Staff Systems Software Engineer – Sensors at Qualcomm
Santa Clara, CA
$167,000–$250,600from the description
Jun 30, 2026
Santa Clara, CA
Jul 21, 2026
What this job asks for AI summary
A systems engineering role focused on implementing and optimizing sensor signal processing and machine learning algorithms on embedded platforms — including smartphones, automotive, IoT, and wearable devices. The work spans writing and tuning C/C++ code translated from MATLAB or Python prototypes, architecting software frameworks across CPU, MCU, and GPU cores, and balancing tradeoffs in performance, power, and memory. Suits engineers with a strong embedded software background and familiarity with ML frameworks and RTOS environments.
Mid level · 4+ years · San Diego, CA · Bachelor's required · Full-time
“or” means any one of them counts — you don't need all of them.
We read this from the posting text with AI. Skim the description below before ruling yourself out.
How this req sits in the market our data
Roughly 65 people in the San Diego, CA area plausibly meet what this posting asks for (software developers). range 25–100
Applicant volume Moderate — A normal amount of company. The rare requirements below are what will separate a shortlisted application from the rest.
Rare in this occupation — lead with these, and say what you built with them.
Most people in this occupation already list these. Still required — just not what gets you shortlisted.
What the occupation pays Median $166,860 (middle half $131,418–$198,246). This posting is about at that midpoint.
Estimated from BLS employment for this occupation and area, per-skill prevalence across our listing corpus, and published wage benchmarks — as of Jul 28, 2026. It is a model, not a headcount.
Why we read it this way (7)
The job title is not given beyond 'Multimedia Systems' area — no seniority level is stated in the title, so advertised seniority is Unspecified. The minimum experience requirement (4+ years with a Bachelor's, 3+ with a Master's, 2+ with a PhD) and the scope of the role (implementing algorithms, unit/system testing, no people-management) support a Mid-level classification.
Location is inferred as San Diego, CA — Qualcomm's headquarters — as no specific city is stated in the posting.
The posting lists a tiered degree requirement: Bachelor's + 4 years, Master's + 3 years, or PhD + 2 years. The minimum formal degree is a Bachelor's, so the degree requirement is set to Bachelors. The overall years minimum of 4 reflects the Bachelor's path (the lowest experience bar).
C proficiency and MATLAB/Python familiarity are called out explicitly as 'Critical to this role' in the body, making them hard gates. C++ and Google Test appear in the primary responsibilities section with firm language ('Coding in C and C++', 'unit testing … using modern testing frameworks like Google Test'). RTOS is also flagged as critical.
Python is listed as a required interpreted language alongside Perl and Ruby as acceptable alternatives ('Programming in one interpreted language (Python, Perl, Ruby, etc.)'); Python is named first and most prominently throughout the posting.
Multi-threaded programming experience, ML frameworks (PyTorch/TensorFlow), fixed-point/quantization experience, and hardware architecture familiarity all appear under 'Preferred Qualifications' and are marked accordingly.
The SOC classification is Medium confidence: the role is primarily embedded software development (C/C++, sensor signal processing, ML algorithm implementation on SOCs), which fits 15-1252 Software Developers. However, the heavy signal-processing and systems-engineering framing could also suggest 15-1299 (Computer Occupations, All Other), noted as the alt code.
Read the full posting
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