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Company:
Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. Job Area:
Engineering Group, Engineering Group > Machine Learning Engineering General Summary:
As a leading technology innovator, Qualcomm pushes the boundaries of what’s possible to enable next‑generation experiences and drive digital transformation, creating a smarter, connected future for all. As a Senior Software Engineer in the AI Software (AISW) team , you will play a critical role in delivering AI software capabilities that directly enable successful OEM and customer launches within the Mobile Business Unit (BU) .
In this role, you will lead the design and development of core features in the Qualcomm AI Stack , including Qualcomm AI Runtime (QAIRT) and Generative AI Inference Extensions ( Genie ). You will contribute to efficient execution of advanced deep neural networks (DNNs), large language models (LLMs), and modern AI architectures on Snapdragon platforms. A key aspect of this position is a strong customer‑first mindset , ensuring AI software solutions meet the highest standards of quality, usability, performance, and reliability for mobile customers.
You will be responsible for supporting AI software that optimizes runtime efficiency, latency, power consumption, and stability of AI applications running machine‑learning workloads on Qualcomm’s low‑power AI accelerators, with a strong emphasis on real‑world mobile product readiness and customer satisfaction
Minimum Qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, or related field and 2+ years of Hardware Engineering, Software Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related work experience.
OR
Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, or related field and 1+ year of Hardware Engineering, Software Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related work experience.
OR
PhD in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, or related field. Key Responsibilities
- Lead development of software for Qualcomm AI Stack SDKs (QAIRT, Genie) to enable execution of state‑of‑the‑art generative and traditional AI models on Snapdragon mobile platforms.
- Design and implement core AI runtime framework components for inference on resource‑constrained mobile systems operating under strict power, memory, and performance constraints.
- Work closely with Mobile BU Points‑of‑Contact (PoCs) responsible for OEM engagement and product launches to deliver features, bug fixes, and optimizations required for customer success.
- Demonstrate a strong focus and obsession toward customer satisfaction , ensuring issues impacting customer experience are prioritized, addressed with urgency, and resolved with high quality.
- Proactively improve internal and customer workflows related to AI tools, SDKs, documentation, and processes to enhance ease of use, debuggability, and overall developer experience.
- Collaborate with cross‑functional teams including Mobile BU, product leads, systems, validation, performance, and customer engineering teams to ensure end‑to‑end readiness for commercial launches.
- Validate, analyze, and optimize software performance, accuracy, and robustness through detailed testing of mobile AI use cases.
- Debug complex system issues, perform root‑cause analysis, and drive fixes across software‑hardware boundaries to ensure high reliability in customer environments.
- Lead feature development and influence technical direction to enable customers and partners to effectively deploy AI solutions on Qualcomm platforms.
- Participate actively in design and code reviews, setting high standards for code quality, maintainability, and scalability.
- Mentor junior engineers and contribute to a culture of technical excellence, ownership, and continuous improvement within the AI Software organization.
- Work independently with minimal supervision; technical decisions will impact both your immediate area and broader cross‑team deliverables.
Minimum Qualifications (Must Have)
- Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Information Systems, or a related field.
- Pr ofessional software development experience.
- Strong proficiency in C/C++ software development.
- Experience developing software in Linux environments .
- Solid grounding in data structures, algorithms, software design principles, debugging, and testing.
- Strong verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to work effectively across teams and with customer‑facing stakeholders.
Preferred Qualifications (Desired)
- Master’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or Electrical Engineering.
- Experience building embedded and systems‑level software for mobile or edge platforms.
- Familiarity with generative AI model architectures (e.g., LLMs) and inference pipelines.
- Understanding of hardware acceleration and deployment of AI inference on edge devices.
- Experience across platforms such as Linux, Android, and/or Windows .
- Knowledge of low‑level OS–hardware interactions.
- Experience with CMake‑based build environments .
- Prior experience using or integrating Qualcomm AI Stack products (e.g., QNN, Genie).
- Experience with agile development practices and git‑based source control .
- Ability to collaborate effectively within a globally distributed, cross‑functional team while balancing multiple priorities driven by customer and product milestones.
Qualcomm is an equal opportunity employer. If you are an individual with a disability and need an accommodation during the application/hiring process, rest assured that Qualcomm is committed to providing an accessible process. You may e-mail [email protected] or call Qualcomm's toll-free number found here . Upon request, Qualcomm will provide reasonable accommodations to support individuals with disabilities to be able participate in the hiring process. Qualcomm is also committed to making our workplace accessible for individuals with disabilities. (Keep in mind that this email address is used to provide reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities. We will not respond here to requests for updates on applications or resume inquiries).
