Staff Power and Thermal Management (San Diego, CA OR Boulder, CO)

Qualcomm; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 134,800 - 202,200; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive annual discretionary bonus

Opportunities for RSU grants

Comprehensive benefits package

Job summary

Qualcomm is seeking a Staff Engineer in San Diego to develop low-level firmware for cloud and data-center platforms. The role involves designing and maintaining firmware while collaborating with hardware and software teams. Ideal candidates will have at least 6 years of experience in embedded systems, proficiency in C/C++, and hands-on experience with OpenBMC and Redfish APIs. The position offers a competitive salary and benefits, fostering career growth in cloud and AI infrastructure.

Qualifications

• 6+ years experience in embedded systems or low-level firmware.
• Hands-on experience with SoC bring-up and low-level debugging.
• Solid understanding of computer architecture and memory systems.

Responsibilities

• Design and maintain firmware for cloud and data-center platforms.
• Support platform bring-up and board validation.
• Mentor engineers and establish technical best practices.

Skills

Embedded systems

Firmware development

C/C++ programming

OpenBMC

Redfish APIs

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science

Master's degree in relevant field

PhD in relevant field

Tools

Embedded Linux

SoC hardware

Job description

Company: Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.

Job Area: Engineering Group > Software Engineering

General Summary: We are looking for a Staff Engineer responsible for Low‑Level firmware and Platform software for data‑center and cloud AI systems. The role includes understanding of Power and Thermal Management firmware, and knowledge of BMC software to architect and deliver management solutions for next‑generation cloud rack platforms. You will work closely with hardware, system software, infrastructure and validation teams to deliver production‑quality firmware, and play a key technical leadership role in building secure, scalable, and reliable rack‑scale management capabilities used in modern cloud and AI infrastructure deployments.

What You’ll Do

• Design, develop, and maintain firmware and low‑level system software for cloud and data‑center platforms (SoC, board, and system level).
• Support platform bring‑up, board validation, and system integration in collaboration with hardware teams.
• Design and develop Power Management firmware on target using various hardware and software components.
• Develop and maintain Redfish APIs for configuration, monitoring, and telemetry.
• Design and implement OpenBMC features for rack-, chassis-, and node‑level management.
• Drive cross‑functional collaboration with hardware, firmware, and platform software teams.
• Influence long‑term architecture decisions for Power, rack management and observability.
• Mentor engineers and set technical best practices.
• Support customer and production issues, including field debugging and issue resolution.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or equivalent practical experience.
• Six or more years of experience in embedded systems, firmware, or low‑level system software.
• Hands‑on experience with SoC bring‑up, hardware/software integration, and low‑level debugging.
• Solid understanding of computer architecture, memory systems, interrupts, DMA, and interconnects.
• Proficiency in C/C++ and embedded Linux environments.
• Strong hands‑on experience with OpenBMC and Redfish APIs.
• Working knowledge of IPMI (SDRs, sensors, command handling).
• Experience debugging real hardware in lab environments.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in one or more of the following areas:
• Power management and thermal control.
• Platform performance tuning and stress testing.
• Exposure to AI accelerators, high‑performance interconnects, or multi‑device systems.
• Exposure to chassis management or multi‑node systems.
• Knowledge of BMC security features (secure boot, firmware updates, root of trust).
• Experience collaborating with hardware vendors, ODMs, or manufacturing partners.
• Familiarity with Linux device models or manufacturing test flows.
• Prior work in hyperscale, cloud infrastructure, or AI accelerator platforms.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science, or related field and at least 4 years of software engineering or related work experience.
• Master's degree in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science, or related field and at least 3 years of software engineering or related work experience.
• PhD in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science, or related field and at least 2 years of software engineering or related work experience.
• At least 2 years of work experience with programming languages such as C, C++, Java, Python, or similar.

Pay Range And Other Compensation & Benefits

$134,800.00 - $202,200.00. 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. Salary is only one component of total compensation. We also offer a competitive annual discretionary bonus program and opportunity for annual RSU grants. Our highly competitive benefits package is designed to support your success at work, at home, and at play. Contact Qualcomm Careers for more details.

Equal Opportunity 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.