This role pays less than
73%
of similar roles. Most pay
$167,449–$250,000
— the shaded band above.
At the midpoint, this role pays about
$168k
versus about
$209k
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.
Engineer, Staff – Ambient AI Technology joins the Ambient Perception Platform team to lead the architecture and evolution of next-generation systems for power-constrained edge devices. This role involves developing context awareness engines, multimodal data collection systems, secure data delivery architectures, and low-power AI runtime platforms across Android, Linux, Windows, XR, automotive, and IoT platforms. The position focuses on creating always-on, context-aware experiences that understand user intent while maintaining battery efficiency. Candidates will work with heterogeneous computing frameworks involving CPU, DSP, NPU, and GPU architectures. Required technical skills include proficiency in C, C++, and Python, along with experience in ARM-based systems, Linux kernel architecture, driver development, and IPC. The role addresses the challenge of delivering intelligent, proactive experiences through multimodal sensing and optimized on-device AI workloads while ensuring privacy and safety across various hardware platforms.
What does a Engineer earn in California?
Median $208000 from 94 postings across 22 companies.
Lead the architecture and evolution of next-generation Ambient Perception frameworks and context awareness engines.
Develop multimodal data collection systems and secure data delivery and storage architectures.
Design and optimize low-power AI runtime platforms for power-constrained edge devices.
Optimize AI workloads across heterogeneous computing architectures including CPU, DSP, NPU, and GPU.
Develop software for diverse platforms including Android, Linux, Windows, XR, automotive, and IoT.
Manage technical roadmaps and lead cross-functional engineering initiatives for platform integration.
Implement power, performance, memory, and latency optimizations for edge AI applications.
Ensure the implementation of privacy-preserving AI and responsible deployment practices.
What we're looking for
Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science, or related field with 4+ years of experience, OR Master's with 3+ years, OR PhD with 2+ years.
At least 2 years of work experience with programming languages such as C, C++, Java, or Python.
8–12+ years of combined software architecture, embedded systems development, and platform integration experience (preferred).
Strong programming skills in C, C++, and Python (preferred).
Experience developing software on ARM-based and heterogeneous SoC architectures (preferred).
Proven experience leading architecture design, technical roadmaps, and cross-functional engineering initiatives (preferred).
Experience architecting SDKs, middleware, or platform frameworks for AI-enabled applications (preferred).
Knowledge of On-Device AI workload optimization across CPU, DSP, NPU, and GPU architectures (preferred).
NPU
C
C++
DSP
SIMD
Multi-threading
Trace32
JTAG
Hexagon DSP
Android
Linux
Windows
Machine Learning
Computer Vision
Signal Processing
System Drivers
Debugging
Profiling
C
C++
Python
Java
NPU
DSP
SIMD
Multi-threading
Trace32
JTAG
Hexagon DSP
Android
Linux
Windows
Machine Learning
Computer Vision
Signal Processing
System Drivers
C
C++
Python
Java
Embedded Systems
RTOS
Linux
Android
Windows
DSP
IPC
Memory Management
Concurrency
Machine Learning
Computer Vision
System Optimization