Development Engineer Jobs in San Diego, CA
Development Engineer jobs in San Diego are concentrated in defense and aerospace, biotech, semiconductor, and telecom sectors, with hiring centered in Sorrento Valley, Mira Mesa, and Kearny Mesa. Employers actively hiring include Apple, Amazon, and Qualcomm. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.
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Showing 5 of 716+ Development Engineer jobs
Company:
Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.Job Area:
Engineering Group, Engineering Group > CPU EngineeringGeneral Summary:
We are seeking a hands-on Staff Firmware Engineer to design, develop, integrate, and debug low-level firmware for ARM-based CPU subsystems in advanced System-on-Chip products.
In this role, you will work closely with CPU and SoC architects, hardware designers, design-verification engineers, system software teams, emulation teams, and post-silicon validation teams. You will translate hardware and microarchitecture specifications into robust embedded firmware for CPU subsystem boot, initialization, power management, Dynamic Voltage and Frequency Scaling (DVFS), low-power operation, recovery, and related control functions.
This is an individual-contributor position for an engineer who combines strong embedded C development skills with a deep understanding of hardware–software interaction. The successful candidate will remain actively involved in firmware implementation and debugging while providing technical direction, reviewing designs and code, mentoring engineers, and driving complex issues to closure.
Key Responsibilities
- Design, implement, integrate, and maintain low-level CPUSS firmware using embedded C.
- Develop firmware for CPU subsystem functions such as:
- CPU, core, and cluster boot and initialization
- Low-power management
- DVFS and voltage/frequency control
- Limits and thermal-management support
- Fault handling, recovery, crash reset, and diagnostic flows
- Translate hardware architecture and programming specifications into reliable firmware sequences, register definitions, interfaces, state handling, timeout behavior, diagnostics, and error-recovery mechanisms.
- Perform register-level programming of CPU subsystem and SoC hardware, including safe handling of memory-mapped registers, interrupts, handshakes, sequencing dependencies, and hardware state transitions.
- Contribute to firmware architecture and detailed design decisions, with emphasis on modularity, maintainability, reuse, and support for multiple SoC products or derivative configurations.
- Develop firmware and engage in debugs across pre-silicon and post-silicon platforms, including RTL simulation, emulation, FPGA or prototype platforms, and production silicon.
- Correlate firmware execution with hardware behavior using debuggers, logs, traces, register dumps, waveform analysis, and other platform-specific debug methods.
- Own firmware features through the complete development lifecycle—from requirements and design through implementation, review, validation, integration, release, and silicon support.
- Participate actively in firmware design reviews, code reviews, hardware specification reviews, bring-up planning, and technical issue reviews.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related technical discipline, or equivalent practical experience.
- Approximately 5–10 years of relevant industry experience in embedded firmware, low-level software, SoC firmware, processor firmware, device drivers, or a closely related area.
- Strong hands-on programming experience in embedded C.
- Experience developing low-level or bare-metal firmware that directly controls hardware.
- Strong understanding of ARM-based processor or SoC architecture and relevant concepts such as:
- Processor startup and boot flows
- Exception and interrupt handling
- Memory-mapped I/O
- Clocks and resets
- Caches and memory systems
- Hardware sequencing and synchronization
- Interconnects and peripheral interfaces
- Experience converting hardware specifications into firmware designs and implementations.
- Experience with register-level programming, including masks, fields, read/write side effects, polling, timeouts, ordering requirements, and error handling.
- Demonstrated ability to debug complex hardware–firmware interaction issues and drive them to root cause.
- Ability to independently own technically complex firmware features from definition through validation and delivery.
- Experience participating in design reviews and performing detailed firmware code reviews.
- Strong analytical, problem-solving, technical communication, and cross-functional collaboration skills.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience with CPU subsystem firmware, processor-control firmware, platform firmware, or power-management firmware.
- Experience with DVFS, voltage management, clock control, power-state sequencing, power gating, thermal or limits management, or related CPU power-management functions.
- Experience developing boot, initialization, low-power, recovery, crash-reset, or diagnostic firmware.
- Working knowledge of ARM assembly and processor startup code.
