Windows Performance Engineer, Senior
$117,800 - $176,600 USD yearly
Originally posted 18 September 2026 by the employer.
Optimize software running on Windows on Snapdragon desktop devices using Qualcomm SoCs.
About the role
This role involves analyzing and optimizing software running on Windows on Snapdragon, focusing on identifying and implementing software optimizations across multiple layers to deliver best-in-class software performance.
What you'll do
- Analyze key software benchmarks and applications to identify optimization opportunities.
- Implement software optimizations to ensure performance criteria are met.
- Develop and enhance analysis tools and instrumentation to assist in identifying performance gaps and optimization options.
- Collaborate with internal teams and external partners for analysis and optimizations.
- Identify risks associated with designs, approaches, and other work efforts.
- Solve complex technical problems that affect significant areas of products.
What you'll need
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science, or related field and 2+ years of Software Engineering experience, OR Master's degree and 1+ year, OR PhD.
- 2+ years of academic or work experience with a programming language such as C, C++, Java, or Python.
- Strong familiarity with ARM architecture.
- Good understanding of CPU Architecture, Memory and Bus architecture and how that impacts software performance.
- Experience in performance characterization and software optimization techniques.
- Ability to debug complex problems across multiple layers of Hardware, OS, compiler, and drivers.
Nice to have
- Master's Degree in Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science or related field.
- 4 years of Software Engineering with focus in Power/Performance or related work experience.
- Experience with C/C++ and ARM assembly.
- Familiarity with C#, Java, Javascript, Python.
- Experience with Windows OS, Visual Studio/LLVM compiler and Windows Performance Analyzer (WPA) tools.
- Experience in Compiler and JIT technologies.
- Experience with optimizing for popular CPU software benchmarks.
Skills: software optimizations, Windows OS, CPU Architecture, Memory and Bus architecture, drivers
This role has been open 26 days — well below the 61-day median for Systems Software Engineering roles.
Systems Software Engineering · Systems Software
|
Open roles in category
681
|
Median days open
61 d
|
Median salary
$217k
|
See the full market breakdown ▾Category comparison, skills in demand, and who else is hiring
| Metric | Qualcomm | All employers we track in this specialty (681 roles · 73 employers) |
|---|---|---|
| Open roles in this specialty | 166 | 681 |
| Open roles in the wider Software, Firmware & Systems family | 705 | 6164 · 146 employers |
| Median days open | 78 d | 61 d (+17 d vs this employer) |
| Median salary (USD postings) | — | $217k |
Skills observed across this category: software optimizations, Windows OS, CPU Architecture, Memory and Bus architecture, drivers
Who's hiring in this category
- Qualcomm (this employer) · 163 open roles · median 77 d
- NVIDIA · 137 open roles · median 47 d
- AMD · 59 open roles · median 54 d
- Mobileye · 27 open roles · median 69 d
- Broadcom · 21 open roles · median 50 d
- Arm Holdings · 20 open roles · median 111 d
How we counted: 681 open Systems Software Engineering (Systems Software) roles from 73 employers tracked in the SemiconductorJobs index, counted 14 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.