Staff Engineer Jobs in San Diego, CA
Staff Engineer jobs in San Diego are concentrated in Sorrento Valley, UTC, and the Torrey Pines corridor, driven by demand in defense tech, biotech, and enterprise software. Employers actively hiring include Shield AI, Northrop Grumman, and Qualcomm, with steady openings for platform, embedded systems, and distributed systems specialists. See the openings below and apply to the ones that match your experience.
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Showing 5 of 1,453+ Staff Engineer jobs
Company:
Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.Job Area:
Engineering Group, Engineering Group > Hardware EngineeringGeneral Summary:
The Reliability Engineering organization leads the definition and execution of reliability strategy for advanced semiconductor technologies, ensuring robust qualification and technology certification across devices, packages, and systems. The team applies deep expertise in device and interconnect reliability physics—including BTI, TDDB, HCI, electromigration, self‑heating, and wear‑out mechanisms—to assess design and process robustness for complex SoCs and advanced packaging architectures (2.5D/3D, TSV, chiplets). Working cross‑functionally with design, process, test, product, and program teams, the organization anticipates and mitigates reliability risks across the full product lifecycle while balancing performance, power, quality, schedule, and business objectives. As a technical authority, the team establishes scalable reliability best practices, provides expert judgment on critical trade‑offs and EM waivers, mentors engineers, and communicates clear reliability status and risk insights to senior leadership.
Minimum Qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Electrical/Electronics Engineering, Engineering, or related field and 6+ years of Hardware Engineering or related work experience.
Master's degree in Computer Science, Electrical/Electronics Engineering, Engineering, or related field and 5+ years of Hardware Engineering or related work experience.
OR
PhD in Computer Science, Electrical/Electronics Engineering, Engineering, or related field and 4+ years of Hardware Engineering or related work experience.
Define foundry qualification reliability requirements, and execute to tech certification for complex designs and advanced technologies.
Lead reliability strategy and execution for high-impact products and programs, spanning devices, packages, and systems.
Perform and guide advanced reliability analysis, including aging, wear-out, electromigration, and other mechanism-based modeling, to assess design and process robustness.
Anticipate, identify, and mitigate non-obvious reliability risks across the full product lifecycle.
Drive cross-functional alignment with design, process, test, product, and program teams to meet aggressive schedules without compromising quality.
Establish and improve organizational reliability processes and best practices that scale to future technology generations.
Provide expert technical judgment on critical reliability trade-offs, balancing performance, power, quality, schedule, and business considerations.
Mentor and develop engineers; serve as a trusted technical authority and advisor for reliability across the organization.
Communicate reliability status, risks, and strategic recommendations clearly to senior leadership and executive stakeholders.
Qualifications
10 - 15 years of industry experience in semiconductor reliability engineering, technology development, or product qualification, supporting advanced CMOS nodes (Planar, FinFET, GAA).
Deep expertise in intrinsic device and interconnect reliability physics and failure mechanisms, including BTI, TDDB, HCI, electromigration (EM), self-heating effects, and MOL/BEOL wear-out.
Hand-on experience in designing reliability test structures for test-chips, reliability test structure measurements and interpreting complex reliability data from various reliability mechanisms like EM, BTI and TDDB.
Strong background in advanced packaging and heterogeneous integration reliability, including TSV-based 2.5D/3D integration, chiplet architectures, and backside power delivery schemes.
Demonstrated experience translating device- and process-level reliability data into circuit- and system-level reliability metrics for complex digital SoCs and platform-level decision making.
Drive cross-functional design for reliability collaboration with design, process and reliability teams.
Proven experience in reviewing and approving design waivers for electromigration (EM) violations in SoC designs, including on‑chip metal, bump, and ball interfaces.
Advanced statistical analysis and lifetime modeling expertise (e.g., Weibull analysis, JMP, Minitab, large-data correlation) used to inform qualification sign-off and risk decisions.
Recognized technical leadership with a track record of influencing design, process, and program decisions, mentoring engineers, and driving cross-functional alignment across design, product engineering, test, and foundry teams.
MS or PhD in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, Physics, or a related field (PhD preferred), with demonstrated industry impact in reliability or technology development.
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 :
$162,600.00 - $244,000.00The 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 > Hardware EngineeringGeneral Summary:
The Reliability Engineering organization leads the definition and execution of reliability strategy for advanced semiconductor technologies, ensuring robust qualification and technology certification across devices, packages, and systems. The team applies deep expertise in device and interconnect reliability physics—including BTI, TDDB, HCI, electromigration, self‑heating, and wear‑out mechanisms—to assess design and process robustness for complex SoCs and advanced packaging architectures (2.5D/3D, TSV, chiplets). Working cross‑functionally with design, process, test, product, and program teams, the organization anticipates and mitigates reliability risks across the full product lifecycle while balancing performance, power, quality, schedule, and business objectives. As a technical authority, the team establishes scalable reliability best practices, provides expert judgment on critical trade‑offs and EM waivers, mentors engineers, and communicates clear reliability status and risk insights to senior leadership.
Minimum Qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Electrical/Electronics Engineering, Engineering, or related field and 6+ years of Hardware Engineering or related work experience.