- Familiarity with ARM exception levels, interrupt architecture, cache behavior, coherency, memory barriers, and multicore-system concepts.
- Experience debugging firmware using JTAG or platform debuggers, trace data, register dumps, waveform viewers, and hardware logs.
- Experience supporting a common firmware codebase across multiple SoC products, hardware revisions, or derivative programs.
- Experience with Git or similar version-control systems, build systems, and structured firmware release practices.
Minimum Qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field and 4+ years of Hardware Engineering, Software Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related work experience.
Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field and 3+ years of Hardware Engineering, Software Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related work experience.
OR
PhD in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field and 2+ years of Hardware Engineering, Software Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related work experience.
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 disability-accomodations@qualcomm.com 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).
To all Staffing and Recruiting Agencies : Our Careers Site is only for individuals seeking a job at Qualcomm. Staffing and recruiting agencies and individuals being represented by an agency are not authorized to use this site or to submit profiles, applications or resumes, and any such submissions will be considered unsolicited. Qualcomm does not accept unsolicited resumes or applications from agencies. Please do not forward resumes to our jobs alias, Qualcomm employees or any other company location. Qualcomm is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes/applications.
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 :
$155,400.00 - $233,200.00The 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 .
Company:
Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.Job Area:
Engineering Group, Engineering Group > CPU EngineeringGeneral Summary:
We are seeking a hands-on Staff Firmware Engineer to design, develop, integrate, and debug low-level firmware for ARM-based CPU subsystems in advanced System-on-Chip products.
In this role, you will work closely with CPU and SoC architects, hardware designers, design-verification engineers, system software teams, emulation teams, and post-silicon validation teams. You will translate hardware and microarchitecture specifications into robust embedded firmware for CPU subsystem boot, initialization, power management, Dynamic Voltage and Frequency Scaling (DVFS), low-power operation, recovery, and related control functions.
This is an individual-contributor position for an engineer who combines strong embedded C development skills with a deep understanding of hardware–software interaction. The successful candidate will remain actively involved in firmware implementation and debugging while providing technical direction, reviewing designs and code, mentoring engineers, and driving complex issues to closure.
Key Responsibilities
- Design, implement, integrate, and maintain low-level CPUSS firmware using embedded C.
- Develop firmware for CPU subsystem functions such as:
- CPU, core, and cluster boot and initialization
- Low-power management
- DVFS and voltage/frequency control
- Limits and thermal-management support
- Fault handling, recovery, crash reset, and diagnostic flows
- Translate hardware architecture and programming specifications into reliable firmware sequences, register definitions, interfaces, state handling, timeout behavior, diagnostics, and error-recovery mechanisms.
- Perform register-level programming of CPU subsystem and SoC hardware, including safe handling of memory-mapped registers, interrupts, handshakes, sequencing dependencies, and hardware state transitions.
- Contribute to firmware architecture and detailed design decisions, with emphasis on modularity, maintainability, reuse, and support for multiple SoC products or derivative configurations.
- Develop firmware and engage in debugs across pre-silicon and post-silicon platforms, including RTL simulation, emulation, FPGA or prototype platforms, and production silicon.
- Correlate firmware execution with hardware behavior using debuggers, logs, traces, register dumps, waveform analysis, and other platform-specific debug methods.
- Own firmware features through the complete development lifecycle—from requirements and design through implementation, review, validation, integration, release, and silicon support.
- Participate actively in firmware design reviews, code reviews, hardware specification reviews, bring-up planning, and technical issue reviews.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related technical discipline, or equivalent practical experience.
- Approximately 5–10 years of relevant industry experience in embedded firmware, low-level software, SoC firmware, processor firmware, device drivers, or a closely related area.
- Strong hands-on programming experience in embedded C.
- Experience developing low-level or bare-metal firmware that directly controls hardware.
- Strong understanding of ARM-based processor or SoC architecture and relevant concepts such as:
- Processor startup and boot flows
- Exception and interrupt handling
- Memory-mapped I/O
- Clocks and resets
- Caches and memory systems
- Hardware sequencing and synchronization
- Interconnects and peripheral interfaces
- Experience converting hardware specifications into firmware designs and implementations.
