Principal Engineer Computer Vision Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Company:
Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.
Job Area:
Engineering Group, Engineering Group > Video Systems, HW Architecture
General Summary:
Qualcomm's Computer Vision Systems team is building the intelligence behind the world's most advanced Snapdragon-powered devices, from next-generation mobile phones to autonomous vehicles, IoT, robotics, and immersive AR/VR platforms. The group's work spans computer vision and video algorithm development, mapping these algorithms to computer vision and neural-processing accelerator architectures, and efficient on-device implementation.
We are seeking a Staff-level, multidisciplinary engineer with deep expertise in computer vision and image/video processing algorithms, combined with strong hardware/software co-optimization experience. This role is ideal for someone who thrives at the intersection of cutting-edge computer vision algorithms, AI models, and efficient hardware/software implementation applied to real-world problems.
You will own technical direction across projects, influence system-level architecture, and drive solutions from research through production deployment. You will work on ideas that enhance everyday life-creating lasting video memories and playback experiences, and enabling innovative devices through advanced video and computer vision technologies. You will have significant opportunities to grow, lead, and shape the future of video and computer vision at scale.
Principal Duties and Responsibilities

• Leverage advanced video and computer vision engineering expertise to research, design, and implement critical video processing and computer vision algorithms, including video encoder, decoder, processing, quality enhancement, and real-time computer vision pipelines, from concept through production deployment.
• Lead system- and algorithm-level architecture definition, standard studies, and feature decomposition to drive hardware and software requirements and specifications.
• Profile and optimize algorithm and model performance across memory, compute, power, and bandwidth constraints on mobile and embedded platforms.
• Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams (hardware, software, systems, and product) and with customers to commercialize technologies and deliver best-in-class visual analytics experiences.
• Write clear and concise technical documentation, design specifications, and feature descriptions to guide internal teams and external partners.
• Contribute effectively in a fast-paced, highly collaborative environment with globally distributed, cross-functional teams.
• Provide technical mentorship and guidance to engineers across experience levels and influence technical decisions beyond the immediate team.

Minimum Qualifications:
• Bachelor's degree in Computer or Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or related field and 4+ years of Software Engineering, Hardware Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related work experience.
OR
Master's degree in Computer or Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or related field and 3+ years of Software Engineering, Hardware Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related work experience.
OR
PhD in Computer or Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or related field and 2+ years of Software Engineering, Hardware Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related work experience.
Qualifications

• Strong background in computer vision and video processing algorithms.
• Solid understanding of SoC architecture, including compute accelerators, memory hierarchies, and hardware/software interfaces.
• Hands-on experience with modern deep learning architectures.
• Strong coding skills in Python and C/C++ for production-quality development, optimization, and on-device deployment, with experience using ML/CV frameworks such as PyTorch, TensorFlow, ONNX, and OpenCV.
• Familiarity with hardware modeling, FPGA prototyping, or RTL design is a plus.
• Strong ability to work across algorithm, software, and hardware boundaries.
• Experience with real-time computer vision systems or embedded AI deployment.
• Experience using performance profiling tools and hardware simulators.

Level of Responsibility

• Works independently with minimal supervision.
• Provides technical leadership, supervision, and guidance to other team members.
• Decision-making impacts work beyond the immediate work group.
• Requires strong verbal and written communication skills; may require negotiation, influence, and tact.
• Has significant technical influence over key product, architecture, and organizational decisions.
• Tasks require multi-step planning, prioritization, and problem-solving, with flexibility in execution order to achieve objectives efficiently.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field and 4+ years of experience in software engineering, hardware engineering, systems engineering, or related roles, or
• Master's degree in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field and 3+ years of experience in software engineering, hardware engineering, systems engineering, or related roles, or
• PhD in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field and 2+ years of experience in software engineering, hardware engineering, systems engineering, or related roles.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field.
• 4+ years of experience developing and implementing computer vision and video algorithms within system-level products.
• 4+ years of experience with system design, system integration, and hardware/software optimization.
• 4+ years of experience with programming (e.g., C, C++, Python), computer architecture, or embedded systems.
• 3+ years of experience working in a large, matrixed organization.
• 1+ year of experience interacting with senior leadership (Director level and above).
• 1+ year of experience in a technical leadership role, with or without direct reports.
• Publication, patent, or external technical contribution experience is a plus.

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Pay range and Other Compensation & Benefits:
$148,300.00 - $222,500.00
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.