Embedded NPU Software Engineer, Staff
$134,800 - $202,200 USD yearly
Originally posted 8 May 2026 by the employer.
Architect and optimize embedded platform software for Snapdragon SoC NPU, DSP, and CPU processors.
About the role
Qualcomm is seeking a Staff Embedded NPU Software Engineer to lead the design and development of embedded platform software for CPU, DSP, and NPU processors and AI engines across the Snapdragon SoC portfolio. You will architect and optimize software frameworks that enable multimedia and machine learning workloads across mobile, automotive, compute, and XR platforms.
What you'll do
- Architect and design NPU software frameworks, runtime libraries, and system drivers for compute and AI acceleration. - Lead development of complex NPU features and ensure system-level integration across CPU/DSP/NPU subsystems. - Optimize software using NPU architecture techniques including SIMD, multi-threading, and memory hierarchy. - Collaborate with hardware, systems, and product teams to align software design with platform goals and roadmap. - Drive debugging and profiling efforts across the NPU stack to meet performance, power, and reliability targets. - Mentor engineers, conduct design and code reviews, and contribute to technical strategy.
What you'll need
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science, or related field and 4+ years of software engineering experience (or Master's with 3+ years, or PhD with 2+ years). - 2+ years of work experience with programming languages such as C, C++, Java, or Python.
Nice to have
- Master's degree in Engineering, Computer Science, or related field with 8 years of experience in embedded software development. - Expertise in NPU programming, computer architecture, and real-time operating systems. - Experience with C/C++ and debugging tools such as Trace32 and JTAG. - Experience with Qualcomm Hexagon DSP and SDK frameworks. - Familiarity with multimedia frameworks (Android, Linux, Windows) and AI acceleration pipelines. - Exposure to machine learning, computer vision, or signal processing workloads. - Understanding of inter-processor communication and concurrency management.
Skills: NPU software, embedded software, AI acceleration, system drivers, real-time operating systems
This role has been open 168 days — well below the 199-day median for Embedded Firmware Engineering roles.
Embedded Firmware Engineering · AI ML Hardware
|
Open roles in category
27
|
Median days open
199 d
|
Median salary
$163k
|
See the full market breakdown ▾Category comparison, skills in demand, and who else is hiring
| Metric | Qualcomm | All employers we track in this specialty (27 roles · 12 employers) |
|---|---|---|
| Open roles in this specialty | 13 | 27 |
| Open roles in the wider Software, Firmware & Systems family | 739 | 6277 · 144 employers |
| Median days open | 199 d | 199 d (same as this employer) |
| Median salary (USD postings) | — | $163k |
Skills observed across this category: NPU software, embedded software, AI acceleration, system drivers, real-time operating systems
Who's hiring in this category
- Qualcomm (this employer) · 13 open roles · median 199 d
- NVIDIA · 3 open roles · median 223 d
- Infineon Technologies · 2 open roles · median 155 d
- Ambarella · 1 open role · median 221 d
- AMD · 1 open role · median 20 d
- Arm Holdings · 1 open role · median 170 d
How we counted: 27 open Embedded Firmware Engineering (AI ML Hardware) roles from 12 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 Software, Firmware & Systems family row. Figures refresh nightly.