Software Engineer - Qualcomm Advanced Robotics Team - Multiple levels

As Software Engineer, you will be the senior technical developer for Qualcomm's robotics software platform-defining the end-to-end architecture, raising the engineering bar across core middleware and services (ROS 2/DDS), and leading cross-functional teams to deliver production-grade SDKs and reference solutions that customers can take to market.

You'll combine deep systems expertise with hands-on leadership across perception/SLAM, planning & control, real-time Linux/MCU, and on-device AI shipping robust software on Qualcomm robotics SoCs.

* Develop the software architecture for the Qualcomm Robotics platform interfaces, runtime, QoS, and safety envelopes across Linux + MCU subsystems; drive DDS/ROS 2 patterns for reliable, real-time data flow on heterogeneous compute, and system mapping and optimization to Qualcomm Robotics platform.

* Develop the platform roadmap and technical design reviews across perception (VIO/VSLAM, DFS), mapping, semantic scene understanding, navigation, manipulation, and SDK components; ensure high performance and low power on our SoCs.

* Drive real-world validation using sim-in-the-loop and HIL; establish metrics for robustness, determinism, and regression across camera/IMU/LiDAR stacks and whole-robot scenarios.

* Optimize for heterogeneous compute (CPU/GPU/DSP/NPU) and camera pipeline/ISP; guide teams on concurrency, memory/power budgets, and accelerator utilization for on-device AI.

* Champion safety & reliability practices and interfaces compatible with relevant standards (e.g., ISO 26262/IEC 61508 alignment where applicable) and design for field diagnostics, observability, and OTA update paths.

* Mentor and grow senior engineers across core platform, perception, controls, and SDK setting crisp technical direction, code quality bars, and review culture.

* Engage customers & partners as the senior technical face of the platform clarify requirements, guide integrations, and translate learnings into the roadmap.

* Set the technical bar for platform correctness, determinism, and developer experience.

* Coach senior ICs and tech leads, building a strong review culture and CI/CD discipline for robotics.

* Partner with product and silicon teams to align software roadmaps with SoC capabilities and customer needs.

* Opportunity to shape the software heart of a rapidly scaling robotics portfolio used across industrial, commercial, and emerging humanoid form factors.

* Build on a mature developer ecosystem (RBx/QRB platforms, on-device AI toolchains) and ship at the edge, globally.

- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science, or related field and 6+ years of Software Engineering or related work experience.

Master's degree in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science, or related field and 5+ years of Software Engineering or related work experience.

PhD in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science, or related field and 4+ years of Software Engineering or related work experience.

- 3+ years of work experience with Programming Language such as C, C++, Java, Python, etc.

* 5+ years in software engineering, with 4+ years building robotics platforms, Ubuntu, ROS2 or complex real-time distributed systems; proven record shipping SDKs or core runtimes.

* Expert in C++ (modern) and Python with production experience in ROS 2 and DDS (QoS, discovery, message design, and tracing).

* Depth in : Physical AI embedded and virtual platforms, SLAM/visual-inertial odometry, dense/stereo depth, semantic mapping, planning & controls, or manipulation-with demonstrable system-level integration on embedded platforms.

* Strong background in Linux for robotics, real-time considerations, and MCU/RTOS interactions (time sync, safety islands, bootloaders, field firmware management).

* Performance engineering on heterogeneous SoCs (CPU/GPU/NPU/DSP) and camera/ISP stacks; hands-on profiling and optimization.

* Track record leading large cross-functional efforts (architecture docs, design reviews, de-risking, postmortems) that landed in customer products.

* Experience delivering developer-facing SDKs and documentation; familiarity with Qualcomm robotics stacks and ROS 2 package ecosystems.

* Demonstrated results in on-device AI for perception or policy (model optimization, quantization, or pipeline fusion) on edge devices.

* Contributions to ROS/ROS 2 or relevant open-source robotics projects; publications/patents in SLAM, perception, manipulation, or real-time systems.

- Leverages advanced Software knowledge and experience to design, develop, create, modify, and validate critical embedded and cloud edge software, applications, and/or specialized utility programs.

- Analyzes user needs, software requirements, and time and cost constraints to design and customize sophisticated software for optimal operational efficiency.

- Designs and implements software sub-systems for complex, large-scale products and systems.

- Leads design, coding, and testing efforts to ensure that projects are completed to specifications and schedules.

- Performs highly complex code reviews and regression tests as well as triages and fixes issues to ensure the quality of code.

- Collaborates with individuals outside the software function (e.g., Hardware, Systems, and Test engineers) to increase leverage and design solutions that work with other components of a specific project.

- Writes detailed technical documentation for highly complex Software projects; reviews technical documentation for junior engineers.

- Decision-making is critical in nature and highly impacts program, product, or project success.

- Requires verbal and written communication skills to convey complex information. May require negotiation, influence, tact, etc.

- Has a moderate amount of influence over key organizational decisions (e.g., is consulted by senior leadership to make key decisions).

- Tasks often require multiple steps which can be performed in various orders; extensive planning, problem-solving, and prioritization must occur to complete the tasks effectively.