Q

Qualcomm

Designs mobile chips and licenses wireless patents

Pre/Post Silicon Validation Framework/Tools / Infra Development Engineer - Hardware Engineering

Full-TimeUpdated on 10/23/2026
No salary listed
Senior
Bachelor's, Master's, PhD
Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
In Person
Software EngineeringEmbedded Engineering

About the job

Requirements
  • A Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Electrical/Electronics Engineering, Engineering, or a related field and 4+ years of Hardware Engineering or related work experience; or a Master's degree in those fields and 3+ years of related experience; or a PhD in those fields and 2+ years of related experience.
  • A Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Electronics & Communication Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field.
  • 6+ to 10 years of industry experience in Embedded Software, System Software, SoC Validation, Silicon Enablement, Platform Software, Framework Development, or related domains.
  • Proven experience in embedded software architecture, framework development, low-level software design, and complex system-level debugging.
  • Strong expertise in Embedded Software Architecture, Framework Design, and Infrastructure Development using C, C++, and Assembly.
  • Proven experience designing and developing scalable software frameworks, platform abstraction layers, middleware, validation infrastructure, and reusable system software components.
  • Extensive experience in low-level software development, including boot code, exception handling, interrupt management, startup sequences, and C-Assembly interworking.
  • Deep understanding of CPU architectures and microarchitectural concepts, including ARMv8/ARMv9, x86, and PowerPC architectures.
  • Strong expertise in multicore, multiprocessor, and heterogeneous SoC environments, including SMP, AMP, heterogeneous compute subsystems, and cross-core software interactions.
  • Demonstrated ability to debug complex system-level issues spanning hardware, firmware, operating systems, framework software, and validation infrastructure.
  • Strong understanding of cache coherency, I/O coherency, memory ordering, synchronization primitives, inter-processor communication, and concurrency-related issues.
  • Deep knowledge of SoC architecture, including compute subsystems, memory hierarchies, interconnect fabrics, power management, and system infrastructure IPs.
  • Strong understanding of operating systems, RTOS, and Linux kernel internals, including multithreading, scheduling policies, locking mechanisms, interrupt handling, virtual memory, MMU architecture, and kernel synchronization primitives.
  • Deep understanding of memory management, weakly ordered memory models, cache architectures, pipelining, memory barriers, TLBs, coherency protocols, and performance optimization techniques.
  • Strong expertise in software build infrastructure, compiler toolchains, linker internals, Makefiles, linker/scatter scripts, and build system architecture.
  • Proficiency with GCC, Clang/LLVM, ARM toolchains, code optimization techniques, and root-causing complex compiler and linker issues.
  • Strong debugging expertise using JTAG, trace, emulation, FPGA, and silicon debug tools.
  • Proficiency in Python and Shell scripting for automation, framework development, debugging, and productivity tooling.
Responsibilities
  • Architect, design, develop, and maintain scalable embedded software frameworks, validation infrastructure, and platform software for pre-silicon and post-silicon SoC validation.
  • Develop reusable framework components, platform abstraction layers, middleware, and system software services supporting multicore and heterogeneous compute environments.
  • Drive software architecture and framework design to enable portability, scalability, maintainability, and reuse across multiple SoC programs and IP validation domains.
  • Develop and maintain bring-up, validation, and debugging infrastructure for bare-metal, lightweight RTOS, emulation, FPGA, and post-silicon environments.
  • Debug and root-cause complex system-level issues spanning hardware, firmware, operating systems, framework software, memory subsystems, coherency fabrics, and system infrastructure IPs.
  • Develop framework capabilities supporting multicore, multiprocessor, and heterogeneous CPU architectures, including system-level synchronization, coherency, and performance optimization.
  • Design, implement, and optimize automated validation, regression, and release workflows to improve productivity, quality, and scalability.
  • Integrate static analysis, code-quality tools, build systems, and release processes into Continuous Integration environments.
  • Collaborate with architecture, design, verification, firmware, software, and validation teams to enable efficient silicon bring-up, feature validation, and debugging.
  • Drive continuous improvements in software quality, framework architecture, automation, and validation methodologies.
Desired Qualifications
  • Experience architecting and developing large-scale embedded software frameworks or validation infrastructure used across multiple engineering teams and SoC programs.
  • Experience with silicon bring-up, board bring-up, post-silicon validation, and hardware-software integration.
  • Hands-on experience with pre-silicon emulation, FPGA prototyping, and post-silicon debugging environments.
  • Strong understanding of ARM-based SoC architectures, memory hierarchies, cache coherency protocols, interconnect fabrics, and system infrastructure IPs.
  • Experience developing framework abstractions supporting heterogeneous processing elements such as application processors, real-time processors, DSPs, AI/ML accelerators, and security subsystems.
  • Familiarity with CI/CD systems, automated regression infrastructure, release management, and software quality methodologies.
  • Experience with JTAG, Lauterbach Trace32, hardware trace, and performance analysis tools.
  • Experience with source code management systems such as Git and Perforce.
  • Familiarity with build automation, containerized development environments, and scalable software deployment workflows.
  • Experience mentoring engineers and driving technical direction for framework and infrastructure development initiatives.

About the company

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.

Company Size

10,001+

Company Stage

IPO

Headquarters

San Diego, California

Founded

1985

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Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • Cars are a second engine: automotive chip revenue rose 61% to $1.59 billion in the June 2026 quarter.
  • Pays for learning: Qualcomm funds tuition assistance and apprenticeships and sells staff discounted shares through a stock purchase plan.
  • Profits support stability: Qualcomm earned $2.21 non-GAAP per share in the June 2026 quarter despite a 4% sales dip.

