Senior Engineer – AI Model Enablement & Software Tools
Technology, Data & Digital · Data, AI & Analytics · Machine Learning · Software Engineering
In short
Qualcomm is looking for a Senior Engineer to join their AI Stack SDK Software team in San Diego, CA. The role involves adapting, optimizing, and compiling AI models for Snapdragon platforms using Qualcomm’s AI software stack. You will collaborate with various teams to integrate reusable solutions and gain experience in model loading, graph adaptation, quantization, and performance analysis.
Responsibilities
- Contribute to the bring-up and enablement of new language, vision, vision-language, and multimodal models on Snapdragon platforms.
- Study model implementations and computational graphs to understand model inputs, outputs, operators, tensor shapes, data flow, and execution behavior.
- Implement model re-authoring, operator decomposition, graph transformations, layout changes, and backend-specific adaptations.
- Develop reusable model support that can be integrated into Qualcomm’s model-enablement frameworks.
- Convert, optimize, and export models from PyTorch and ONNX for compilation and execution on Qualcomm AI accelerators.
- Apply and validate quantization and calibration flows, including weight and activation quantization, mixed precision, PTQ, and accuracy-recovery techniques.
- Measure and improve model accuracy, latency, throughput, memory consumption, model size, and power efficiency.
- Debug issues across model code, computational graphs, quantization, compiler, runtime, operating system, and hardware layers.
- Write high-quality, maintainable, and well-documented Python and C/C++ code.
- Collaborate with globally distributed engineering, research, hardware, QA, product, and customer-facing teams.
- Senior Engineers will independently own larger features, contribute to design decisions, mentor junior engineers, and drive assigned model-enablement work through completion.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related field.
- 2+ years of experience in software design, development, and delivery (for Senior Engineer role).
- Good programming skills in Python and/or C/C++.
- Strong understanding of software engineering fundamentals, including data structures, algorithms, object-oriented design, debugging, testing, and source control.
- Foundational understanding of AI/ML concepts, including neural networks, deep learning, model inference, and common model execution workflows.
- Practical experience using agentic coding tools such as Claude Code, OpenAI Codex, or equivalent tools for code exploration, implementation, testing, and debugging, with the ability to review and validate generated code.
- Ability to read and understand unfamiliar software and model implementations.
- Strong analytical and debugging skills, with the ability to perform structured root-cause analysis.
- Ability to collaborate effectively within a team and communicate technical concepts clearly.
- Ability and willingness to learn model architectures, graph processing, quantization, compiler, runtime, and hardware-aware optimization concepts.
Desired Qualifications
- Master’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related field.
- Coursework, internship, project, or professional experience involving AI/ML inference, model optimization, or embedded AI software.
- Familiarity with PyTorch, ONNX, Hugging Face Transformers, or related AI/ML frameworks.
- Familiarity with graph-based model representations and tooling such as ONNX, TorchScript, MLIR, ONNX Runtime, ExecuTorch, or TFLite/LiteRT.
- Basic understanding of model quantization and calibration, including PTQ, QAT, weight and activation quantization, and mixed precision.
- Experience or coursework involving transformer-based models, LLMs, vision models, or multimodal models.
- Understanding of common transformer components such as attention, normalization, feed-forward layers, positional encoding, and KV cache.
- Experience with Linux-based software development.
- Experience developing or optimizing embedded, mobile, edge, or system-level software.
- Exposure to Android or an RTOS environment such as QNX.
- Familiarity with CMake-based builds, Git-based source control, code reviews, and agile software development practices.
- Experience writing unit tests, integration tests, and debugging software across multiple abstraction layers.
- Exposure to model performance analysis, profiling, memory optimization, or hardware accelerator programming.
- User-level or development exposure to commercial AI software stacks and model-enablement frameworks, including model conversion, optimization, compilation, deployment, and runtime tools.
- Exposure to Snapdragon SoCs, NPUs, HTPs, or other AI accelerator architectures.
Benefits
- Competitive annual discretionary bonus program
- Opportunity for annual RSU grants
- Highly competitive benefits package designed to support your success at work, at home, and at play.
- Reasonable accommodations to support individuals with disabilities to be able participate in the hiring process.
- Accessible workplace for individuals with disabilities.
Skills
PythonC/C++PyTorchONNXHugging Face TransformersMLIRONNX RuntimeExecuTorchTFLiteLinuxCMakeGit
#AI#Machine Learning#Software Development#Model Optimization#LLM#Generative AI#Snapdragon
About Qualcomm
Enabling a world where everyone and everything can be intelligently connected.
Enabling a world where everyone and everything can be intelligently connected.\n\n
Company
QualcommJob Posted
1 day ago
Employment Type
Full Time
Work mode
On Site
Salary
US$140,800–211,200 / year
Experience Level
Senior
Locations
San Diego, United States of America
Qualification
Bachelor, Master, Doctoral
Applicants
Be an early applicant
Similar Jobs
Alstom
Plattsburgh, United StatesContinuous Improvement Specialist (Internship)
US$25/hr Internship Be an early applicant Posted 4 days ago
Qualcomm
San Diego, United States of AmericaAssociate PCB CAD Specialist
US$30.8–46.2/hr Full Time Be an early applicant Posted 4 days ago
IKEA
Oak Creek, United StatesCustomer Resolutions Specialist
US$20–28.2/hr Full Time Be an early applicant Posted 4 days ago
Qualcomm
San Diego, United States of AmericaQuality Systems Engineer - Data Center
US$132–198k/yr Full Time Be an early applicant Posted 4 days ago
Qualcomm
Tijuana, MexicoPrincipal/Manager, SoC Systems Validation Engineering
Full Time Be an early applicant Posted 4 days ago
Qualcomm
Santa Clara, United States of AmericaSenior Program Manager
US$185–277k/yr Full Time Be an early applicant Posted 4 days ago