To all Staffing and Recruiting Agencies : Our Careers Site is only for individuals seeking a job at Qualcomm. Staffing and recruiting agencies and individuals being represented by an agency are not authorized to use this site or to submit profiles, applications or resumes, and any such submissions will be considered unsolicited. Qualcomm does not accept unsolicited resumes or applications from agencies. Please do not forward resumes to our jobs alias, Qualcomm employees or any other company location. Qualcomm is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes/applications.
EEO Employer: Qualcomm is an equal opportunity employer; all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, Veteran status, or any other protected classification.
Qualcomm expects its employees to abide by all applicable policies and procedures, including but not limited to security and other requirements regarding protection of Company confidential information and other confidential and/or proprietary information, to the extent those requirements are permissible under applicable law.
Pay range and Other Compensation & Benefits :
$140,800.00 - $211,200.00 The above pay scale reflects the broad, minimum to maximum, pay scale for this job code for the location for which it has been posted. Even more importantly, please note that salary is only one component of total compensation at Qualcomm. We also offer a competitive annual discretionary bonus program and opportunity for annual RSU grants (employees on sales-incentive plans are not eligible for our annual bonus). In addition, our highly competitive benefits package is designed to support your success at work, at home, and at play. Your recruiter will be happy to discuss all that Qualcomm has to offer – and you can review more details about our US benefits at this link .
If you would like more information about this role, please contact Qualcomm Careers .
Salary Context
This $140K-$211K range is below the median for AI Software Engineer roles in our dataset (median: $192K across 198 roles with salary data).
Role Details
About This Role
AI Software Engineers build the applications and systems that AI models run inside. They own the API layers, data pipelines, frontend integrations, and infrastructure that turn a model into a product users interact with. Every AI company needs engineers who can build the software around the AI.
The challenge is building reliable systems around inherently unreliable components. Models are probabilistic. They'll give different answers to the same question. They hallucinate. They're slow. They're expensive. Your job is to build an application layer that handles all of this gracefully while delivering a product that users trust and enjoy.
Across the 9,079 AI roles we're tracking, AI Software Engineer positions make up 5% of the market. At Qualcomm, this role fits into their broader AI and engineering organization.
AI Software Engineer roles are among the most numerous in the AI job market. Every company deploying AI needs software engineers who understand AI integration patterns. The demand is broad, spanning startups to enterprises, across every industry adopting AI capabilities.
What the Work Looks Like
A typical week includes: building API endpoints that serve model inference with caching and fallback logic, designing the data pipeline that feeds context to a RAG system, implementing streaming responses in the frontend, debugging a race condition in the async inference pipeline, and optimizing database queries for the vector search layer. It's full-stack engineering with AI at the center.
AI Software Engineer roles are among the most numerous in the AI job market. Every company deploying AI needs software engineers who understand AI integration patterns. The demand is broad, spanning startups to enterprises, across every industry adopting AI capabilities.
Skills in Demand for This Role
Full-stack engineering skills with AI integration experience. Python and TypeScript are the most common requirements. You'll need to understand API design, database architecture, and how to build reliable systems around probabilistic outputs. Experience with streaming, async processing, and caching patterns is increasingly important as real-time AI applications proliferate.
Knowledge of vector databases, embedding APIs, and LLM integration patterns (function calling, structured outputs, retry logic) differentiates AI software engineers from general software engineers. Understanding cost optimization (caching strategies, model routing, batched inference) is valuable since inference costs can dominate application economics.
Strong postings describe the product you'll be building, the AI integration patterns you'll work with, and the scale requirements. Look for companies that have existing AI features and need engineers to improve and expand them, not companies that are 'planning to add AI' someday.
Compensation Benchmarks
AI Software Engineer roles pay a median of $220,000 based on 1,601 positions with disclosed compensation. Senior-level AI roles across all categories have a median of $229,300. This role's midpoint ($176K) sits 20% below the category median. Disclosed range: $140K to $211K.
Across all AI roles, the market median is $213,000. Top-quartile compensation starts at $263,911. The 90th percentile reaches $318,400. For comparison, the highest-paying categories include AI Safety ($256,000) and Research Engineer ($252,000). By seniority level: Entry: $111,000; Mid: $193,200; Senior: $229,300; Director: $272,300; VP: $235,830.
