Senior Staff Embedded Software Engineer – AI Accelerator

Qualcomm Innovation Center, Inc.; Cork; On-site; EUR 130,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Salary and stock bonus

Relocation support

Education assistance

Pension

Job summary

QT Technologies Ireland Limited in Cork is seeking a Senior Staff Embedded Software Engineer to lead low‑level firmware and platform software for next‑gen data center AI systems, spanning SoC bring‑up, boot, security, and performance optimizations.

You will collaborate with hardware, system software, validation and external partners to deliver robust firmware solutions, provide technical leadership, set coding standards, guide cross‑functional reviews, and drive scalable, production‑ready

Qualifications

• 12+ years of firmware or low‑level system software with leadership.
• Expert in C/C++ with Python and Bash scripting.
• SoC bring‑up, hardware/software integration and system‑level debugging.
• Strong knowledge of computer architecture, memory hierarchy, interrupts and interconnects.
• Experience with Linux environments and RTOS such as Zephyr.

Responsibilities

• Lead architecture, design and development of firmware for SoC, board and platform levels.
• Own end‑to‑end firmware strategy across boot, reset, debug, security, power and platform services.
• Drive SoC and platform bring‑up at scale with system integration and validation across generations.
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship; set coding, design and quality standards.
• Define firmware architecture for scalability, reliability, and performance in cloud deployments.
• Lead cross‑functional design reviews, debugging and root‑cause analysis.
• Establish best‑in‑class debuggability, observability and CI/CD practices with automation.
• Drive customer and production issue resolution, including field debugging.

Skills

C/C++

Python

Bash

Linux

Zephyr RTOS

SoC bring‑up

Debugging

JTAG tracing

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or Computer Science

Master’s degree preferred

PhD acceptable

Tools

Linux

Zephyr RTOS

Job description

Company: QT Technologies Ireland Limited Job Area: Engineering Group, Engineering Group > Software Engineering

About the Role

We are seeking a Senior Staff Embedded Software Engineer to join our Data Center AI Software team, leading the development of low‑level firmware and platform software for next‑generation data center and cloud‑scale AI/compute systems.

This is a technical leadership role spanning SoC bring‑up, platform architecture, performance optimization, reliability engineering, and deployment at hyperscale. You will drive cross‑functional initiatives and set technical direction across firmware domains powering cloud inference and acceleration platforms.

You will collaborate closely with hardware, system software, infrastructure, and validation teams, as well as external partners, to deliver robust, scalable, and production‑ready firmware solutions.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead architecture, design, and development of firmware and low‑level system software across SoC, board, and platform levels
• Own end – to – end firmware strategy across boot, reset, debug, security, power, RAS, IPC, and platform services
• Drive SoC and platform bring – up at scale , including system integration and validation across multiple product generations
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to engineers; set coding, design, and quality standards
• Define and influence firmware architecture for scalability, reliability, and performance in large‑scale cloud deployments
• Lead cross – functional design reviews , system debugging, and root‑cause analysis for complex platform issues
• Establish best – in – class debuggability, observability, and CI/CD practices , including automation and pre‑silicon/post‑silicon validation strategies
• Drive customer and production issue resolution , including deep field debugging and long‑term corrective actions
• Collaborate with ODMs, silicon vendors, and manufacturing partners to ensure successful platform deployment and ramp
• Influence roadmap and long – term technical direction for firmware and platform software in AI accelerator systems
• Drive continuous improvement across firmware teams, identifying systemic process‑level improvements and scaling best practices

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or related field
• 12+ years of experience in firmware or low‑level system software development, with demonstrated technical leadership
• Expert ‑ level proficiency in C/C++ , with strong scripting skills (Python, Bash)
• Deep experience in SoC bring – up, hardware/software integration, and system – level debugging
• Strong understanding of computer architecture , including memory hierarchy, interrupts, DMA, coherency, and interconnects
• Proven ability to lead complex debugging efforts using JTAG, trace, logs, and instrumentation
• Extensive experience working in Linux-based environments and RTOS such as Zephyr

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior experience architecting firmware for cloud or hyperscale data – center platforms
• Strong familiarity with platform management ecosystems
• Deep expertise in one or more areas:
  • Boot architecture, secure boot, and firmware security
  • Power management, thermal control, and RAS at scale
  • Performance optimization and system stress validation
  • Firmware CI/CD pipelines, simulation, and automation frameworks
  • Experience with AI accelerators, heterogeneous compute systems, or high – speed interconnects (PCIe, CXL, NVLink, ESUN, UAL, etc.)
  • Proven track record of working with hardware vendors, ODMs, and manufacturing ecosystems
  • Demonstrated ability to influence architecture and roadmap across organizations

Leadership Expectations (Senior Staff Level)

• Act as a technical authority and decision maker across firmware domains
• Drive alignment across teams and organizations to deliver cohesive platform solutions
• Mentor senior engineers and grow technical talent within the organization
• Balance hands – on engineering with strategic impact , contributing both at code level and architecture level
• Anticipate and mitigate system – level risks across product lifecycles

Where you will be working

Cork has a proud reputation as Ireland's second largest economic engine and is now one of the Top 20 location choices in Europe with 39,000 people being employed by over 170 overseas companies. There's a growing diversity in the region with people from many nationalities relocating to Cork, relishing the opportunity to work and live in a location that offers an excellent quality of life. A gateway to Europe, Cork airport provides access to almost 50 international destinations including transatlantic air routes.

Equal Opportunities

We are an Equal Opportunity employer; all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, colour, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any protected classification.

What's on Offer

Apart from working in an open, relaxed and collaborative space, you will enjoy:

• Salary, stock and performance related bonus
• Maternity/Paternity Leave
• Employee stock purchase scheme
• Matching pension scheme
• Education Assistance
• Relocation and immigration support (if needed)
• Life, Medical, Income and Travel Insurance
• Subsidised memberships for physical and mental well‑being
• Bicycle purchase scheme
• Employee run clubs, including running, football, chess, badminton + many more

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science, or related field and 6+ years of Software Engineering or related work experience.
• Master's degree in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science, or related field and 5+ years of Software Engineering or related work experience.
• PhD in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science, or related field and 4+ years of Software Engineering or related work experience.
• 3+ years of work experience with Programming Language such as C, C++, Java, Python, etc.

*References to a particular number of years experience are for indicative purposes only. Applications from candidates with equivalent experience will be considered, provided that the candidate can demonstrate an ability to fulfill the principal duties of the role and possesses the required competencies.