below marketmost similar roles pay hereabove market
This role pays more than
70%
of similar roles. Most pay
$169,550–$229,100
— the blue band above.
At the midpoint, this role pays about
$218k
versus about
$199k
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
575 open roles
on FindRole.
Listed pay typically runs
$147,900–$221,900
across 550 roles with salary data.
The System Validation Lead (Premium Mobile Platforms) joins the System Validation & Emulation team to ensure end-to-end silicon quality across pre- and post-silicon phases. This role involves driving validation strategy, test planning, and content development for next-generation Premium Tier Mobile and AI accelerator platforms. You will own the end-to-end content strategy, lead content architecture reviews, and manage cross-functional execution across global sites. Key responsibilities include defining stress, power, and performance scenarios while identifying high-risk customer use cases. You will utilize expertise in SoC architectures including ARM CPUs, DDR/HBM/LLCC memory subsystems, NoC interconnects, and power management systems. The role requires proficiency in Veloce, RUMI, FPGA, and Silicon environments to solve complex system-level debug issues and ensure high-quality silicon validation across multiple product segments.
Define and drive system-level validation strategies and plans for complex SoC programs across pre- and post-silicon phases.
Translate high-risk customer use cases into executable validation content for stress, power, performance, and corner-case scenarios.
Own the end-to-end content roadmap, including architecture reviews, readiness assessments, and delivery milestones for multiple subsystem domains.
Lead the debug and root-cause analysis for complex silicon, emulation, firmware, and software issues.
Drive the development of scalable, reusable validation frameworks and automated methodologies, including AI/GenAI-driven approaches.
Manage cross-functional execution and milestone tracking across geographically distributed engineering teams and global sites.
Mentor senior engineers and build high-performing global teams to drive engineering excellence and scalable operating models.
What we're looking for
Bachelor's degree in Science, Engineering, or related field and 6+ years of ASIC design, verification, validation, integration, or related work experience.
Master's degree in Science, Engineering, or related field and 5+ years of ASIC design, verification, validation, integration, or related work experience.
PhD in Science, Engineering, or related field and 4+ years of ASIC design, verification, validation, integration, or related work experience.
8+ years of experience in SoC validation, bring-up, architecture validation, firmware, or system software.
Strong understanding of modern SoC architectures including CPUs, memory subsystems, interconnects, power management, security, and peripheral subsystems.
Proven experience with pre-silicon and post-silicon validation.
Demonstrated technical leadership across geographically distributed teams.
Experience leading validation for flagship mobile, compute, AI, automotive, or server-class SoCs (preferred).
Python
C
C++
CI/CD
Firmware
Embedded Systems
Operating Systems
Hardware Bring-up
Test Automation
System Validation
Silicon
Bootloader
Computer Architecture
AI
Tooling