Master's degree in Computer Science, Electrical/Electronics Engineering, Engineering, or related field and 5+ years of Hardware Engineering or related work experience.
OR
PhD in Computer Science, Electrical/Electronics Engineering, Engineering, or related field and 4+ years of Hardware Engineering or related work experience.
Define foundry qualification reliability requirements, and execute to tech certification for complex designs and advanced technologies.
Lead reliability strategy and execution for high-impact products and programs, spanning devices, packages, and systems.
Perform and guide advanced reliability analysis, including aging, wear-out, electromigration, and other mechanism-based modeling, to assess design and process robustness.
Anticipate, identify, and mitigate non-obvious reliability risks across the full product lifecycle.
Drive cross-functional alignment with design, process, test, product, and program teams to meet aggressive schedules without compromising quality.
Establish and improve organizational reliability processes and best practices that scale to future technology generations.
Provide expert technical judgment on critical reliability trade-offs, balancing performance, power, quality, schedule, and business considerations.
Mentor and develop engineers; serve as a trusted technical authority and advisor for reliability across the organization.
Communicate reliability status, risks, and strategic recommendations clearly to senior leadership and executive stakeholders.
Qualifications
10 - 15 years of industry experience in semiconductor reliability engineering, technology development, or product qualification, supporting advanced CMOS nodes (Planar, FinFET, GAA).
Deep expertise in intrinsic device and interconnect reliability physics and failure mechanisms, including BTI, TDDB, HCI, electromigration (EM), self-heating effects, and MOL/BEOL wear-out.
Hand-on experience in designing reliability test structures for test-chips, reliability test structure measurements and interpreting complex reliability data from various reliability mechanisms like EM, BTI and TDDB.
Strong background in advanced packaging and heterogeneous integration reliability, including TSV-based 2.5D/3D integration, chiplet architectures, and backside power delivery schemes.
Demonstrated experience translating device- and process-level reliability data into circuit- and system-level reliability metrics for complex digital SoCs and platform-level decision making.
Drive cross-functional design for reliability collaboration with design, process and reliability teams.
Proven experience in reviewing and approving design waivers for electromigration (EM) violations in SoC designs, including on‑chip metal, bump, and ball interfaces.
Advanced statistical analysis and lifetime modeling expertise (e.g., Weibull analysis, JMP, Minitab, large-data correlation) used to inform qualification sign-off and risk decisions.
Recognized technical leadership with a track record of influencing design, process, and program decisions, mentoring engineers, and driving cross-functional alignment across design, product engineering, test, and foundry teams.
MS or PhD in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, Physics, or a related field (PhD preferred), with demonstrated industry impact in reliability or technology development.
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 :
$162,600.00 - $244,000.00The 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 1,453+ Staff Engineer Jobs in San Diego
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Find Staff Engineer JobsStaff Engineer Job Market in San Diego
Who's Hiring
- Shield AI293
- Northrop Grumman293
- Qualcomm182
- Dexcom126
- Intuit84
Top Industries Hiring
- Medical Devices126
- Aerospace & Defense84
- Technology & Software42
- Consulting & Professional Services28
- Sports & Recreation14
Staff Engineer Jobs in San Diego: Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a staff engineer job in San Diego?
Focus your search on San Diego's defense and aerospace contractors clustered in Kearny Mesa and Sorrento Valley, the biotech and medtech firms along the Torrey Pines corridor, and the enterprise software companies based in UTC and Downtown. Candidates who have led cross-functional architecture decisions or mentored junior engineers stand out here, where employers expect a staff engineer to influence technical direction, not just execute it.
Which companies hire staff engineers in San Diego?
Companies currently hiring staff engineers in San Diego include Shield AI, Northrop Grumman, and Qualcomm, per current listings on Migrate Mate as of August 2026. San Diego's hiring base is unusually broad, mixing large defense primes and publicly traded biotech firms with well-funded Series B and C startups, particularly in the Sorrento Valley and Little Italy innovation corridors.
Are there remote staff engineer jobs in San Diego?
Yes, though availability depends on the sector. Staff engineering in defense and hardware-adjacent roles is largely on-site due to security clearance requirements, while platform, cloud, and data infrastructure roles are far more remote-friendly. About 21% of staff engineer openings tied to San Diego are remote or hybrid as of August 2026, concentrated in the software and analytics segments. Biotech software and enterprise SaaS roles offer the most flexibility locally.
How can I get a staff engineer job in San Diego with little or no experience?
The most realistic path in San Diego is moving into a senior engineer role at one of the city's mid-size defense contractors or biotech software teams, which regularly hire engineers early in their trajectory and promote from within. Employers in Kearny Mesa and Sorrento Valley often value depth in embedded systems, signal processing, or bioinformatics pipelines, and candidates who contribute to open-source tooling or publish technical writing gain visibility quickly in those tightly networked communities.
Which industries hire the most staff engineers in San Diego?
The sectors hiring the most staff engineers in San Diego are Medical Devices, Aerospace & Defense, and Technology & Software, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of August 2026. San Diego's unique concentration of Navy and Marine Corps facilities, world-class research universities, and a deep venture-backed startup ecosystem creates sustained demand across hardware-software boundary roles that few other West Coast cities replicate at this scale.
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