- Experience with register-level programming, including masks, fields, read/write side effects, polling, timeouts, ordering requirements, and error handling.
- Demonstrated ability to debug complex hardware–firmware interaction issues and drive them to root cause.
- Ability to independently own technically complex firmware features from definition through validation and delivery.
- Experience participating in design reviews and performing detailed firmware code reviews.
- Strong analytical, problem-solving, technical communication, and cross-functional collaboration skills.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience with CPU subsystem firmware, processor-control firmware, platform firmware, or power-management firmware.
- Experience with DVFS, voltage management, clock control, power-state sequencing, power gating, thermal or limits management, or related CPU power-management functions.
- Experience developing boot, initialization, low-power, recovery, crash-reset, or diagnostic firmware.
- Working knowledge of ARM assembly and processor startup code.
- Familiarity with ARM exception levels, interrupt architecture, cache behavior, coherency, memory barriers, and multicore-system concepts.
- Experience debugging firmware using JTAG or platform debuggers, trace data, register dumps, waveform viewers, and hardware logs.
- Experience supporting a common firmware codebase across multiple SoC products, hardware revisions, or derivative programs.
- Experience with Git or similar version-control systems, build systems, and structured firmware release practices.
Minimum Qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field and 4+ years of Hardware Engineering, Software Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related work experience.
Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field and 3+ years of Hardware Engineering, Software Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related work experience.
OR
PhD in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field and 2+ years of Hardware Engineering, Software Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related work experience.
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 disability-accomodations@qualcomm.com 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).
To all Staffing and Recruiting Agencies : Our Careers Site is only for individuals seeking a job at Qualcomm. Staffing and recruiting agencies and individuals being represented by an agency are not authorized to use this site or to submit profiles, applications or resumes, and any such submissions will be considered unsolicited. Qualcomm does not accept unsolicited resumes or applications from agencies. Please do not forward resumes to our jobs alias, Qualcomm employees or any other company location. Qualcomm is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes/applications.
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 :
$155,400.00 - $233,200.00The 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 .
See All 716+ Development Engineer Jobs in San Diego
Find roles in San Diego that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find Development Engineer JobsDevelopment Engineer Job Market in San Diego
Who's Hiring
- Apple179
- Amazon75
- Qualcomm60
- Shield45
- Dexcom30
Top Industries Hiring
- Medical Devices
- Electronics & Hardware
Development Engineer Jobs in San Diego: Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a development engineer job in San Diego?
The strongest path in San Diego is targeting the defense contractors, biotech firms, and semiconductor companies that dominate local hiring in corridors like Sorrento Valley, Mira Mesa, and Torrey Pines. Hands-on experience with hardware development, RF systems, or medical device engineering gives candidates a real edge here. Networking through industry meetups and local university connections also opens doors with employers that rarely post publicly.
Which companies hire development engineers in San Diego?
Employers hiring development engineers in San Diego right now include Apple, Amazon, and Qualcomm, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. San Diego's market is anchored by a mix of large defense primes, established biotech and life sciences companies, and growing semiconductor firms, many of which maintain significant engineering headcount locally.
Are there remote development engineer jobs in San Diego?
Yes, though opportunities vary, since development engineer roles that involve lab work, hardware testing, or prototype builds are largely on-site by nature, while software-focused or systems engineering positions are more remote-friendly. About 86% of development engineer openings tied to San Diego are remote or hybrid as of November 2026. The most remote-eligible work tends to concentrate in software development and firmware engineering rather than hardware or device validation.
How can I get a development engineer job in San Diego with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry point in San Diego is targeting associate engineer or engineer-in-training roles at mid-size defense subcontractors and biotech companies, which regularly hire recent graduates from UC San Diego, San Diego State, and other regional programs. Internships at local aerospace or life sciences firms convert to full-time offers more often than cold applications. Building skills in CAD, embedded systems, or lab instrumentation makes candidates competitive for those first roles.
Which industries hire the most development engineers in San Diego?
San Diego development engineer roles concentrate in Medical Devices and Electronics & Hardware, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. The region's long history as a hub for military and naval technology, combined with a deep cluster of biotech and semiconductor companies, drives sustained demand for development engineers across multiple specializations.
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