XR - Principal Software Engineer

Socket.dev; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 193,000 - 289,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus

RSU grants

Comprehensive benefits

Job summary

Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. is seeking a highly experienced Principal Engineer, XR Software to drive AR/VR/MR platforms on Snapdragon.

You will lead the architecture, design, and integration of XR software across operating systems, middleware, and customer-facing solutions, partnering with product, hardware, and software teams to deliver cutting-edge XR experiences. The role emphasizes system-level optimization, cross-functional collaboration, and leadership in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• BS/MS/PhD in Engineering, CS, EE, or related field with extensive software/platform experience.
• Experience developing complex software systems and platform software.
• Strong proficiency in modern C++ and embedded/Linux platforms.

Responsibilities

• Lead architecture, design, and development of XR platform software including OS, middleware, frameworks, and customer-facing solutions.
• Collaborate with product management, customers, hardware teams, and software groups to define platform requirements and roadmaps.
• Analyze AR/VR use cases, data flows, and HW/SW partitioning for scalable system architectures.
• Translate product requirements into implementation specifications and software designs.
• Drive architectural trade-offs on performance, latency, power, and UX.
• Lead debugging, performance optimization, design/code reviews, and system validation.
• Collaborate with CV/AI/Graphics and embedded teams to deliver XR products.
• Provide technical leadership and influence architecture decisions across teams.

Skills

Modern C++

Android/Linux

System debugging

Embedded software

Heterogeneous computing

Cross-team collaboration

Technical leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree

PhD

Tools

CPU/GPU/DSP architectures

AI accelerators

Job description

Company:

Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.

Job Area:

Engineering Group, Engineering Group > Software Engineering

General Summary:

We are looking for a highly experienced PrincipalEngineer, XR Software to join our XR Software organization and help drive the next generation of Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), Mixed Reality (MR), and wearable computing platforms. This role involves working across system architecture, embedded software, graphics, AI/ML, computer vision, and customer enablement to deliver innovative XR experiences on Snapdragon platforms.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead architecture, design, and development of XR platform software including operating systems, middleware, frameworks, and customer-facing solutions.
• Work closely with product management, customers, hardware teams, and software organizations to define platform requirements and technical roadmaps.
• Analyze AR/VR use cases, data flows, and HW/SW partitioning to develop scalable and efficient system architectures.
• Translate product requirements into implementation specifications and software designs.
• Drive architectural trade-offs involving performance, latency, power, thermal efficiency, and overall user experience.
• Lead debugging, performance optimization, design reviews, code reviews, and system validation activities.
• Collaborate with experts in computer vision, machine learning, graphics, camera systems, DSPs, and embedded software to deliver commercial XR products.
• Provide technical leadership and influence architecture decisions across multiple teams and product areas.

Required Qualifications:

• BS/MS in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical field.
• Extensive experience developing complex software systems and platform software.
• Strong proficiency in modern C++ (C++11/14/17/20).
• Experience developing software on heterogeneous computing systems including CPUs, GPUs, DSPs, and AI accelerators.
• Strong system-level debugging, profiling, and performance optimization skills.
• Experience with Android and/or Linux-based embedded platforms.
• Excellent communication, collaboration, and problem-solving skills.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with AR/VR/MR, smart glasses, wearable devices, or XR platforms.
• Expertise in one or more of the following areas: Computer Vision, AI/ML, Camera Software, Graphics/Rendering, SLAM, Sensor Fusion, or XR Frameworks.
• Experience conducting architecture trade-off analysis involving power, performance, latency, and scalability.
• Experience bringing commercial products from concept through customer deployment.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science, or related field and 8+ years of Software Engineering or related work experience.
• Master's degree in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science, or related field and 7+ years of Software Engineering or related work experience.
• PhD in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science, or related field and 6+ years of Software Engineering or related work experience.
• 4+ years of work experience with Programming Language such as C, C++, Java, Python, etc.

Equal Opportunity Employment:

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).

Staffing Agencies:

To all Staffing and Recruiting Agencies: Our Careers Site is only for individuals seeking a job at Qualcomm. Staffing and recruiting agencies and individuals being represented by an agency are not authorized to use this site or to submit profiles, applications or resumes, and any such submissions will be considered unsolicited. Qualcomm does not accept unsolicited resumes or applications from agencies. Please do not forward resumes to our jobs alias, Qualcomm employees or any other company location. Qualcomm is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes/applications.

Other EEO Statement:

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.

Compensation

$192,600.00 - $289,000.00

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.