Software Systems Intern - IQ

HP Inc.; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 55,000 - 69,000; Full time

Job summary

HP Inc. is seeking a Software Engineering Intern on the Systems team to work on low-level software near the hardware, powering intelligent experiences across products.

Students will explore performance bottlenecks, optimize system behavior, and build software that interacts closely with hardware and resources. The role emphasizes understanding how systems work, why performance matters, and how to improve it.

Qualifications

• Currently pursuing a degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mathematics, Physics, or a related technical field.
• Programming experience in C and/or C++.
• Strong understanding of computer science fundamentals, including data structures and algorithms.
• Familiarity with systems concepts such as memory management, operating systems, concurrency, computer architecture, or performance optimization.
• Experience building, debugging, or optimizing technically complex software through coursework, research, internships, or personal projects.
• Interest in understanding software at a deeper systems level and working close to hardware.
• Ability to break down complex technical problems and clearly communicate your approach.

Responsibilities

• Build and optimize low-level systems software using languages such as C and C++.
• Investigate performance bottlenecks and improve the speed, efficiency, and reliability of existing systems.
• Work on data processing and sensor pipelines that connect software with underlying hardware.
• Analyze and improve memory usage, resource management, and system performance.
• Work across multiple layers of the software stack to understand how individual components affect overall system behavior.
• Contribute to build systems, libraries, tooling, and system configuration.
• Debug complex software and system-level issues.
• Partner with firmware, electrical engineering, and other software teams to solve cross-functional technical problems.
• Own a meaningful technical project from exploration and implementation through testing and evaluation.

Skills

C/C++ programming

Data structures & algorithms

Systems concepts

Debugging complex software

Hardware-software interaction

Education

Pursuing degree in CS/CE/EE/Math/Physics

Job description

About The Role

As a Software Engineering Intern on the Systems team at HP IQ, you'll work on low-level software that sits close to the hardware and helps power intelligent experiences across our products. This role is ideal for students who enjoy understanding how complex systems work under the hood. You'll have the opportunity to work across multiple layers of the software stack, investigate performance bottlenecks, optimize system behavior, and build software that interacts closely with hardware and system resources.

We're looking for engineers who are curious about more than whether something works - you want to understand how it works, why it performs the way it does, and how to make it better.

What You Might Do

• Build and optimize low-level systems software using languages such as C and C++.
• Investigate performance bottlenecks and improve the speed, efficiency, and reliability of existing systems.
• Work on data processing and sensor pipelines that connect software with underlying hardware.
• Analyze and improve memory usage, resource management, and system performance.
• Work across multiple layers of the software stack to understand how individual components affect overall system behavior.
• Contribute to build systems, libraries, tooling, and system configuration.
• Debug complex software and system-level issues.
• Partner with firmware, electrical engineering, and other software teams to solve cross-functional technical problems.
• Own a meaningful technical project from exploration and implementation through testing and evaluation.

Essential Qualifications

• Currently pursuing a degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mathematics, Physics, or a related technical field.
• Programming experience in C and/or C++.
• Strong understanding of computer science fundamentals, including data structures and algorithms.
• Familiarity with systems concepts such as memory management, operating systems, concurrency, computer architecture, or performance optimization.
• Experience building, debugging, or optimizing technically complex software through coursework, research, internships, or personal projects.
• Interest in understanding software at a deeper systems level and working close to hardware.
• Ability to break down complex technical problems and clearly communicate your approach.

Preferred Skills

• Familiarity with modern C++
• Experience with Android development, especially native apps or AOSP
• Experience with Linux Kernel driver development
• Experience porting reference algorithms to hardware accelerators (GPU, DSP, etc)
• Familiarity with ARM System-on-Chip (SOC) architecture
• Experience developing bare-metal firmware for microcontrollers
• Ability to use common lab equipment (eg, logic analyzers) to debug low-level SW issues

Hourly Pay Range: $40-$50 per hour. Actual compensation will be determined based on factors such as skills, qualifications, and experience.

2027 Internship Program Dates: May/June-August/September 2027. Final dates will be based on student schedules.

Job - Administration

Schedule - Full time

Shift - No shift premium (United States of America)

Travel -

Relocation -

Equal Opportunity Employer (EEO) -

HP, Inc. provides equal employment opportunity to all employees and prospective employees, without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, sexual orientation, age, disability, or status as a protected veteran, marital status, familial status, physical or mental disability, medical condition, pregnancy, genetic predisposition or carrier status, uniformed service status, political affiliation or any other characteristic protected by applicable national, federal, state, and local law(s).

Please be assured that you will not be subject to any adverse treatment if you choose to disclose the information requested. This information is provided voluntarily. The information obtained will be kept in strict confidence.

For more information, review HP's EEO Policy or read about your rights as an applicant under the law here: "Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal"