Senior Systems Engineer

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

Job summary

Qualcomm Atheros, Inc. is seeking an engineer with a strong foundation in digital communications, signal processing, and wireless systems to work on characterization, validation, and performance optimization of next‑generation Wi‑Fi products.

You will collaborate with hardware, PHY, RF, firmware, and systems teams to translate theory into silicon measurements, making this role ideal for a new graduate or early‑career engineer who enjoys applying communication concepts to real‑world wireless

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree with 2+ years of Systems Engineering or related work experience.
• Master's degree with 1+ year of Systems Engineering or related work experience.
• PhD in Engineering or related field.

Responsibilities

• Characterize and analyze Wi‑Fi PHY and system performance across operating conditions.
• Apply digital communications and DSP fundamentals to debug wireless performance issues.
• Analyze OFDM/OFDMA, MIMO, beamforming, channel estimation and link adaptation.
• Evaluate metrics like EVM, PER, sensitivity, throughput, and TX/RX performance.
• Develop MATLAB and Python scripts for simulation, data processing, and test automation.
• Compare theory with measurements from Wi‑Fi hardware.
• Review firmware, hardware and PHY logs to identify root causes of issues.
• Collaborate with HWS, PHY, RF, firmware and design engineers to debug problems.
• Understand IEEE 802.11 PHY/MAC behavior and Wi‑Fi features.
• Participate in lab characterization and system‑level validation of chipsets.

Skills

Digital Communications

Digital Signal Processing

Wireless systems

MATLAB

Python

Analytical thinking

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering / related field

Master's degree in Engineering / related field

PhD in Engineering / related field

Tools

MATLAB

Python

Job description

Company

Qualcomm Atheros, Inc.

Job Area

Engineering Group, Engineering Group > Systems Engineering

General Summary

The Connectivity Hardware Systems (HWS) team is looking for an engineer with a strong foundation in digital communications, signal processing, and wireless systems to work on characterization, validation, performance optimization, and debugging of next-generation Wi‑Fi products.

In this role, you will work closely with hardware, PHY, RF, firmware, and systems engineering teams to understand wireless performance from theoretical models through implementation and silicon measurements. This position is well suited for a new graduate or early‑career engineer who enjoys applying communication theory and signal‑processing concepts to real‑world wireless systems.

What You'll Do

• Characterize and analyze Wi‑Fi PHY and system performance across different operating conditions.
• Apply digital communications and DSP fundamentals to understand and debug wireless performance issues.
• Analyze key PHY concepts including OFDM/OFDMA, QAM, MIMO, beamforming, channel estimation, equalization, synchronization, coding, and link adaptation.
• Analyze metrics such as EVM, PER, sensitivity, throughput and transmit/receive performance.
• Develop MATLAB and Python scripts for simulation, data processing, visualization, test automation, and characterization.
• Compare theoretical and simulated performance against measurements from actual Wi‑Fi hardware.
• Analyze firmware, hardware and PHY logs to identify performance issues and help determine root cause.
• Work with experienced HWS, PHY, RF, firmware and design engineers to debug complex wireless‑system problems.
• Develop an understanding of IEEE 802.11 PHY/MAC behavior and next‑generation Wi‑Fi features.
• Participate in lab characterization and system‑level validation of wireless chipsets.

Required Skills

• Solid academic foundation in Digital Communications and Digital Signal Processing.
• Understanding of:
  • Digital modulation and demodulation
  • OFDM
  • Fourier transforms and spectral analysis
  • Sampling and filtering
  • Noise and communication‑channel fundamentals
  • Probability/random processes as applied to communications
• Coursework or project experience with MATLAB and/or Python.
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills.
• Interest in hands‑on wireless system characterization and debugging.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science, or related field and 2+ years of Systems Engineering or related work experience.
• Master's degree in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science, or related field and 1+ year of Systems Engineering or related work experience.
• PhD in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science, or related field.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree or PhD with coursework or research in wireless communications, communication theory, or signal processing.
• Understanding of OFDM/OFDMA, MIMO and beamforming.
• Familiarity with IEEE 802.11/Wi‑Fi PHY or MAC.
• Academic, internship, or project experience involving wireless communications, DSP, SDR, MATLAB simulation.
• Familiarity with RF concepts and basic RF test equipment is a plus.
• Python scripting and data‑analysis experience.
• Exposure to embedded systems, firmware, FPGA/RTL, or hardware/software debugging is a plus.

Equal Opportunity

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).

Equal Opportunity Employer Statement

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.

Company Policies

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.

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. 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.