Home Based Device Driver Developer Jobs in California

Qualcomm is seeking a highly motivated and experienced Senior Staff Software Engineer to join our Data Networking Software team. In this role, you will provide technical leadership for the design, development, optimization, and commercialization of high-performance Ethernet networking and data-path software solutions for Qualcomm's Wireless Broadband connectivity, Automotive Infotainment, and Telematics platforms based on Snapdragon and Dragonwing SoCs.

You will lead the design, development, and commercialization of advanced Ethernet networking software features spanning Linux kernel, Ethernet device drivers and embedded networking stacks. This role requires expertise in Ethernet technologies, device drivers, SoC architecture, networking performance, and embedded software systems.

As a technical leader, you will also contribute to strategic software initiatives, influence technology direction, and mentor and supervise other engineers. You will collaborate closely with hardware architects, systems engineers, product management, validation teams, and customer-facing engineering teams to deliver scalable, reliable, and production-quality networking solutions for next-generation automotive and/or connectivity platforms. The ideal candidate combines strong hands-on technical expertise with demonstrated leadership experience, a track record of delivering complex software features, and the ability to influence technical decisions across teams.

Primary Responsibilities

• Lead the architecture, design, development, and commercialization of Ethernet networking and data-path software features, from concept and requirements definition through production deployment and customer adoption.
• Lead embedded networking software development tasks, including development of Ethernet MAC drivers, Ethernet switch drivers, integration with networking subsystems software, Linux kernel networking features enablement, and platform integration aspects.
• Analyze and optimize end-to-end networking performance, including throughput, latency, CPU utilization, memory efficiency, etc. to build and deliver high performance networking solutions on resource constrained embedded platforms.
• Drive root-cause analysis and resolution of complex system-level issues, working across software and hardware boundaries to identify and resolve functional, reliability, and performance challenges.
• Leverage, build, and improve AI-assisted development workflows to accelerate delivery time and improve product quality.
• Serve as a technical mentor and leader for engineering staff, providing guidance on architecture, design, debugging and test methodologies to junior staff members.
• Drive and influence technical strategy and architecture decisions for networking software solutions, balancing performance, scalability, reliability, safety, maintainability, and long-term product roadmap requirements.
• Participate in and/or lead cross-functional engineering teams to coordinate development efforts across software, hardware, systems, validation, and customer engineering teams.
• Partner with product management, system architects, and customer engineering teams to translate customer requirements into scalable technical solutions and influence product direction.
• Own technical execution plans and contribute to roadmap definition for upcoming networking software products.
• Contribute to long-term technology planning and innovation initiatives, identifying opportunities for new networking capabilities, performance enhancements, and platform differentiation.
• Support recruiting and talent development efforts, including candidate evaluation, onboarding, mentorship, and development of technical expertise within the organization.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related field and 4+ years of Software Engineering, Embedded Software, or related work experience.
• Master's degree in Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related field and 3+ years of Software Engineering, Embedded Software, or related work experience.
• PhD in Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related field and 2+ years of Software Engineering, Embedded Software, or related work experience.
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field.
• 7+ years of industry experience in embedded software development, systems software, device driver development, or networking software.
• Strong expertise in C programming and low-level systems software development.
• Solid understanding of Linux kernel internals, including Memory management, Interrupt handling, DMA frameworks, Synchronization mechanisms, Device driver architecture and Kernel networking subsystems
• Experience developing and debugging embedded networking software and device drivers on Linux, QNX, or similar operating systems.
• Demonstrated experience leading software feature development from requirements analysis through production deployment.
• Strong debugging and performance analysis skills using tools such as GDB, Perf, Ftrace, Logic analyzers and hardware diagnostics tools.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to influence technical decisions.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering or related field.
• 10+ years of industry experience in embedded systems, networking software, or device driver development.
• Demonstrated technical leadership experience leading teams, projects, or large-scale software initiatives.
• Extensive experience developing and debugging embedded networking software and device drivers on Linux, QNX, or similar operating systems.
• Strong knowledge of networking technologies, including Ethernet, VLANs, Switching and bridging, TCP/IP
• Deep expertise in Ethernet MAC, switch, PHY, or networking driver development and experience developing advanced networking features.
• Strong background in networking performance optimization, including CPU efficiency, latency reduction, throughput scaling, and data-path acceleration techniques.
• Experience contributing to or maintaining Linux upstream kernel networking subsystems.

Equal Access and Accommodation

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 disability-accomodations@qualcomm.com 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).

Pay & Benefits

Pay range and Other Compensation & Benefits: $179,000.00 - $268,400.00

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.

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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.

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