CPU Physical Design Engineer (Austin)

Qualcomm; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 130,000 - 194,000; Full time

Job summary

Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. is seeking a CPU Engineer to lead design efforts for high‑performance, multi‑core CPUs. You will collaborate across teams to verify architecture, feasibility, and post‑silicon validation, delivering power‑efficient, scalable silicon solutions.

The role requires strong knowledge of computer architecture and signal timing, with experience in C/C++, Verilog/VHDL, and industry standard tools. Join Qualcomm to influence global tech platforms and devices.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree with 2+ years in Hardware/Software/Systems engineering or related field.
• Master's degree with 1+ year in related work experience.
• PhD in related field.

Responsibilities

• Develop and verify high performance CPU designs.
• Collaborate with cross‑functional teams to meet requirements and trade‑offs.
• Document feature descriptions, architectures, and verification plans.
• Support pre‑ and post‑silicon validation and test generation.
• Maintain high quality technical documentation for CPU designs.

Skills

C programming

C++ programming

Verilog/VHDL

High-performance computing

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical/Computer Engineering or Computer Science

Master's degree in Electrical/Computer Engineering or Computer Science

PhD in Electrical/Computer Engineering or Computer Science

Tools

Synthesis tools

Place & Route tools

Simulation tools

Job description

Company

Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.

Job Area

Engineering Group, Engineering Group > CPU Engineering

General Summary

As a leading technology innovator, Qualcomm pushes the boundaries of what's possible to enable next‑generation experiences and drives digital transformation to help create a smarter, connected future for all. As a Qualcomm CPU Engineer, you will lead innovative Central Processing Unit (CPU) design efforts that have a critical impact on industries across the world. Qualcomm Engineers collaborate with cross‑functional teams to design, verify, and implement multi‑core CPU operations for all Qualcomm Business Units.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field and 2+ years of Hardware Engineering, Software Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related work experience.

OR

Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field and 1+ year of Hardware Engineering, Software Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related work experience.

OR

PhD in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field.


• 2+ years of work experience with high‑performance microprocessor design.


• 2+ years of work experience with high level programming (e.g., C, C++), scripting language programming (e.g., Perl, Python, etc.).


• 2+ years of work experience with simulators and/or waveform debugging tools (e.g., Verilog, VHDL, etc.).


• 2+ years of work experience with industry standard tools for synthesis place and/or route and design verification.


• 2+ years of work experience with simulation, emulation, formal verification, or silicon validation.


• 2+ years of experience in creating functional models, checkers, test plans, and/or test generation.


• 1+ year experience working in a large matrixed organization.

Principal Duties And Responsibilities

• Applies knowledge of computer architecture, micro‑architecture, logic design, circuits, and/or physical design to develop and verify high performance and low power CPU designs.


• Anticipates, identifies, and solves problems to ensure design completeness, functionality, power, and performance.


• Collaborates across teams to define requirements, specifications, and trade‑offs (e.g., performance, power, cost, functionalities, etc.) in order to accomplish product goals.


• Evaluates the design process from conceptualization to productization (i.e., architecture definition, feasibility, pre‑silicon design and verification, and post‑silicon validation) that meet customer and industry standards.


• Writes detailed technical documentation (e.g., feature descriptions, architectural descriptions, verification test plans, and implementation details, etc.) for CPU designs.

Level Of Responsibility

• Works independently with minimal supervision.


• Decision‑making may affect work beyond immediate work group.


• Requires verbal and written communication skills to convey information. May require basic negotiation, influence, tact, etc.


• Has a moderate amount of influence over key organizational decisions.


• Tasks require multiple steps which can be performed in various orders; some planning, problem‑solving, and prioritization must occur to complete the tasks effectively.

Qualcomm is an equal opportunity employer. If you are an individual with a disability and need an accommodation during the application/hiring process, rest assured that Qualcomm is committed to providing an accessible process. You may e-mail disability‑[e-mail] or call Qualcomm's toll‑free number found here. Upon request, Qualcomm will provide reasonable accommodations to support individuals with disabilities to be able participate in the hiring process. Qualcomm is also committed to making our workplace accessible for individuals with disabilities. (Keep in mind that this email address is used to provide reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities. We will not respond here to requests for updates on applications or resume inquiries).

Qualcomm expects its employees to abide by all applicable policies and procedures, including but not limited to security and other requirements regarding protection of Company confidential information and other confidential and/or proprietary information, to the extent those requirements are permissible under applicable law.

EEO Employer: Qualcomm is an equal opportunity employer; all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, Veteran status, or any other protected classification.

Pay Range And Other Compensation & Benefits

• $129,500.00 - $194,300.00


• The above pay scale reflects the broad, minimum to maximum, pay scale for this job code for the location for which it has been posted.


• Even more importantly, please note that salary is only one component of total compensation at Qualcomm.


• We also offer a competitive annual discretionary bonus program and opportunity for annual RSU grants (employees on sales‑incentive plans are not eligible for our annual bonus).


• In addition, our highly competitive benefits package is designed to support your success at work, at home, and at play.


• Your recruiter will be happy to discuss all that Qualcomm has to offer – and you can review more details about our US benefits at this link.

If you would like more information about this role, please contact Qualcomm Careers.