Staff Firmware Engineer
Qualcomm
Staff Firmware Engineer
Qualcomm
Designs mobile chips and licenses wireless patents
General Summary:
About the Role:
We are looking for a Firmware Engineer to join our 5G / 6G Modem Firmware/RF team.
The FW/RF team is responsible for the control, scheduling, and coordination logic of the 5G/6G modem, sitting at the heart of the modem architecture and driving interactions between protocol layers, hardware, and real‑time execution environments.
This role involves developing timing‑critical, real‑time firmware that directly impacts modem performance, stability, and power efficiency.
Key Responsibilities:
Design and implement firmware for 5G / 6G NR modem, focusing on control flows, RF controls, scheduling, and state machines.
Implement features based on 3GPP specifications (5G/6G NR, LTE, multi‑RAT operation).
Work closely with modem systems, PHY, and HW teams to define and integrate end‑to‑end solutions.
Debug complex modem issues involving firmware, hardware, and system interactions.
Participate in bring‑up, integration, and feature commercialization on new modem platforms.
Contribute to design discussions, code reviews, and technical problem solving within the team.
Required Qualifications:
B.Sc. in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or equivalent.
Strong programming skills in C.
3 - 6 years experience with embedded systems or firmware development.
Understanding of real‑time systems, interrupts, concurrency, and low‑level control logic.
Strong debugging and problem‑solving skills.
Minimum Qualifications:
Bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related field and 5+ years of Software Engineering, Hardware Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related work experience.
OR
Master's degree in Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related field and 4+ years of Software Engineering, Hardware Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related work experience.
Preferred Qualifications:
Knowledge and experience with AI coding tools (e.g., Claude Code, GitHub Copilot, etc.).
Strong ability to work effectively both as part of a team and independently.
Experience in real-time embedded software development, including caching mechanisms, multithreaded environments, and concurrency management.
Experience in RF controls and RF loops.
Demonstrated experience in the semiconductor industry, with a focus on real-time embedded development and/or SoC (System-on-Chip) projects.
Proven experience in implementation, debugging, and root-cause analysis of complex embedded systems, with a deep understanding of hardware-software interactions.
Familiarity with system firmware, scheduler design, and control-plane logic.
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to drive issues from investigation to resolution.
Exposure to working close to hardware, including registers, interrupts, DMA, and timers.
Exposure to 3GPP specifications.
Minimum Qualifications:
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related field and 4+ years of Software Engineering, Hardware Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related work experience.*References to a particular number of years experience are for indicative purposes only. Applications from candidates with equivalent experience will be considered, provided that the candidate can demonstrate an ability to fulfill the principal duties of the role and possesses the required competencies.
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Qualcomm designs the Snapdragon processors and modems inside many Android phones, and it licenses its wireless patents to device makers around the world. It helped commercialize CDMA, the cellular technology behind 3G networks, and its patents cover core parts of the 4G and 5G standards that phones use to connect. The company does not run its own chip factories; contract foundries make its chips, which it sells to makers of phones, PCs, cars, and connected devices. Device makers also pay Qualcomm royalties for using its patented technology, which forms a second business alongside chip sales. Qualcomm was founded in 1985 and is based in San Diego, California.
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