Sr. System Software Engineer - Power

QUALCOMM, Inc.; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 118,000 - 177,000; Full time

Job summary

Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. in San Diego is seeking a Power Systems Software Engineer on the Systems Software Power team to tackle complex power challenges and optimize efficiency for forthcoming Snapdragon platforms.

You will contribute across the full lifecycle from system‑level power architecture to post‑silicon validation, feature optimization, and deployment, collaborating with architecture, hardware, firmware, kernel, Android, and software teams.

Qualifications

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

Responsibilities

• Drive end‑to‑end power optimization by working across architecture, hardware, firmware, kernel, Android, and system software teams.
• Define, prototype, and evaluate new power features early, leveraging pre‑silicon platforms and post‑silicon bring‑up.
• Own post‑silicon power KPI execution, including root‑cause debug and systematic optimization across HW/SW.
• Perform software trade‑off analysis to assess scheduler, DVFS, and low‑power design decisions under real workloads.
• Identify and deliver power optimization opportunities by tuning firmware, Linux kernel, and system algorithms.
• Contribute to power debug, analysis, and automation infrastructure across platforms and geographies.

Skills

C/C++/Java/Python

Embedded software development

Linux kernel development

Computer architecture

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering/CS

Master's degree in Engineering/IS/CS

PhD in Engineering/IS/CS

Job description

Company:

Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.

Job Area:

Engineering Group, Engineering Group > Software Engineering

General Summary:

Qualcomm’s Systems Software Power team is seeking a Power Systems Software Engineer who is passionate about solving complex power challenges and developing innovative solutions to optimize power efficiency for next‑generation Snapdragon platforms.

In this role, the engineer will have a unique opportunity to learn, contribute, and directly influence the full lifecycle of mobile SoC power consumption, spanning system‑level hardware and software power architecture and design, modeling and measurement, post‑silicon debug and analysis, feature optimization, and eventual commercialization of best‑in‑class power solutions across Qualcomm products.

Minimum Qualifications:

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

Responsibilities:

• Drive end‑to‑end power optimization by working across architecture, hardware, firmware, kernel, Android, and system software teams to develop deep expertise in power architectures, control loops, and advanced low‑power techniques across use‑cases and targets
• Define, prototype, and evaluate new power features early, leveraging pre‑silicon platforms (emulation, models, trace‑based studies) and carrying them through post‑silicon bring‑up, validation, and productization
• Own post‑silicon power KPI execution (Day-of-Use (Battery Life), game and multimedia use‑cases), including root‑cause debug, power walks, correlation, and systematic optimization across HW/SW boundaries
• Perform software trade‑off analysis using rapid prototyping, experiments, and trace‑driven studies to assess alternative scheduler, DVFS, low‑power mode, and system‑level design choices under real workloads.
• Identify and deliver power optimization opportunities by tuning or developing firmware, Linux kernel, and system algorithms (e.g., scheduler, LPMs, bus/DDR scaling, SoC power state transitions) aligned with evolving hardware architectures.
• Contribute to and scale power debug, analysis, and automation infrastructure, including power telemetry, tooling, and AI‑assisted workflows, to improve execution velocity, coverage, and quality across platforms and geographies.

Skills/Experience:

• Strong foundation in computer architecture and system design, including memory management and hierarchies, CPU/GPU architectures, and operating system fundamentals such as processes, threads, and scheduling.
• Proven embedded software development expertise, with the ability to design and implement moderately complex systems software; hands‑on experience with firmware and Linux kernel development is required.
• Solid understanding of electrical engineering and digital logic fundamentals; familiarity with low‑power design principles and power‑saving techniques is a strong plus.
• Effective communicator and collaborative team player, capable of working independently while contributing productively in cross‑functional, multi‑disciplinary environments.

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 [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).

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.

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:

$117,800.00 - $176,600.00

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.