Company: Qualcomm Canada ULC

Job Area:

Engineering Group, Engineering Group > Software Engineering

General Summary:

As a leading technology innovator, Qualcomm pushes the boundaries of what's possible to enable next-generation experiences and drives digital transformation to help create a smarter, connected future for all. As a Qualcomm Software Engineer, you will design, develop, create, modify, and validate embedded and cloud edge software, applications, and/or specialized utility programs that launch cutting-edge, world class products that meet and exceed customer needs. Qualcomm Software Engineers collaborate with systems, hardware, architecture, test engineers, and other teams to design system-level software solutions and obtain information on performance requirements and interfaces.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science, or related field and 8+ years of Software Engineering or related work experience.
OR
Master's degree in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science, or related field and 7+ years of Software Engineering or related work experience.
OR
PhD in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science, or related field and 6+ years of Software Engineering or related work experience.

• 4+ years of work experience with Programming Language such as C, C++, Java, Python, etc.

Firmware Engineer, Principal

The Embedded Software / Firmware Team at Qualcomm develops critical embedded software that powers high-performance multi-standard Serializer/Deserializer (SerDes) PHY IP used in next-generation data center, AI/ML, automotive, and compute applications.



Our SerDes IPs support standards such as PCIe, Ethernet, CXL, and are integrated into SoCs and ASICs built by leading semiconductor companies around the world.

The firmware team owns the full embedded software stack that controls the SerDes hardware, including low-level embedded firmware, customer-facing C SDKs, demo & automation scripts, and interactive tools. As a key enabler of silicon bring-up, validation, and production deployment, we work closely with hardware, systems, DV, validation, and application teams across the product lifecycle—from early development to high-volume manufacturing. Replacement Position.

What You Can Expect

Core responsibilities for the firmware team include:

- Embedded firmware running on RISC-V-based controllers that manage Qualcomm’s advanced SerDes datapaths
- Python and C SDKs provided to customers for SerDes bring-up, calibration, tuning, and diagnostics
- Python-based lab tools and GUIs for interactive debug, register access, and validation
- Build, regression, and CI infrastructure to ensure code quality and full coverage
- You’ll play a key leadership role in delivering robust, production-quality firmware for SerDes PHY IP. You’ll help define architecture, drive features end-to-end, coordinate across cross-functional teams,



and directly influence the design and usability of Qualcomm's IP.

In this position, you will be:

- Technical or project lead for SerDes firmware on a major IP program, working with a team (2–8 engineers) through planning, development, validation, and customer delivery
- Architecting and implementing embedded C/C++ firmware for hardware calibration, training algorithms, DSP adaptations, and link state management
- Debugging complex lab and field issues in conjunction with hardware, applications, and validation teams
- Driving and collaborating across functions to define FW milestones, plan sprints, close tickets, and ensure delivery of reliable and high-quality features
- Translating protocol specifications (e.g. PCIe, Ethernet, CXL) or custom system-level requirements into internal firmware architecture and documentation
- Supporting development and silicon bring-up across Qualcomm teams and other sites

Example Problems You’ll Solve

- Mentoring a junior engineer through a hard-to-reproduce PHY calibration bug seen in customer silicon
- Developing architecture and state machines to handle multi-lane synchronization or adaptive equalization across energetic conditions
- Porting a high-level MATLAB or Python SerDes calibration algorithm to optimized fixed-point firmware
- Creating a SerDes diagnostics framework accessible via both SDK and GUI
- Using simulation environments and FPGA emulation to validate FW behavior before tapeout
- Working with IP hardware architects to influence future revisions based on field debug learnings

What You'll Do

- BS/MS in Ele

📌 Firmware Engineer, Principal (Canada)
🏢 Qualcomm
📍 Canada