SOC Platform Architect

About Qualcomm

Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. is a leading innovator in wireless technology, defining the future of connected devices across various industries.

Job Area

Engineering Group, Engineering Group > SoC Architecture

General Summary

The SoC Platform Architecture team at Qualcomm defines and delivers innovative, scalable platform architectures and solutions for next-generation System-on-Chip (SoC) products. These products span across Qualcomm's business lines, including cloud, compute, automotive, mobile, wearables, XR, and IoT. Our team conducts analysis and defines architectures for key technologies such as heterogeneous compute, memory systems, interconnects, multimedia, AI/ML, multi-die, and power management. We work closely with software, systems, design, product marketing, and customers to drive innovation and deliver advanced SoC platform architectures.

Responsibilities Include But Not Limited To

• Create highly scalable SoC architectures in areas like Network-On-Chip, System MMU, Interrupts, Debug, Power Management, and Security.
• Comprehend product requirements to guide the generation of proper architecture.
• Perform trade-off analysis to determine the most optimal architecture within the solution space.
• Collaborate with architects, technical leads, and hardware/software engineers from various functional areas to derive an architectural solution that integrates well into the overall SoC.
• Generate detailed architectural specifications and work closely with the design team for implementation.

Skills/Experience

• Excellent communication, documentation, and interpersonal skills with the ability to convey proposals and interact effectively across a distributed, multi-discipline organization.
• Strong foundation in silicon design principles and architectural trade-offs.
• Ability to connect levels of abstraction across system design, high-level languages, OS, HW/SW interface, micro-architecture, and silicon implementation.
• Background in architecture (IP or SoC), and/or front-end design/verification (micro-architecture).
• Demonstrated deep technical knowledge and achievements at the SoC, sub-system, or large IP levels as a micro-architect or architect.
• Ability to apply appropriate abstractions and quantitative analysis for problem definition and solutions.
• Experience using, improving, and developing a variety of tools for analysis and modeling, such as functional and performance simulators and profilers.
• Programming ability for modeling and automation (OOP C++, Python preferred) with experience in software development best practices (reviews, unit-testing, version control).
• Ability and desire to develop and improve architecture methodologies for experiments and analysis.
• Preferred experience in general SoC architecture (SoC Arch lead).

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electronic Engineering, Computer Science, or related field required; Master’s degree or PhD highly desired.
• 15+ years of SoC/IP architecture or micro-architecture/front-end-design experience.
• Candidates with primarily a micro-architecture/design background must have contributions demonstrating higher-level analysis and design.

Additional Experience and Expertise (the More The Better)

• SoC architectures including heterogeneous compute, NoC/interconnect, memory-systems, multicore, multi-die, cache hierarchies, shared memory, I/O, coherency, compression, security.
• Understanding of different packaging technologies and respective trade-offs.
• Resource and Power Management.
• Security Architecture.
• System-level debug.
• Safety, reliability, and high-resilience/high-availability systems.
• AI & Machine Learning.
• Control and Real-time systems.
• High-level Operating Systems (e.g., Android, Linux, Windows).
• Real-time operating systems (e.g., Zephyr, FreeRTOS).
• Front-end Digital Hardware Design or Verification.
• Arm system architectures (e.g., Cortex-A, Cortex-R, Cortex-M, SMMU, GIC, CoreSight).
• RISC-V architecture.
• High-speed I/O (USB, PCIe, CXL).
• External memory and storage architectures (e.g., LPDDR, NAND Flash, NOR Flash).
• Networking & Connectivity (e.g., Ethernet, WLAN, Cellular, CAN).
• Behavioral, functional, and performance modeling.
• Power and/or performance optimization through simulation & modeling.
• Simulator architectures and frameworks (C++ or Python-based preferred).
• Analytical modeling for performance and power.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or related field and 8+ years of Systems Engineering or related work experience.
• OR Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or related field and 7+ years of Systems Engineering or related work experience.
• OR PhD in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or related field and 6+ years of Systems Engineering or related work experience.
• 2+ years of experience in one or more system architecture technology areas and products (e.g., Power System, Shared Resource Management, Limits/Thermal Management, Hardware Islands).

Equal Opportunity Employer

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). 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

$211,900.00 - $317,900.00 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. Key skills/competency

• SoC Platform Architecture
• Network-On-Chip (NoC)
• System MMU
• Power Management
• Security Architecture
• Heterogeneous Compute
• Memory Systems
• Hardware/Software Interface
• Micro-architecture
• Performance Simulation