Senior Embedded NPU Software Engineer

Qualcomm

Confirmed live yesterday High trust

Closes in 4 days

Quick summary

Work type: On-site
Location: San Diego, CA
Salary: $127,200–$190,800 / yr
Posted: 176 days ago
Freshness: Confirmed live yesterday
Closes: Sep 15, 2026 (soon)
Nearby: 99+ roles within 25 mi

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Salary context

Competitive pay

How this pay compares to similar roles

Similar $177k

This role $159k

$117k most similar roles pay here $219k

This role pays less than 60% of similar roles. Most pay $151,000–$203,725 — the shaded band above. At the midpoint, this role pays about $159k versus about $177k for comparable roles.

Based on 240 similar postings.

Employer

About Qualcomm

Qualcomm is a leading American semiconductor and telecommunications company based in San Diego, CA.

Qualcomm currently has 623 open roles on FindRole.

Listed pay typically runs $148,300–$222,500 across 603 roles with salary data.

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At a glance

TL;DR · Senior Embedded NPU Software Engineer

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Embedded NPU Software Engineer, Senior joins the NPU Platform Software Team to lead the design and development of embedded platform software for CPU, DSP, and NPU processors across the Snapdragon SoC portfolio. This role involves architecting and optimizing software frameworks, runtime libraries, and system drivers to enable high-performance, low-power multimedia and machine learning workloads for mobile, automotive, compute, and XR platforms. The engineer will manage complex features, perform debugging and profiling, and mentor other team members while collaborating with hardware and systems teams. Key technical requirements include proficiency in C/C++, experience with Trace32 and JTAG tools, and knowledge of Hexagon DSP, SDK frameworks, and multimedia environments like Android or Linux. The work focuses on solving performance, power, and reliability challenges within the NPU stack through advanced techniques like SIMD, multi-threading, and memory hierarchy optimization.

Skills

NPU C C++ DSP SIMD Multi-threading Trace32 JTAG Hexagon DSP Android Linux Windows Machine Learning Computer Vision Signal Processing System Drivers Debugging Profiling

What you'll do

Architect and design NPU software frameworks, runtime libraries, and system drivers for AI acceleration.
Lead the development of complex NPU features and ensure integration across CPU, DSP, and NPU subsystems.
Optimize software performance using advanced techniques like SIMD, multi-threading, and memory hierarchy management.
Drive debugging and profiling efforts to meet specific performance, power, and reliability targets.
Mentor engineers and conduct design and code reviews to ensure high-quality production standards.
Contribute to technical strategy, long-term planning, and the evolution of NPU software architecture.

What we're looking for

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a related field with 2+ years of experience.
Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a related field with 1+ year of experience.
PhD in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a related field.
At least 2 years of experience with high-performance microprocessor design.
8+ years of experience in embedded software development is preferred.
Deep expertise in NPU programming, computer architecture, and real-time operating systems.
Proficiency in C/C++ and debugging tools such as Trace32 or JTAG.
Experience with Qualcomm Hexagon DSP and SDK frameworks.

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