Qualcomm · 5 hours ago
Software Engineer - Qualcomm Advanced Robotics Team - Multiple levels
Santa Clara, CA
Full-time
Onsite
Senior Level
$181K/yr - $271K/yr
5+ years expQualcomm is a leading technology company focused on advanced robotics. The Software Engineer will define the architecture for Qualcomm’s robotics software platform, lead cross-functional teams, and ensure the delivery of production-grade SDKs and reference solutions for customers.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)Generative AISoftwareTelecommunicationsWireless
Responsibilities
Develop the software architecture for the Qualcomm Robotics platform interfaces, runtime, QoS, and safety envelopes across Linux + MCU subsystems; drive DDS/ROS 2 patterns for reliable, real‑time data flow on heterogeneous compute, and system mapping and optimization to Qualcomm Robotics platform
Develop the platform roadmap and technical design reviews across perception (VIO/VSLAM, DFS), mapping, semantic scene understanding, navigation, manipulation, and SDK components; ensure high performance and low power on our SoCs
Drive real‑world validation using sim‑in‑the‑loop and HIL; establish metrics for robustness, determinism, and regression across camera/IMU/LiDAR stacks and whole‑robot scenarios
Optimize for heterogeneous compute (CPU/GPU/DSP/NPU) and camera pipeline/ISP; guide teams on concurrency, memory/power budgets, and accelerator utilization for on‑device AI
Champion safety & reliability practices and interfaces compatible with relevant standards (e.g., ISO 26262/IEC 61508 alignment where applicable) and design for field diagnostics, observability, and OTA update paths
Mentor and grow senior engineers across core platform, perception, controls, and SDK setting crisp technical direction, code quality bars, and review culture
Engage customers & partners as the senior technical face of the platform clarify requirements, guide integrations, and translate learnings into the roadmap
Set the technical bar for platform correctness, determinism, and developer experience
Coach senior ICs and tech leads, building a strong review culture and CI/CD discipline for robotics
Partner with product and silicon teams to align software roadmaps with SoC capabilities and customer needs
Leverages advanced Software knowledge and experience to design, develop, create, modify, and validate critical embedded and cloud edge software, applications, and/or specialized utility programs
Analyzes user needs, software requirements, and time and cost constraints to design and customize sophisticated software for optimal operational efficiency
Designs and implements software sub-systems for complex, large-scale products and systems
Leads design, coding, and testing efforts to ensure that projects are completed to specifications and schedules
Performs highly complex code reviews and regression tests as well as triages and fixes issues to ensure the quality of code
Collaborates with individuals outside the software function (e.g., Hardware, Systems, and Test engineers) to increase leverage and design solutions that work with other components of a specific project
Writes detailed technical documentation for highly complex Software projects; reviews technical documentation for junior engineers
Qualification
Required
Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science, or related field and 6+ years of Software Engineering or related work experience
OR Master's degree in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science, or related field and 5+ years of Software Engineering or related work experience
OR PhD in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science, or related field and 4+ years of Software Engineering or related work experience
3+ years of work experience with Programming Language such as C, C++, Java, Python, etc
Preferred
5+ years in software engineering, with 4+ years building robotics platforms, Ubuntu, ROS2 or complex real‑time distributed systems; proven record shipping SDKs or core runtimes
Expert in C++ (modern) and Python with production experience in ROS 2 and DDS (QoS, discovery, message design, and tracing)
Depth in: Physical AI embedded and virtual platforms, SLAM/visual‑inertial odometry, dense/stereo depth, semantic mapping, planning & controls, or manipulation—with demonstrable system‑level integration on embedded platforms
Strong background in Linux for robotics, real‑time considerations, and MCU/RTOS interactions (time sync, safety islands, bootloaders, field firmware management)
Performance engineering on heterogeneous SoCs (CPU/GPU/NPU/DSP) and camera/ISP stacks; hands‑on profiling and optimization
BS/MS in CS, EE, Robotics, or related field (PhD a plus)
Track record leading large cross‑functional efforts (architecture docs, design reviews, de‑risking, postmortems) that landed in customer products
Experience delivering developer‑facing SDKs and documentation; familiarity with Qualcomm robotics stacks and ROS 2 package ecosystems
Demonstrated results in on‑device AI for perception or policy (model optimization, quantization, or pipeline fusion) on edge devices
Contributions to ROS/ROS 2 or relevant open‑source robotics projects; publications/patents in SLAM, perception, manipulation, or real‑time systems
Benefits
Competitive annual discretionary bonus program
Opportunity for annual RSU grants
Highly competitive benefits package
Company
Qualcomm
Qualcomm designs wireless technologies and semiconductors that power connectivity, communication, and smart devices.
10001+ employees
H1B Sponsorship
Qualcomm has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
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2025 (2013)
2024 (1910)
2023 (3216)
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2021 (2104)
2020 (1181)
Funding
Current Stage
Public CompanyTotal Funding
$3.5M1991-12-20IPO
1988-01-01Undisclosed· $3.5M
Leadership Team
Cristiano Amon
President and Chief Executive Officer
I
Isaac Eteminan
CEO
Recent News
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2026-01-12
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