Embedded Software Engineer Jobs in San Diego, CA
Embedded software engineer jobs in San Diego are in strong demand, concentrated in Sorrento Valley, Miramar, and Kearny Mesa across defense electronics, wireless communications, and medical devices, with openings from junior firmware roles to senior architects. Companies actively hiring include Qualcomm, Northrop Grumman, and Innoflight. See the openings below and apply to the ones that match your experience.
Find JobsOverview
Showing 5 of 273+ Embedded Software Engineer jobs











Company:
Qualcomm Innovation Center, Inc.Job Area:
Engineering Group, Engineering Group > Software EngineeringGeneral Summary:
This individual leads, plans, synthesizes ambiguous or conflicting requirements and performs the complex responsibility of the development, creation, and modification of general computer applications software, specialized utility programs, and advanced embedded system features. Analyzes user needs and develops software solutions. Creates and owns detailed technical designs and corresponding documentation for complex software and embedded system features, ensuring clarity and alignment across stakeholders. May analyze and design databases within an application area, working individually or coordinating database development as part of a team. Modifies existing software to correct errors, allow it to adapt to new hardware, or to improve its performance. Analyzes user needs and software requirements to determine feasibility of design within time and cost constraints. Confers with systems analysts, engineers, programmers and others to design system and to obtain information on project limitations and capabilities, performance requirements and interfaces. Presents technical designs to project and departmental teams and incorporates feedback as appropriate. Stores, retrieves, and manipulates data for analysis of system capabilities and requirements. Designs, develops, and modifies software systems, using scientific analysis and mathematical models to predict and measure outcome and consequences of design. Completes assigned coding tasks to specifications on time without significant errors or bugs. Adapts to changes and setbacks in order to manage pressure and meet deadlines. Collaborates with others inside project team to accomplish project objectives. Communicates with project lead to provide status and information about impending obstacles. Quickly resolves complex software issues and bugs. Independently and collaboratively performs deep, tool-driven debugging on embedded platforms to resolve complex system-level issues. Gathers, integrates, and interprets information specific to a module or sub-block of code from a variety of sources in order to troubleshoot issues and find solutions. Seeks others' opinions and shares own opinions with others about ways in which a problem can be addressed differently. Participates in technical conversations with tech leads/managers. Anticipates and communicates issues with project team to maintain open communication. Makes decisions based on incomplete or changing specifications and obtains adequate resources needed to complete assigned tasks. Prioritizes project deadlines and deliverables with minimal supervision. Resolves straightforward technical issues and escalates more complex technical issues to an appropriate party (e.g., project lead, colleagues). Writes readable code for large features or significant bug fixes to support collaboration with other engineers. Determines which work tasks are most important for self and junior engineers, stays focused, and deals with setbacks in a timely manner. Unit tests own code to verify the stability and functionality of a feature. Acts as a strong contributor at design reviews and project meetings and communicates and implements a development plan.
Will accept a Master's Degree (or foreign academic equivalent) in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science or related degree field.
Pay Range: $153,537.00 - $202,200.00/year
Applicants : 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.
If you would like more information about this role, please contact Qualcomm Careers .
See All 273+ Embedded Software Engineer Jobs in San Diego
Find roles in San Diego that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find JobsEmbedded Software Engineer Job Market in San Diego
Who's Hiring
- Qualcomm68

- Northrop Grumman61

- Innoflight23

- TrellisWare Technologies23

- Apple15

Top Industries Hiring
- Electronics & Hardware38
- Technology & Software30
- Telecommunications15
- Aerospace & Defense15
- Retail8
Embedded Software Engineer Jobs in San Diego: Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a embedded software engineer job in San Diego?
San Diego's embedded software engineer market is driven by defense contractors, wireless chipmakers, and medical device companies, so candidates with experience in C, RTOS, or bare-metal firmware stand out immediately. Jobs concentrate in Sorrento Valley, Miramar, and the Otay Ranch corridor near the border tech cluster. A background in communications protocols like UART, SPI, or CAN bus is a consistent differentiator for roles at both large primes and smaller design houses here.
Which companies hire embedded software engineers in San Diego?
Employers hiring embedded software engineers in San Diego right now include Qualcomm, Northrop Grumman, and Innoflight, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of August 2026. San Diego's employer base skews heavily toward defense primes, wireless semiconductor firms, and FDA-regulated medical device manufacturers, many of which maintain dedicated embedded teams focused on proprietary hardware platforms.
Are there remote embedded software engineer jobs in San Diego?
Yes, though opportunities vary since embedded work is often hardware-dependent and requires on-site lab access. About 13% of embedded software engineer openings tied to San Diego are remote or hybrid as of August 2026, with remote arrangements more common for firmware validation, driver development, and software integration tasks that don't require a physical device on hand.
How can I get a embedded software engineer job in San Diego with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path in San Diego is targeting junior firmware or embedded test engineer roles at mid-size defense subcontractors and medical device startups in Sorrento Valley, which tend to hire candidates who can demonstrate RTOS or microcontroller project work even outside a formal job. Building a GitHub portfolio with bare-metal projects on ARM Cortex-M or Arduino-based hardware is a concrete differentiator that hiring managers at San Diego's smaller design firms respond to directly.
Which industries hire the most embedded software engineers in San Diego?
Most embedded software engineer openings in San Diego sit in Electronics & Hardware, Technology & Software, and Telecommunications, per current listings on Migrate Mate as of August 2026. San Diego's concentration of Navy and Marine Corps facilities, Qualcomm's wireless ecosystem, and a dense cluster of FDA-regulated device companies makes it one of the few U.S. metros where all three of those sectors compete for the same embedded talent simultaneously.
Related Jobs in California
See All 273+ Embedded Software Engineer Jobs in San Diego
Find roles in San Diego that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find Jobs