SoC Systems & Infrastructure Engineer (Design • Validation • Debug • FPGA • Emulation • Software)

Qualcomm; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. in San Diego seeks engineers to join SoC design, validation, debug, and emulation teams. You will work across architectures, CAD tools, and development platforms to deliver industry-leading silicon and software solutions.

Collaborate with architects, RTL designers, software teams, and validation to accelerate bring-up, characterize performance, and improve product quality using automation and AI-enabled workflows.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a technical field with strong fundamentals.
• Experience in ASIC/SoC design, hardware or system debug, or validation.
• Familiarity with Linux, SOC architectures, and RTL methods.
• Strong analytical and cross-functional collaboration skills.

Responsibilities

• Develop and enhance solutions for SoC design, validation, debug, FPGA prototyping, and emulation.
• Design, implement, validate, and debug hardware and software components for advanced platforms.
• Perform pre- and post-silicon bring-up, failure analysis, root-cause investigations, and characterization.
• Develop automation, infrastructure, and tooling using modern languages and scripting.
• Support debugging of low-level issues across complex SoC platforms.
• Analyze system performance, power, reliability, and timing across subsystems.
• Collaborate with global teams and tool vendors to improve processes and quality.
• Leverage AI-driven validation to improve productivity and debugging efficiency.

Skills

C/C++

Python

Verilog/SystemVerilog

Linux / Embedded Linux

Debugging

Automation

Software Design

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer/Electrical Engineering or related

Master's or PhD in Computer/Electrical Engineering or related

Tools

Git

JIRA

CI/CD Automation

Simulation, Emulation, Prototyping Tools

Linux Development Environments

JTAG Debug

Job description

Company

Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.

Job Area

Engineering Group, Engineering Group > ASICS Engineering

General Summary

About Qualcomm

Qualcomm is a global technology leader driving innovations in wireless communications, AI, computing, and connected systems. Our engineering teams develop industry-leading silicon, software, FPGA prototyping platforms, emulation systems, and validation solutions that enable the next generation of mobile, automotive, AI, and edge computing products.

Role Summary

We are seeking highly motivated engineers to join Qualcomm's SoC Design, Validation, Debug, Infrastructure, FPGA, and Emulation organizations. In this role, you will work on industry-leading SoCs and development platforms spanning design, validation, system debug, silicon characterization, CAD software, FPGA prototyping, and emulation.

You will collaborate closely with architects, RTL designers, verification engineers, software developers, and validation teams to develop innovative solutions that improve product quality, accelerate system bring-up, and enable next-generation computing platforms.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and enhance solutions supporting SoC design, validation, debug, FPGA prototyping, and emulation environments.
• Design, implement, validate, and debug hardware and software components used in advanced SoC development platforms.
• Perform pre-silicon and post-silicon bring-up, failure analysis, root-cause investigation, and performance characterization.
• Develop automation, infrastructure, and tooling using modern programming languages and scripting environments.
• Support debugging of low-level hardware and software issues across complex SoC platforms.
• Analyze system performance, power, functionality, reliability, and timing across multiple subsystems.
• Collaborate with global engineering teams, technology partners, and tool vendors to improve methodologies, workflows, and product quality.
• Leverage automation and AI technologies to improve engineering productivity and debug efficiency.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or a related technical field.
• Experience in one or more of the following areas:

Experience in one or more of the following areas

• ASIC / SoC Design
• Hardware or System Debug
• Validation Engineering
• FPGA Development
• Emulation Platforms
• CAD / EDA / Software Development

• Strong analytical, debugging, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to work effectively in a collaborative, cross-functional environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's or PhD in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or related field.
• Experience with complex SoC architectures including CPUs, DSPs, GPUs, DDR, NoCs, peripherals, and interconnects.
• Experience with Linux and embedded software development.
• Familiarity with modern AI-assisted engineering workflows and automation technologies.

Core Technical Skills

Programming & Software

• C/C++
• Python
• Tcl
• Perl
• Linux / Embedded Linux
• Software Design and Development Practices
• Automation and Scripting

Hardware & SoC

• ASIC Design
• SoC Architecture
• Hardware Validation
• Hardware Debug
• Performance and Power Analysis
• RTL Design
• Verilog / SystemVerilog
• FPGA Design

Tools & Infrastructure

• JTAG Debug
• Git
• JIRA
• CI/CD Automation Flows
• Simulation, Emulation, and Prototyping Tools
• Linux Development Environments
• Hardware and Software Debug Tools

Specialized Skills Areas

Candidates may specialize in one or more of the following domains:

• Content And Validation – SoC/System Validation Expertise – End-to-end pre-silicon and post-silicon validation, bring-up, system integration, and silicon debug.
• Hardware-Software Co-Debug – Strong debugging across SoC architecture, embedded software, firmware, drivers, and hardware interfaces.
• Validation Content & Framework Development – Design scalable test content, automation frameworks, CI/CD pipelines, analysis, and debug infrastructure.
• Low-Level Programming – Proficiency in C/C++, Python, Assembly, Linux, device drivers, and bare-metal software development.
• Architecture & Domain Knowledge – Deep understanding of CPU, DDR, NoC/interconnects, memory hierarchy, clock/power management, low-power modes, and performance architecture.
• Performance, Power & Concurrency Analysis – System-level validation of bandwidth, latency, QoS, throughput, scalability, and power-performance tradeoffs.
• Pre-Silicon Platforms – Experience with simulation, emulation (RUMI/Veloce/FPGA), RTL understanding, and validation readiness.
• AI-Driven Validation – Applying AI/ML to improve validation productivity.
• Lab & Debug Tools – Hands-on experience with JTAG, logic analyzers, oscilloscopes, kernel debuggers, and silicon debug methodologies.
• Technical Leadership & Cross-Functional Collaboration – Work effectively across architecture, design, firmware, software, and validation teams to drive silicon quality.