Staff Software Engineer Jobs in San Diego, CA

Company:

Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.

Job Area:

Engineering Group, Engineering Group > Machine Learning Engineering

General Summary:

As part of the AISW engineering team at Qualcomm, you will be the software system integration test (SSIT) engineer for the Delegates portfolio — ONNX Runtime (QNN Execution Provider), ExecuTorch (HTP/QNN backend), and TFLite / LiteRT. You will own subsystem-level validation at the feature development stage — working side-by-side with software engineers to define test strategy early, build targeted test content, and ensure each feature is solid before it transitions to QA and System Integration Test (SIT). This is a shift-left quality role: you are a co-owner of feature quality from inception, not a downstream gatekeeper.

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.

Feature-Level Test Strategy & Planning

• Partner with delegate engineers from feature inception to define testability requirements, acceptance criteria, and subsystem test plans covering ORT QNN-EP, ExecuTorch HTP backend, and LiteRT delegate
• Own SSIT test strategy per feature: scope, entry/exit criteria, coverage targets, and risk-based prioritization — aligned with the development team before implementation begins
• Embed in sprint planning, design reviews, and code reviews to ensure features are architected for testability from day one

Test Content Development & Execution

• Develop and maintain automated test content targeting the subsystem boundary: op and feature coverage, numerical accuracy, model-level functional correctness, and backend interface contracts
• Validate on-device behavior on Snapdragon SoCs using HIL infrastructure, covering functional correctness, latency, and memory under real hardware conditions
• Build Python/PyTest-based test suites integrated into the Delegates CI pipeline; ensure SSIT gates are enforced on every code change
• Develop and leverage AI-assisted tooling and agentic workflows (Claude Code, GitHub Copilot) to accelerate test content generation, coverage analysis, and failure triage

Defect Triage & Root Cause Analysis

• Triage failures and isolate root causes across the delegate stack — ML framework QNN runtime, HTP hardware — and drive resolution with development owners
• Flag integration risks early during feature development; distinguish subsystem-level issues from upstream framework bugs and downstream backend or system integration issues

QA & SIT Handoff

• Define and own handoff criteria from SSIT to QA and SIT: documented test results, known issues, coverage gaps, and risk summaries that give downstream teams a clear picture of feature readiness
• Serve as the primary technical liaison between the Delegates development team and QA/SIT — translating feature context into actionable test guidance for downstream teams
• Maintain traceability between SSIT artifacts and QA/SIT test plans via JIRA; feed defects found in QA/SIT that trace to subsystem gaps back into SSIT coverage

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's + 8 years or Master's + 6 years in Software Engineering, Computer Science, Systems Engineering, or related field
• Strong Python; proven hands-on experience building automated test frameworks (PyTest or equivalent)
• C/C++ reading proficiency sufficient to debug delegate and runtime issues at the source level
• Demonstrated experience in subsystem or integration testing within a hardware/software product development cycle
• Experience with CI/CD platforms (Jenkins, GitHub Actions, or equivalent) and integrating test automation into build pipelines
• Strong analytical and debugging skills with ability to isolate failures across multi-layer software stacks

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience validating ML inference frameworks — ONNX Runtime, ExecuTorch, TFLite / LiteRT, or equivalent
• Hands-on experience with Qualcomm QNN, HTP/DSP, or Snapdragon SoC-based on-device validation
• Familiarity with model accuracy validation: quantization correctness, op-level numerical comparison, and tolerance analysis
• C/C++ proficiency for development and debug of ORT unit tests
• Cross-platform test experience: Linux, Android, and Windows (ARM64 or x86)
• Experience with JIRA defect tracking and Agile/scrum development practices

Level of Responsibility

• Sets the SSIT quality strategy and test architecture for the full Delegates portfolio at Staff level — operates independently with minimal direction
• Co-owns feature quality from day one alongside development engineers; defines what 'done' means from a subsystem validation standpoint before handoff to QA
• Primary technical bridge between the Delegates development team and downstream QA/SIT — owns the clarity and completeness of that interface
• Mentors junior and senior SSIT engineers; establishes team norms for test coverage, triage discipline, and handoff documentation standards
• Collaborates with CI/Build/Release engineers to ensure SSIT automation is embedded in the delivery pipeline and readiness signals are visible to Program Management

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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.