5G Cellular Systems Engineer, Staff/ Sr Staff
$134,800 - $202,200 USD yearly
Originally posted 16 January 2026 by the employer.
About the role
Qualcomm Government Technologies (QGOV) is seeking a 5G cellular systems engineer to architect solutions incorporating commercial Qualcomm System on Chip (SoC) processors into U.S. Government applications. The role focuses on air interface protocols from L1 PHY to upper layers and modem architecture design tradeoffs across network and UE perspectives.
What you'll do
- Architect solutions incorporating commercial Qualcomm SoC processors into U.S. Government applications across network and UE perspectives. - Run simulations using Matlab and other tools to determine link budget, performance, and tradeoffs. - Write simulation code across various cellular modem subsystems and layers. - Generate system design documentation and navigate 3GPP standards to evaluate modem architecture design versus implementation tradeoffs. - Work with multi-functional engineering teams to implement cellular modem signal processing and protocol algorithms.
What you'll need
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science, or related field with 4+ years of systems engineering experience (or Master's degree with 3+ years, or PhD with 2+ years). - U.S. citizenship and eligibility for a U.S. Government security clearance. - Knowledge of cellular 5G NR PHY/MAC/RLC/PDCP and upper layers alongside RF principles and MIMO techniques. - Familiarity with 3GPP protocol standards, including 5G and 5G Advanced. - Background in communication theory, cellular modem signal processing, and algorithms as they pertain to 5G. - Experience with cellular modem operation and writing simulation code across modem subsystems.
Nice to have
- Current or active Top Secret (TS/SI) security clearance. - MSEE or PhD with a focus in Cellular/Wireless Communication Systems and 8 years of experience.
Skills: 5G NR, PHY/MAC/RLC/PDCP, RF principles, MIMO, 3GPP standards, modem architecture
This role has been open 200 days — well above the 61-day median for RF/Wireless Engineering roles.
RF/Wireless Engineering · RF Frontend
|
Open roles in category
258
|
Median days open
61 d
|
Median salary
$165k
|
See the full market breakdown ▾Category comparison, skills in demand, and who else is hiring
| Metric | Qualcomm | All employers we track in this specialty (258 roles · 34 employers) |
|---|---|---|
| Open roles in this specialty | 23 | 258 |
| Open roles in the wider Analog & Mixed-Signal family | 76 | 1439 · 106 employers |
| Median days open | 108 d | 61 d (+47 d vs this employer) |
| Median salary (USD postings) | — | $165k |
Skills observed across this category: 5G NR, PHY/MAC/RLC/PDCP, RF principles, MIMO, 3GPP standards, modem architecture
Who's hiring in this category
- QORVO · 41 open roles · median 55 d
- Skyworks · 36 open roles · median 59 d
- Keysight Technologies · 28 open roles · median 104 d
- Apple · 23 open roles · median 9 d
- Qualcomm (this employer) · 23 open roles · median 108 d
- Analog Devices · 10 open roles · median 71 d
How we counted: 258 open RF/Wireless Engineering (RF Frontend) roles from 34 employers tracked in the SemiconductorJobs index, counted 25 Oct 2026. Specialty figures count only roles carrying this exact specialty label, so an employer's related work in neighbouring specialties is not included there — it is counted in the wider Analog & Mixed-Signal family row. Figures refresh nightly.