PE Software Engineer

Qualcomm; Santa Clara (CA); On-site; USD 135,000 - 202,000; Full time

Job summary

Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. in Santa Clara, CA is seeking a GNSS Positioning Engine Software Engineer to design and optimize the core GNSS Positioning Engine in C/C++ for embedded platforms.

You will work with GNSS systems, sensor, hardware, and test teams to deliver high-accuracy PVT solutions, leveraging AI-assisted tools to improve productivity and code quality.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science, or related field with 2+ years of software engineering experience; or Master's/PhD with 1+ year.
• 2+ years of experience with programming languages such as C, C++, Java, Python, etc.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, review, and maintain production GNSS Positioning Engine software in C/C++.
• Develop and optimize GNSS/INS and multi-sensor fusion algorithms.
• Collaborate with GNSS systems, hardware, and validation teams for production-ready software.
• Analyze and improve positioning accuracy, robustness, and power efficiency across challenging environments.
• Optimize software for CPU/memory and real-time embedded architectures.

Skills

GNSS positioning fundamentals

C/C++ programming

Java/Python programming

Embedded/RTOS experience

AI-assisted development tools

Debugging and profiling (TRACE32)

Tools

MATLAB

Python

Perl

TRACE32

Job description

Company:

Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.

Job Area:

Engineering Group, Engineering Group > Software Engineering

General Summary:

Are you excited about developing advanced GNSS and positioning technologies that power billions of devices worldwide?

Qualcomm's Location Technology Team is looking for highly motivated software engineers to design and deliver next-generation positioning solutions for future wireless platforms. Qualcomm's advanced GNSS and location technologies are deeply integrated into our chipsets and enable accurate, reliable, and power-efficient positioning across mobile, wearable, automotive, IoT, and other connected platforms.

As a GNSS Positioning Engine Software Engineer, you will be responsible for the design, development, implementation, testing, and optimization of Qualcomm's core GNSS Positioning Engine. The Positioning Engine is responsible for transforming GNSS measurements and sensor inputs into high-accuracy Position, Velocity, and Time (PVT) solutions used across Qualcomm platforms.

You will work closely with GNSS systems, measurement engine, sensor, hardware, software, and test teams to develop and commercialize state-of-the-art positioning technologies that deliver industry-leading location performance. The role also leverages modern AI-assisted engineering tools and workflows, including large language models (LLMs) and coding assistants such as Claude, Codex, and similar technologies, to improve software development productivity, code quality, debugging efficiency, data analysis, and system performance optimization.

Role Responsibilities

• Design, develop, review, and maintain production-quality GNSS Positioning Engine software in C/C++. Implement and optimize GNSS positioning algorithms, including Weighted Least Squares (WLS), Kalman Filtering (KF/EKF), and Position/Velocity/Time (PVT) estimation. Develop algorithms and software for processing GNSS measurements, including pseudorange, Doppler, carrier-phase, satellite ephemeris, clock, atmospheric, and other measurement corrections. Develop and optimize GNSS/INS and multi-sensor fusion algorithms using inertial sensors and other positioning technologies.
• Contribute to advanced positioning technologies including multi-frequency GNSS, hybrid positioning, sensor-assisted navigation, AI/ML-enhanced positioning solutions and emerging XR use cases.
• Work closely with GNSS systems engineers to translate positioning algorithms and system concepts into efficient, robust, production-quality embedded software. Collaborate with the GNSS Measurement Engine team to consume and process GNSS observables and optimize end-to-end positioning performance. Develop robust algorithms for satellite selection, measurement weighting, outlier detection and rejection, fault detection, integrity monitoring, and positioning error mitigation. Analyze and improve positioning accuracy, availability, robustness, convergence time, and reliability under challenging GNSS environments including urban canyons, indoor, and high-dynamic scenarios. Diagnose and resolve complex system-level positioning and performance issues using GNSS measurements, logs, simulations, and field-test data. Develop software within a real-time, multi-threaded embedded architecture, including inter-process communication and multiple software and firmware interfaces. Contribute to software architecture, interface design, design reviews, code reviews, unit testing, and development methodology. Optimize positioning software for CPU/MIPS utilization, memory footprint, latency, and power efficiency.
• Work closely with systems, software, firmware, hardware, validation, and product teams to commercialize positioning technologies across Qualcomm platforms.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science, or related field and 2+ years of Software Engineering or related work experience. OR Master's degree in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science, or related field and 1+ year of Software Engineering or related work experience. OR PhD in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science, or related field.
• 2+ years of academic or work experience with Programming Language such as C, C++, Java, Python, etc.

Preferred Qualifications

• Strong understanding of GNSS positioning fundamentals, navigation algorithms, and PVT estimation.
• Experience with Weighted Least Squares (WLS), Kalman Filters (KF/EKF), estimation theory, statistical signal processing, or optimization techniques.
• Experience implementing GNSS positioning and navigation algorithms in embedded or real-time software systems.
• Experience using AI-assisted software development tools (e.g., Claude, Codex, or similar technologies) for coding, debugging, performance analysis, test automation, and engineering productivity is highly desirable.
• Understanding of GNSS measurements and error sources, including pseudorange, Doppler, carrier phase, satellite clock and orbit errors, ionosphere, troposphere, multipath, and receiver measurement errors.
• Experience with GNSS/INS integration and multi-sensor fusion.
• Familiarity with GPS, Galileo, GLONASS, BeiDou, QZSS, and multi-frequency GNSS.
• Experience with robust estimation, measurement weighting, outlier rejection, integrity monitoring, and fault detection techniques.
• Knowledge of RTK, PPP, carrier-phase positioning, or other precise positioning technologies.
• Understanding of navigation filter tuning, covariance modeling, uncertainty estimation, and performance characterization.
• Experience analyzing GNSS logs, measurement data, simulation outputs, and large-scale field-test datasets.
• Experience with real-time operating systems (RTOS), multi-threaded software architectures, and ARM-based development/debugging.
• Experience with debugging and profiling tools such as TRACE32.
• Experience using MATLAB, Python, or Perl for algorithm development, simulation, automation, and data analysis.
• Experience optimizing embedded software for computational complexity, memory usage, latency, and power consumption.
• Ability to understand the end-to-end GNSS receiver and positioning architecture, from measurement generation through the final position solution.
• Familiarity with Android location architecture, mobile positioning systems, or connected-device location technologies.
• Experience applying AI/ML techniques to positioning, navigation, or sensor fusion problems is a plus.
• Strong analytical, debugging, and problem-solving skills with the ability to work effectively across software, systems, and test teams.

Why Join Qualcomm Location Technology?

Qualcomm's GNSS and positioning technologies power devices used by billions of consumers worldwide. Our innovations enable navigation, fitness tracking, emergency services, automotive applications, wearables, and emerging location-based experiences across a wide range of connected platforms.

As part of the Location Technology Team, you will have the opportunity to work on cutting-edge positioning solutions, collaborate with leading experts in GNSS and navigation technologies, and help shape the future of location experiences for next-generation wireless products.

Qualcomm is an equal opportunity employer.

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Pay range and Other Compensation & Benefits:

$134,500.00 - $201,700.00

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. Our highly competitive benefits package is available in the United States and Canada.