What critics are saying

  • Apple is walking away: Qualcomm expects Apple revenue to fall about 50% from the September to December 2026 quarter.
  • Data-center deals start thin: in July 2026, management said custom chips will cut chip gross margin 1.5 to 2 points.
  • Cuts keep trickling: Qualcomm filed WARN notices in April 2026 covering 144 layoffs, including 68 in San Diego.

What makes Qualcomm unique

  • Phones are only part of it: handsets were $5.09 billion of $8.50 billion chip revenue in fiscal Q3 2026.
  • Cloud giants buy its custom chips: two hyperscaler design wins start producing revenue in the December 2026 quarter.
  • It owns an AI software layer: Qualcomm completed its Modular acquisition in July 2026 for open generative AI software.

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Benefits

  • Premium-free health coverage
  • Onsite health & fitness centers
  • Retirement programs
  • Disability & life insurance programs
  • Tuition reimbursement
  • Product discounts
  • Flexible time off
  • Parental leave

Growth & Insights and Company News

6 month growth

3%

1 year growth

1%

2 year growth

0%
Yahoo Finance
Oct 23rd, 2026
Qualcomm targets $15B data center sales by fiscal 2029 as handset revenue falls

Qualcomm is entering the data center chip market, with first revenue expected in the December quarter. The company says it has secured two custom chip customers, both global-scale hyperscalers, holds purchase orders from both, and has started making the wafers. Management targets data center revenue of $5 billion in fiscal 2027 and $15 billion in fiscal 2029. These are targets, not results. It closed its acquisition of Modular Inc. on July 29, 2026, to add data center software. The stock returned 4.5% over the past year, against 15.1% for the S&P 500. Revenue fell 4.0% in fiscal Q3 2026, and gross margin dropped to 53.1% from 55.6% a year earlier, as higher memory prices weighed.

CNBC
Oct 23rd, 2026
Indonesia's wealth fund steps in as stocks slide; Qualcomm plans layoffs, Lindt CEO exits

Indonesian stocks saw another round of panic selling this week after reports that index provider MSCI is considering downgrading the country's market status. Danantara, Indonesia's sovereign wealth fund, stepped in to stabilise the market. Its chief executive officer, Rosan Perkasa Roeslani, has called sharp pullbacks long-term buying opportunities. Qualcomm plans a new round of global layoffs, with figures undisclosed. Chief executive officer Cristiano Amon said in an internal memo that the cuts aim to build a stronger performance culture. Its shares have lagged the broader market this year. Lindt chief executive officer Adalbert Lechner stepped down on Monday after nearly 33 years at the company. His predecessor returns on an interim basis. Lindt raised prices about 16% in the first half to offset higher cocoa costs, then cut its full-year guidance twice as consumers pulled back.

CNBC
Oct 21st, 2026
Tokenized stock trading surges overseas to $11.31B on Robinhood Chain as Goldman, Microsoft object in US

Tokenized stock trading is growing overseas while major US companies resist it at home, according to Bitwise Asset Management's latest quarterly report. On Robinhood Chain, tokenized stock volume rose from $526 million in July to $2.21 billion in August, then to $11.31 billion in September. Tokenized equities were also the fastest-growing category on Solana. Goldman Sachs, Microsoft, Qualcomm, Caterpillar, McDonald's, Western Digital, and Alphabet have objected to tokenized versions of their shares trading on OKXICE, a venue launched by crypto exchange OKX and Intercontinental Exchange. Sixteen companies have now objected. The US Securities and Exchange Commission's innovation exemption lets companies opt out. OKXICE co-chairman Andrew Cuomo said many companies would "wait and see" before taking part.

SammyFans
Oct 21st, 2026
Qualcomm buys RISC-V startup Akeana, a Samsung foundry partner, to boost AI chip push

Qualcomm has acquired Akeana, a US semiconductor startup that designs processors using the open-source RISC-V architecture. The deal will help Qualcomm expand in AI and data centres. Financial terms were not disclosed. Akeana's founder and chief executive officer, Rabin Sugumar, confirmed the news on LinkedIn. Its team will join Qualcomm, and Sugumar becomes vice president of engineering. Founded in 2021 by former Marvell server chip engineers, Akeana raised more than $100 million in August 2024 from investors including Kleiner Perkins, Mayfield, and Fidelity. It also worked with Samsung Foundry on server chips built on a 4-nanometre process. In December 2025, they completed the design of a test chip called Alpine.

CNBC
Oct 20th, 2026
Qualcomm to cut jobs globally in performance-focused layoffs, with notices starting in November

Qualcomm will cut jobs worldwide in a "performance-focused reduction" after its annual employee reviews, chief executive officer Cristiano Amon told staff in a Monday memo seen by Reuters. Notifications begin in November. Amon said the cuts aim to build "a stronger performance culture" and address cases where the company "has consistently fallen short of expectations." The memo did not say how many jobs would go. Qualcomm had about 52,000 employees as of September last year. The smartphone chipmaker has been hit this year by weak consumer electronics sales, as rising memory prices dampen demand. Its shares have gained 1.5% in 2026. Qualcomm expects most chip sales in fiscal 2027 to come from non-smartphone businesses, including AI data centres.