Staff Software Engineer, AI Software Core
$162,000 - $243,000 USD yearly
Originally posted 3 November 2026 by the employer.
About the role
As a Staff Software Engineer for AI Software Core at Qualcomm, you will create and implement machine learning techniques, frameworks, and tools that enable efficient discovery and utilization of machine learning solutions across mobile, edge, auto, and IoT products. The role focuses on extending runtime frameworks, developing optimized software tools, and co-designing hardware-software solutions for training and inference.
What you'll do
- Extend training or runtime frameworks and model efficiency software tools with new features and optimizations.
- Model, architect, and develop machine learning hardware co-designed with machine learning software for inference or training solutions.
- Develop optimized software, including machine learning kernels, compiler tools, and model efficiency tools, to enable AI models deployed on hardware.
- Collaborate with hardware teams for joint design and development to leverage specific hardware features.
- Develop, adapt, and prototype machine learning solutions aligned with roadmaps for complex products.
- Oversee and conduct experiments to train and evaluate machine learning models and software.
What you'll need
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, or a related field with 4+ years of Hardware Engineering, Software Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related experience (or a Master's degree with 3+ years, or a PhD with 2+ years).
- Experience developing and deploying machine learning solutions, frameworks, or tools.
- Demonstrated background in hardware-software co-design or optimizing software systems for specialized hardware.
Nice to have
- Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, or related field.
- 5 years of experience with Machine Learning frameworks (e.g., TensorFlow, Caffe, Caffe 2, PyTorch, Keras).
- 5 years of experience in embedded system development and optimization applied to specific ML domains (e.g., NLP, multi-media).
- 5 years of experience with programming languages suitable for machine learning (e.g., Python, R, C, C++).
- 5 years of experience using statistics and probability (e.g., conditional probability, Bayes rule).
- 2 years of experience with low-level interactions between operating systems (e.g., Linux, Android, QNX) and hardware.
- 1 year in a technical leadership role.
- 3 years of experience working in a large matrixed organization.
Skills: machine learning, compiler, runtime frameworks, kernels, PyTorch
More semiconductor jobs: Qualcomm jobs · San Diego jobs
This role has been open 0 days — well below the 72-day median for Infrastructure/Platform Software roles.
Infrastructure/Platform Software · AI ML Hardware
|
Open roles in category
111
|
Median days open
72 d
|
Category median salary (all employers)
$206k
|
See the full market breakdown ▾Category comparison, skills in demand, and who else is hiring
| Metric | Qualcomm | All employers we track in this specialty (111 roles · 30 employers) |
|---|---|---|
| Open roles in this specialty | 21 | 111 |
| Open roles in the wider Software, Firmware & Systems family | 681 | 6437 · 156 employers |
| Median days open | 56 d | 72 d (−16 d vs this employer) |
| Median salary (USD postings) | — | $206k |
Skills observed across this category: machine learning, compiler, runtime frameworks, kernels, PyTorch
Who's hiring in this category
- NVIDIA · 19 open roles · median 72 d
- Qualcomm (this employer) · 18 open roles · median 57 d
- Graphcore · 8 open roles · median 131 d
- Intel Corporation · 7 open roles · median 34 d
- AMD · 6 open roles · median 37 d
- Micron Technology · 6 open roles · median 58 d
How we counted: 111 open Infrastructure/Platform Software (AI ML Hardware) roles from 30 employers tracked in the SemiconductorJobs index, counted 4 Nov 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.