Modem System Test Engineer – 6G/5G Air Interface
$89,000 - $133,600 USD yearly
Originally posted 21 May 2026 by the employer.
Validate and characterize 6G and 5G NR air interface protocols on digital modem products in San Diego.
About the role
As a Modem System Test Engineer on the Modem System Test (MST) team in San Diego, you will support verification, performance evaluation, integration, testing, characterization, and commercialization of digital modem products across 6G and 5G cellular technologies.
What you'll do
- Validate end-to-end system functionality and performance across the cellular protocol stack, including PHY, MAC/RLC/PDCP, RRC, NAS, and TCP/IP. - Define modem key performance indicators and evaluate system performance based on conducted, radiated, and live 6G/5G network testing. - Develop and execute system-level test strategies, methodologies, and test plans for modem features and use cases. - Analyze 3GPP specifications and carrier requirements to build validation scenarios and test coverage. - Perform log analysis, debugging, and root cause investigation of modem issues across lab and field environments. - Support feature integration, certification, and commercialization of global wireless products.
What you'll need
- Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field. - Hands-on testing and lab-based verification experience with cellular systems.
Nice to have
- Strong understanding of digital and wireless communication systems, signal processing, and RF propagation. - Understanding of physical layer procedures including signal detection, channel estimation, link adaptation, mmWave beam refinement, and massive MIMO. - Knowledge of 5G NR PHY, MAC, RLC, PDCP, and RRC protocols, as well as OFDMA, Wi-Fi, and LTE. - Experience with test equipment such as protocol simulator call boxes and channel emulators for wireless product verification. - Exposure to 5G infrastructure vendor-specific 5G NR call flows, including Ericsson, Nokia, Huawei, ZTE, and Samsung. - Programming skills in Python and MATLAB. - Knowledge of AI/ML concepts and their application to digital communications.
Skills: modem innovation, 6G and 5G systems, integrate, test, characterize, system-level test strategies, log analysis, debugging
This role has been open 154 days — well above the 40-day median for Post-Silicon Validation roles.
Post-Silicon Validation · Silicon Validation
|
Open roles in category
432
|
Median days open
40 d
|
Median salary
$167k
|
See the full market breakdown ▾Category comparison, skills in demand, and who else is hiring
| Metric | Qualcomm | All employers we track in this specialty (432 roles · 62 employers) |
|---|---|---|
| Open roles in this specialty | 38 | 432 |
| Open roles in the wider Silicon Validation & Test family | 138 | 2238 · 112 employers |
| Median days open | 30 d | 40 d (−10 d vs this employer) |
| Median salary (USD postings) | — | $167k |
Skills observed across this category: modem innovation, 6G and 5G systems, integrate, test, characterize, system-level test strategies, log analysis, debugging
Who's hiring in this category
- AMD · 54 open roles · median 43 d
- Qualcomm (this employer) · 38 open roles · median 30 d
- Micron Technology · 36 open roles · median 39 d
- NVIDIA · 26 open roles · median 25 d
- Microchip Technology · 22 open roles · median 75 d
- Apple · 20 open roles · median 2 d
How we counted: 432 open Post-Silicon Validation (Silicon Validation) roles from 62 employers tracked in the SemiconductorJobs index, counted 24 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 Silicon Validation & Test family row. Figures refresh nightly.