Senior Systems Engineer
$134,500 - $201,700 USD yearly
Originally posted 20 October 2026 by the employer.
About the role
The Connectivity Hardware Systems (HWS) team is seeking an engineer to work on characterization, validation, performance optimization, and debugging of Wi-Fi products. The role spans theoretical models through implementation and silicon measurements across hardware, PHY, RF, firmware, and systems engineering teams.
What you'll do
- Characterize and analyze Wi-Fi PHY and system performance across different operating conditions. - Analyze key PHY concepts including OFDM/OFDMA, QAM, MIMO, beamforming, channel estimation, equalization, synchronization, coding, and link adaptation. - Measure and evaluate metrics such as EVM, PER, sensitivity, throughput, and transmit/receive performance. - Develop MATLAB and Python scripts for simulation, data processing, visualization, test automation, and characterization. - Analyze firmware, hardware, and PHY logs to identify performance issues and help determine root cause. - Participate in lab characterization and system-level validation of wireless chipsets.
What you'll need
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science, or related field with 2+ years of Systems Engineering or related work experience, or a Master's degree with 1+ year of experience, or a PhD. - Academic foundation in digital communications and digital signal processing, covering digital modulation/demodulation, OFDM, Fourier transforms, spectral analysis, sampling, filtering, noise, and communication-channel fundamentals. - Understanding of probability and random processes as applied to communications. - Coursework or project experience using MATLAB and/or Python.
Nice to have
- Master's degree or PhD with coursework or research in wireless communications, communication theory, or signal processing. - Understanding of OFDM/OFDMA, MIMO, beamforming, and familiarity with IEEE 802.11/Wi-Fi PHY or MAC. - Academic, internship, or project experience involving wireless communications, DSP, SDR, or MATLAB simulation. - Familiarity with RF concepts and basic RF test equipment. - Python scripting and data-analysis experience. - Exposure to embedded systems, firmware, FPGA/RTL, or hardware/software debugging.
Skills: Wi-Fi PHY, DSP, OFDM, Lab Characterization, System Validation
This role has been open 0 days — well below the 43-day median for Post-Silicon Validation roles.
Post-Silicon Validation · Silicon Validation
|
Open roles in category
415
|
Median days open
43 d
|
Median salary
$175k
|
See the full market breakdown ▾Category comparison, skills in demand, and who else is hiring
| Metric | Qualcomm | All employers we track in this specialty (415 roles · 61 employers) |
|---|---|---|
| Open roles in this specialty | 38 | 415 |
| Open roles in the wider Silicon Validation & Test family | 132 | 2229 · 113 employers |
| Median days open | 26 d | 43 d (−17 d vs this employer) |
| Median salary (USD postings) | — | $175k |
Skills observed across this category: Wi-Fi PHY, DSP, OFDM, Lab Characterization, System Validation
Who's hiring in this category
- AMD · 58 open roles · median 46 d
- Micron Technology · 38 open roles · median 42 d
- Qualcomm (this employer) · 37 open roles · median 31 d
- NVIDIA · 27 open roles · median 26 d
- Microchip Technology · 22 open roles · median 71 d
- Graphcore · 20 open roles · median 124 d
How we counted: 415 open Post-Silicon Validation (Silicon Validation) roles from 61 employers tracked in the SemiconductorJobs index, counted 20 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.