Qualcomm AI Hiring
Qualcomm has 29 open AI roles right now. They're hiring across AI/ML Engineer, AI Software Engineer, AI Product Manager. Positions span Santa Clara, CA, US, San Diego, CA, US, San Diego, CA. Compensation range: $149K - $291K.
Location Context
Across all AI roles, 6% (531 positions) offer remote work, while 8,478 require on-site attendance. Top AI hiring metros: New York (3,078 roles, $221,000 median); San Francisco (2,646 roles, $261,000 median); Los Angeles (1,486 roles, $210,000 median).
Career Path
Common paths into AI Software Engineer roles include Software Engineer, Full-Stack Developer, Backend Engineer.
From here, career progression typically leads toward Staff Engineer, AI Architect, Engineering Manager.
If you're a software engineer, you're already 80% there. Learn the AI integration patterns: RAG, streaming inference, function calling, structured outputs. Build a project that demonstrates you can wrap an AI model in a production-quality application with proper error handling, caching, and user experience. That's the portfolio piece that gets you hired.
What to Expect in Interviews
Technical screens look like standard software engineering interviews with an AI twist. Expect system design questions about building reliable applications around probabilistic models: handling streaming responses, implementing retry logic for API failures, and designing caching strategies for LLM outputs. Coding rounds test standard algorithms plus practical integration patterns like async processing and rate limiting.
When evaluating opportunities: Strong postings describe the product you'll be building, the AI integration patterns you'll work with, and the scale requirements. Look for companies that have existing AI features and need engineers to improve and expand them, not companies that are 'planning to add AI' someday.
AI Hiring Overview
The AI job market has 9,079 open positions tracked in our dataset. By seniority: 106 entry-level, 4,384 mid-level, 3,343 senior, and 1,246 leadership roles (Director, VP, C-Level). Remote roles make up 6% of the market (531 positions). The remaining 8,478 roles require on-site or hybrid attendance.
The market median for AI roles is $213,000. Top-quartile compensation starts at $263,911. The 90th percentile reaches $318,400. Highest-paying categories: AI Safety ($256,000 median, 66 roles); Research Engineer ($252,000 median, 457 roles); AI Engineering Manager ($251,622 median, 55 roles).
AI Software Engineer roles are among the most numerous in the AI job market. Every company deploying AI needs software engineers who understand AI integration patterns. The demand is broad, spanning startups to enterprises, across every industry adopting AI capabilities.
The AI Job Market Today
The AI job market spans 9,079 open positions across 16 role categories. The largest categories by volume: AI/ML Engineer (6,862), AI Product Manager (453), AI Software Engineer (451). These three account for the majority of open positions, though smaller categories often have higher per-role compensation because of specialized skill requirements.
The seniority mix tells a story about where AI teams are in their maturity. Entry-level roles (106) are outnumbered by mid-level (4,384) and senior (3,343) positions, reflecting that most companies are past the 'build a team from scratch' phase and need experienced engineers who can ship production systems. Leadership roles (Director, VP, C-Level) total 1,246 positions, representing the bottleneck between technical execution and organizational strategy.
Remote work availability sits at 6% of all AI roles (531 positions), with 8,478 requiring on-site or hybrid attendance. The remote share has stabilized after the post-pandemic correction. Senior and specialized roles (Research Scientist, ML Architect) are more likely to be remote-eligible than entry-level positions, partly because experienced hires have more negotiating power and partly because these roles require less hands-on mentorship.
AI compensation is structured in clear tiers. The market median sits at $213,000. Top-quartile roles start at $263,911, and the 90th percentile reaches $318,400. These figures include base salary with disclosed compensation. Total compensation (including equity, bonuses, and sign-on) runs 20-40% higher at companies that offer those components.
Category matters for compensation. AI Safety roles lead at $256,000 median, while Prompt Engineer roles sit at $141,440. The spread between highest and lowest-paying categories reflects the premium on specialized technical skills versus broader analytical roles.
The most in-demand skills across all AI postings: Python (1,649 postings), Aws (898 postings), Azure (723 postings), Rag (671 postings), Gcp (536 postings), Pytorch (434 postings), Claude (410 postings), Kubernetes (406 postings). Python dominates, appearing in the vast majority of role descriptions regardless of category. Cloud platform experience (AWS, GCP, Azure) is the second most common requirement. The newer entrants to the top skills list (RAG, vector databases, LLM APIs) reflect the shift from traditional ML toward generative AI applications.
Frequently Asked Questions
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