Staff Linux Software Engineer (Multiple Locations)

Qualcomm Incorporated; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 141,000 - 212,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus

RSU grants

Benefits package

Job summary

Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. is seeking a Staff Software Engineer to lead development of Linux-based system software for next‑generation data center. You will own complex subsystems end‑to‑end, drive architectural decisions, and provide technical leadership across software, hardware, and platform teams.

Your work will span driver development, test infrastructure, performance optimization, security enablement, and product commercialization, with emphasis on robust, production‑grade system software.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or higher in Engineering, CS, or related field with 4+ years software engineering experience.
• Strong C/C++ proficiency and Linux system software experience.
• Experience with kernel/driver development and Linux internals.
• Excellent written and verbal English communication.

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and optimize Linux user-space and kernel-adjacent drivers and libraries in modern C++.
• Lead host software stack development for high-performance AI inference and secure compute workloads.
• Drive API design, multi-threaded systems, and scalable software architectures.
• Own feature development and bring-up across hardware and software boundaries.
• Architect and develop tests for CI environments.
• Lead validation of host software and drivers.
• Mentor senior engineers and collaborate with cross-functional teams.

Skills

Linux development

C/C++

Multithreading

English communication

Driver development

Kernel concepts

API design

Software architecture

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree (Engineering/CS)

Master's degree (Engineering/CS)

PhD (Engineering/CS)

Tools

Git

GTest

Python

KVM

Docker

Job description

Company:

Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.

Job Area:

Engineering Group, Engineering Group > Software Engineering

General Summary:

Qualcomm Data Center is seeking a Staff Software Engineer to lead development of Linux-based system software for next‑generation data center. This role focuses on host‑side software, drivers, and system integration for Qualcomm’s high‑performance inference accelerators.

As a Staff Engineer, you will own complex subsystems end‑to‑end, drive architectural decisions, and provide technical leadership across software, hardware, and platform teams. Your work will span driver development, test infrastructure, performance optimization, security enablement, and product commercialization, with a strong emphasis on robust, production‑ready system software.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science, or related field and 4+ years of Software Engineering or related work experience.
• OR
• Master's degree in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science, or related field and 3+ years of Software Engineering or related work experience.
• OR
• PhD in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science, or related field and 2+ years of Software Engineering or related work experience.
• 2+ years of work experience with Programming Language such as C, C++, Java, Python, etc.

Key Responsibilities

Host & System Software Development

• Design, implement, and optimize Linux user‑space and kernel‑adjacent drivers and librariesin modern C++.
• Lead development of host software stackssupporting high‑performance AI inference and secure compute workloads.
• Drive API design, multi‑threaded systems, and scalable software architectures.
• Own feature development, integration, and bring‑upacross hardware and software boundaries.

Testing, Quality & CI

• Architect and develop unit, integration, and system‑level testsfor CI environments.
• Lead functional and performance validation of host software and drivers.
• Establish best practices for testability, automation, and long‑term maintainability.

Performance, Debug & Bring‑Up

• Debug complex host‑side issues including boot flows, PCIe link behavior, log transfer, and overflow handling.
• Optimize host software for AI inference performance and low‑latency workloads.
• Use advanced debugging, tracing, and profiling tools on Linux platforms.

Technical Leadership & Collaboration

• Provide technical leadershipacross mixed hardware/software teams.
• Drive design reviews, influence system architecture, and mentor senior engineers.
• Work closely with hardware, firmware, hypervisor, security, and cloud teamsto deliver end‑to‑end solutions.
• Support customer deployments and resolve complex system‑level issues.

Required Skills and Experience

• Extensive experience withLinux system software developmentin modern C/C++.
• Strong background in Linux user‑space development, API design, and multi‑threading / synchronization.
• Solid understanding of Linux internals, kernel concepts, drivers, and system bring‑up.
• Experience with UML, OO design, and large‑scale software architecture.
• Strong knowledge of SoC architecture(cores, caches, memory hierarchy, interconnects, I/O).
• Experience with source code and configuration management(git required).
• Proven ability to work at low‑level implementation detailwhile maintaining system‑level perspective.
• Excellent written and verbal English communication skills.
• Comfortable operating in a high‑caliber, cross‑disciplinary engineering environment

Preferred/Desired Qualifications:

• Familiarity with virtualization and container technologies(KVM, Docker, SR‑IOV).
• Experience optimizing AI/ML inference workloadson system software stacks.
• Proficiency in Pythonfor tooling, testing, or automation.
• Experience with C/C++ unit testing frameworks(e.g., gtest).
• Exposure to cloud technologies, middleware, and protocols.
• Working knowledge of PCIe 3.0+.
• Linux system administration experience.
• Linux kernel development experience.
• Contributions to open‑source kernel or confidential computing projects.

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).

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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 :

$141,300.00 - $211,900.00

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 .