Senior Systems Engineer

In this role, you will work closely with hardware, PHY, RF, firmware, and systems engineering teams to understand wireless performance from theoretical models through implementation and silicon measurements. This position is well suited for a new graduate or early-career engineer who enjoys applying communication theory and signal-processing concepts to real-world wireless systems.

What You’ll Do

• Characterize and analyze Wi-Fi PHY and system performance across different operating conditions.
• Apply digital communications and DSP fundamentals to understand and debug wireless performance issues.
• Analyze key PHY concepts including OFDM/OFDMA, QAM, MIMO, beamforming, channel estimation, equalization, synchronization, coding, and link adaptation .
• Analyze metrics such as EVM, PER, sensitivity, throughput and transmit/receive performance .
• Develop MATLAB and Python scripts for simulation, data processing, visualization, test automation, and characterization.
• Compare theoretical and simulated performance against measurements from actual Wi-Fi hardware.
• Analyze firmware, hardware and PHY logs to identify performance issues and help determine root cause.
• Work with experienced HWS, PHY, RF, firmware and design engineers to debug complex wireless-system problems.
• Develop an understanding of IEEE 802.11 PHY/MAC behavior and next-generation Wi-Fi features.
• Participate in lab characterization and system-level validation of wireless chipsets.

• Solid academic foundation in Digital Communications and Digital Signal Processing .
• Understanding of:
• Digital modulation and demodulation
• OFDM
• Fourier transforms and spectral analysis
• Sampling and filtering
• Noise and communication-channel fundamentals
• Probability/random processes as applied to communications
• Coursework or project experience with MATLAB and/or Python .
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.

• Interest in hands-on wireless system characterization and debugging., * Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science, or related field and 2+ years of Systems Engineering or related work experience., Master’s degree in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science, or related field and 1+ year of Systems Engineering or related work experience. OR PhD in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science, or related field., * Master’s degree or PhD with coursework or research in wireless communications, communication theory, or signal processing .

• Understanding of OFDM/OFDMA, MIMO and beamforming .
• Familiarity with IEEE 802.11/Wi-Fi PHY or MAC .
• Academic, internship, or project experience involving wireless communications, DSP, SDR, MATLAB simulation.
• Familiarity with RF concepts and basic RF test equipment is a plus.
• Python scripting and data-analysis experience.
• Exposure to embedded systems, firmware, FPGA/RTL, or hardware/software debugging is a plus.

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 : $134,500.00 - $201,700.00

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 .