interfaces and protocols (PCIe Gen5/6, DDR/LPDDR, 200/400/800 GbE) and SI/power integrity considerations for long traces/cables.
• Familiarity with lab instruments and bring-up tools: oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, JTAG, serial debuggers, SMBus/PMBus tools.
• Experience collaborating with ODMs/OEMs on mechanical drawings, thermal simulations, compliance testing, and manufacturing handoff.
• Understanding of firmware/software interactions (bootloader to OS) and BMC integration for system management.
• Experience with regulatory, environmental, and data-center compliance testing and diagnostics.

Nice-to-have:

• Extensive circuit design experience (digital/analog/RF) and use of circuit simulation tools (SPICE).
• Experience with Cadence Allegro, Mentor Expedition, and advanced SI/PI analysis tools.
• Prior experience in high-volume manufacturing and technical training of ODM partners.

Education Requirements

Bachelor's, Master's, or PhD in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical/Electronics Engineering, or a related engineering field. The posting specifies acceptable combinations of degree and experience: Bachelor's + 4+ years, Master's + 3+ years, or PhD + 2+ years (equivalent practical experience may 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.