CPU Software Architecture Staff Engineer
$141,300 - $211,900 USD yearly
Originally posted 5 October 2026 by the employer.
This role focuses on CPU sub-system feature software architecture and enablement.
About the role
This role involves driving the CPU software architecture for various industry products using Qualcomm Custom CPU, with a focus on CPU sub-system feature software architecture, enablement, and Firmware development. You will work on the latest ARMv9 architecture features.
What you'll do
- Design, develop, create, modify, and validate embedded and cloud edge software, applications, and/or specialized utility programs.
- Analyze user needs and software requirements to design and customize software for optimal operational efficiency.
- Design and implement software modules for products and systems.
- Participate in the design, coding for large features, unit testing, significant debugging fixes, and integration efforts to ensure projects are completed to specifications and schedules.
- Perform code reviews and regression tests as well as triage and fix issues to ensure the quality of code.
- Collaborate with others inside project team to accomplish project objectives.
- Write technical documentation for Software projects.
What you'll need
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science, or related field and 4+ years of Software Engineering or related work experience, OR Master's degree and 3+ years, OR PhD and 2+ years.
- 2+ years of work experience with Programming Language such as C, C++, Java, Python.
- 6 years of experience in embedded system development.
- Understanding of ARM CPU architecture fundamentals and ARMv8/v9 ISA.
- Experience in software or driver development for operating systems like Linux or RTOS (Zephyr RTOS).
- Strong programming skills using C, C++ or ARM assembly.
Nice to have
- Master's Degree in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science or related field.
- Performance Evaluation and Optimization of applications for ARM architecture based SoCs.
- Familiarity with typical Open-Source development tools and frameworks.
- Skills to collaborate with multiple teams including HW design to define software architecture.
- Understanding of RISCV architecture fundamentals.
Skills: embedded system development, ARM CPU architecture, Linux, RTOS, driver development, software architecture
This role has been open 9 days — well below the 56-day median for Embedded Firmware Engineering roles.
Embedded Firmware Engineering · Systems Software
|
Open roles in category
723
|
Median days open
56 d
|
Median salary
$166k
|
See the full market breakdown ▾Category comparison, skills in demand, and who else is hiring
| Metric | Qualcomm | All employers we track in this specialty (723 roles · 82 employers) |
|---|---|---|
| Open roles in this specialty | 117 | 723 |
| Open roles in the wider Software, Firmware & Systems family | 715 | 6135 · 145 employers |
| Median days open | 65 d | 56 d (+9 d vs this employer) |
| Median salary (USD postings) | — | $166k |
Skills observed across this category: embedded system development, ARM CPU architecture, Linux, RTOS, driver development, software architecture
Who's hiring in this category
- Qualcomm (this employer) · 117 open roles · median 65 d
- Micron Technology · 61 open roles · median 83 d
- NVIDIA · 59 open roles · median 57 d
- AMD · 58 open roles · median 35 d
- Lattice Semiconductor · 43 open roles · median 36 d
- NXP Semiconductors · 28 open roles · median 42 d
How we counted: 723 open Embedded Firmware Engineering (Systems Software) roles from 82 employers tracked in the SemiconductorJobs index, counted 15 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 Software, Firmware & Systems family row. Figures refresh nightly.