Staff/Sr. Staff Software Engineer, AI Software Tools Development

Company:

Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.

Job Area:

Engineering Group, Engineering Group > Machine Learning Engineering

General Summary:

THIS IS A FULL‑TIME ONSITE ROLE REQUIRING 5 DAYS A WEEK IN THE OFFICE AT QUALCOMM’S SAN DIEGO LOCATION.

As a leading technology innovator, Qualcomm pushes the boundaries of what’s possible to enable next‑generation experiences and drive digital transformation, creating a smarter, connected future for all.

As a Staff/Sr. Staff Software Engineer in the Qualcomm AI Stack SDK Software team, you will design, develop, and deliver advanced AI/ML software solutions for Generative AI inference on Snapdragon platforms. This role focuses on model optimization, quantization, graph transformations, and runtime execution for modern AI architectures, including LLMs, LVMs, and LMMs.

You will work at the intersection of machine learning algorithms, inference optimization, graph lowering, and systems software, contributing directly to the Qualcomm AI Stack SDK (QAIRT) and associated tools, including delegate support for ONNX Runtime, ExecuTorch, and TFLite/LiteRT frameworks. You will collaborate with ML Research, AI accelerator HW/SW teams, Product Management, Program Management, and QA to drive features from concept to production.

This role requires strong technical ownership, the ability to work independently, and the capability to drive features end‑to‑end while mentoring junior engineers.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, or related field and 4+ years of Hardware Engineering, Software Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related work experience.
OR
Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, or related field and 3+ years of Hardware Engineering, Software Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related work experience.
OR
PhD in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, or related field and 2+ years of Hardware Engineering, Software Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related work experience.

Responsibilities

• Convert, optimize, and deploy AI models from PyTorch and ONNX frameworks for efficient inference on Snapdragon platforms.
• Design and implement graph transformations, graph lowering, and optimization techniques within AI runtime environments such as ONNX Runtime, ExecuTorch, and the Qualcomm AI Stack SDK.
• Apply knowledge of quantization and performance optimization to improve latency, throughput, memory usage, and power efficiency.
• Work at the forefront of Generative AI, understanding advanced algorithms such as attention mechanisms, Mixture‑of‑Experts (MoE), Low‑Rank Adapters (LoRA), and emerging inference optimization techniques (e.g., speculative decoding).
• Collaborate with ML Research teams to prototype and productize new features and techniques into SDK solutions.
• Debug complex issues across models, runtime, OS, compiler, and hardware layers, working closely with QA and customer teams.
• Design, implement, and deliver new features and enhancements to the Qualcomm AI Stack SDK.
• Participate in design reviews and code reviews, ensuring software quality and maintainability.
• Mentor junior engineers, helping them prioritize work and drive execution across multiple initiatives.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, computer engineering, or a related field and 6+ years of total experience in software design, development, and delivery.

OR

• Master’s degree/PhD in computer science, computer engineering, or a related field and 5+ years of total experience in software design, development, and delivery.
• 3+ years of hands‑on experience in AI/ML software development, with a focus on inference or model optimization.
• Strong understanding of AI/ML fundamentals, including deep learning and inference pipelines.
• Deep understanding of transformer architectures, attention mechanisms, and performance trade‑offs.
• Proficiency in Python and C/C++ for production‑quality software development.
• Experience working with PyTorch and ONNX models and tooling.
• Strong debugging skills, including the ability to perform root‑cause analysis and ensure high system reliability.
• Ability to work independently, collaborate across teams, and drive complex features end‑to‑end.

Preferred Qualifications

• Working knowledge of graph theory, graph optimizations, and compiler‑style transformations.
• Experience with LLM, LVM, and LMM inference pipelines, including prefill and generation workflows.
• Familiarity with the Hugging Face ecosystem, including model repositories and interfaces such as PEFT.
• Experience with LoRA, MoE‑based models, and awareness of modern GenAI inference techniques.
• Experience with Android and/or RTOS environments (e.g., QNX).
• Experience with CMake‑based build environments, agile software development practices, and git‑based SCM.
• 2+ years of experience in embedded software or system‑level software development and optimization.
• At least 2 years of experience interacting with senior leadership (Director level and above).
• Ability to collaborate across a globally diverse team and manage multiple priorities.
• Previous experience mentoring junior engineers.

Bonus Skills

• User‑level or development experience with Qualcomm AI Stack / SDKs (e.g., QAIRT, QNN, Genie).
• Exposure to Snapdragon SoCs and AI accelerators such as the NPU.
• Prior hands‑on experience with GenAI features such as transformer architectures, LoRA, MoE, speculative decoding, and vision encoder/decoder models.

Qualcomm is an equal opportunity employer. If you are an individual with a disability and need an accommodation during the application/hiring process, rest assured that Qualcomm is committed to providing an accessible process. You may e-mail [email protected] or call Qualcomm's toll-free number found here. Upon request, Qualcomm will provide reasonable accommodations to support individuals with disabilities to be able participate in the hiring process. Qualcomm is also committed to making our workplace accessible for individuals with disabilities. (Keep in mind that this email address is used to provide reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities. We will not respond here to requests for updates on applications or resume inquiries).

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EEO Employer: Qualcomm is an equal opportunity employer; all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, Veteran status, or any other protected classification.

Qualcomm expects its employees to abide by all applicable policies and procedures, including but not limited to security and other requirements regarding protection of Company confidential information and other confidential and/or proprietary information, to the extent those requirements are permissible under applicable law.

Pay range and Other Compensation & Benefits:

$158,400.00 - $237,600.00

The above pay scale reflects the broad, minimum to maximum, pay scale for this job code for the location for which it has been posted. Even more importantly, please note that salary is only one component of total compensation at Qualcomm.  We also offer a competitive annual discretionary bonus program and opportunity for annual RSU grants (employees on sales-incentive plans are not eligible for our annual bonus).  In addition, our highly competitive benefits package is designed to support your success at work, at home, and at play. Your recruiter will be happy to discuss all that Qualcomm has to offer – and you can review more details about our US benefits at this link.

If you would like more information about this role, please contact Qualcomm Careers.

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