#Windows Audio Software Engineer (Voice AI) — Engineer

Qualcomm; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 100,000 - 149,000; Full time

Job summary

Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. is seeking a Windows Audio Software Engineer to design and build on-device Voice AI capabilities for Windows-on-Snapdragon platforms.

You will own end-to-end feature development, collaborates with hardware, DSP, ML, and product teams, and ensure low-latency, power-efficient results. The role emphasizes cross-functional teamwork, production-quality code, and experience with Windows drivers, UMDF/KMDF, and Voice AI pipelines.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science, or related field.
• Master's degree in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science or related field are preferred.
• 2+ years of software engineering experience in Windows system software, device drivers, multimedia/audio, platform software, or performance/power-sensitive products.

Responsibilities

• Own feature development end-to-end for Voice AI on Windows, including wake-on-voice and on-device ASR.
• Translate product goals into engineering requirements, architecture, and milestones.
• Co-design and implement Windows audio + driver stack solutions leveraging Qualcomm SoC capabilities.
• Build/extend components across UMDF/KMDF boundaries, integrate with Windows audio frameworks.
• Drive low-power audio architecture for always-on use cases and power-state transitions.
• Optimize and validate performance using Windows diagnostics across multi-threaded HW/SW boundaries.
• Communicate development status, risks, and mitigations to technical leads and stakeholders.
• Participate in roadmap planning and process improvements for quality and scalability.

Skills

C/C++

Multithreading

Windows driver

Visual Studio

KMDF/UMDF

Audio software

Performance tuning

Cross-functional

Voice AI

AI copilots

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering/CS/IS

Master's degree in Engineering/CS/IS

Tools

Git

Windows Driver Kit (WDK)

Job description

Company

Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.

Job Area

Engineering Group, Engineering Group > Software Engineering

General Summary

Qualcomm is a world-leading provider of mobile, computing, XR, automotive, and IoT SoCs and software technologies. Our Snapdragon platforms deliver highly integrated CPU/DSP/NPU capabilities that enable premium on-device experiences with industry-leading power efficiency.

This position is not eligible for Qualcomm immigration sponsorship.

Position Overview

As a member of Qualcomm's Windows Audio Software team, you will design and build next-generation on-device Voice AI capabilities on Windows-on-Snapdragon platforms—spanning low-power "always-on" sensing through interactive speech experiences. You will collaborate with cross-functional teams (hardware, DSP, systems, ML, and product) and work with global stakeholders across regions and sites to deliver robust, production-ready solutions.

Responsibilities

• Own feature development end-to-end for Voice AI capabilities on Windows, including wake-on-voice, on-device ASR, translation, transcription, and TTS.
• Gather and refine technical requirements with internal and external partners; translate product goals into clear engineering requirements, architecture, and milestones.
• Co-design and implement Windows audio + driver stack solutions that leverage Qualcomm SoC CPU/DSP/NPU capabilities while meeting strict latency and power targets for Voice AI experiences.
• Build or extend components across user-mode and kernel-mode boundaries (UMDF/KMDF), integrating with Windows audio frameworks and platform services as needed for Voice AI pipelines.
• Drive low-power audio architecture for "always-on" use cases, including concurrency and power-mode transitions across multiple audio features.
• Optimize and validate performance using Windows diagnostics and systematically debug complex multi-threaded and multi-processor issues across HW/SW boundaries.
• Communicate development status, risks, and mitigations to technical leads and stakeholders.
• Participate in roadmap planning and execution; contribute to process improvements that increase quality, scalability, and maintainability.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science, or related field.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's Degree in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science or related field.
• 2+ years of industry experience in software engineering, with a focus in one or more of the following areas: Windows system software, device drivers, multimedia/audio, platform software, or performance/power-sensitive products.
• Proficiency in systems programming (C/C++ preferred) and ability to deliver production-quality code in complex codebases.
• Strong Windows development skills using Visual Studio, source control (Git-based workflows), and disciplined debugging practices.
• Solid understanding of Windows OS fundamentals relevant to system-level development: processes/threads, synchronization primitives, memory, I/O, and performance diagnostics.
• Experience developing or integrating Windows drivers using KMDF and/or UMDF, including build, deployment, and debugging fundamentals.
• Hands-on experience with multi-threaded programming, concurrency control, and performance/latency tuning.
• Proven ability to work cross-functionally and communicate effectively with distributed teams across regions/time zones.
• Windows audio ecosystem experience (any of the following): audio drivers, audio endpoints, WASAPI, audio effects/APOs, audio policy, power-aware audio scenarios, or end-to-end audio pipeline integration.
• Demonstrated experience using AI-assisted development tools to improve productivity across the software lifecycle (requirements/architecture, implementation, debugging, testing, and documentation), with the ability to iterate on prompts and validate outputs against real code and requirements.
• Familiarity with mainstream AI coding assistants (e.g., GitHub Copilot / Microsoft Copilot) applied to practical engineering tasks such as code comprehension, change drafting, test scaffolding ideas, and documentation—while maintaining strong review and correctness discipline.
• Ability to create and share repeatable prompt patterns/templates for common engineering workflows and continuously refine prompts to increase specificity and accuracy.
• Experience with low-power / always-on audio and power-state transitions (e.g., Modern Standby constraints and wake/trigger flows).
• Familiarity with on-device voice activation building blocks and staged verification concepts (e.g., multi-stage keyword/wake approaches).
• Experience optimizing workloads across heterogeneous compute (CPU + DSP + NPU) and understanding tradeoffs across latency vs. power vs. quality.
• Exposure to Voice AI pipelines: ASR/TTS, speech translation, transcription, streaming/buffering strategies, and real-time constraints.

Pay Range and Other Compensation & Benefits

$99,500.00 - $149,300.00

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.

Equal Opportunity Employer

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).

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