Graphics (GPU) Hardware Project Engineer

Company: Qualcomm
Location: San Diego
Posted on: March 19, 2026

Job Description:

Job Description Company:Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. Job Area:Engineering Group, Engineering Group > GPU ASICS Engineering General Summary: As a leading technology innovator, Qualcomm pushes the boundaries of what's possible to enable next-generation experiences and drive digital transformation to help create a smarter, connected future for all. Our growth strategy includes core technology development of the Adreno GPU to satisfy an ever-growing breadth of markets and use cases, including Snapdragon application processors for mobile (Android), laptops (Windows), VR (headsets), AR, hand-held gaming, wearables and others (you can imagine…) We need extremely smart & engaged individuals to play key roles in this large & diverse team with one mission: make the best GPUs possible, for all markets. Role The Project Engineer (PE) is the overall technical lead for a core development project throughout a given phase (Architecture, Development, Productization, or all three). They partner with Product Managers (PdM) on product requirements, priorities, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), and customer/competitive needs – including customer meetings; They partner with Program Managers (PM) on schedule, milestones, execution metrics, and processes; But mostly, the PE is focused on the technical (engineering) aspects across functional teams & domains such as system architecture & modeling, hardware design, verification, silicon implementation, validation, and ultimately, product launch of the SOC (System on Chip) to OEMs and consumers. Important decisions are made almost daily, and always for the “best” possible product (priorities depend on market/tier) within reasonable risk parameters, to ensure success. These products will determine the margin (profitability) & Qualcomm share of the corresponding markets – and you’ll see them being used by millions of people in the real world. Responsibilities may include - Partner with all engineering teams (inside/outside GPU HW) on definition, execution and delivery (of GPUs to products) - Act as technical liaison between GPU HW engineering and PdM, understand the challenges on each side, and encourage communication, cooperation, collaboration & compromise - Participate in Product/Roadmap planning (PdM Engineering) using cost/benefit analysis & trade-offs (e.g. NRE vs. AUC) - Contribute to strategic direction of GPU cores (research, architecture, feature set) for long-term success - Quickly learn new technical domains/topics that arise in GPU/AP products/methods/markets, from transistors to tools to competing ecosystem solutions - Ownership of technology development, execution, and communication across technology teams - Drive industry best practices for ASIC engineering incl. efficient development across large-scale worldwide teams - Resolve key technical issues across teams with end goals of efficiency & best product possible - Organize & drive technical mtgs for brainstorm/problem solving, tiger teams, summits & system high level design reviews - Ensure that new proposals are being vetted & filed for potential patent applications - Interact daily with many individuals on worldwide team (onsite/online) to ensure forward progress & issues are identified early - Drive resolution via technical (not political) priorities when there are conflicts and tradeoffs within & outside GPU team - Respond efficiently to Business Unit (BU), Chipset PE, Chipset/GPU PdM & Customer requests/queries - Represent the GPU eng team in SOC forums & upper mgmt. meetings/discussions (incl. written & verbal communication) - Communication of technical solution/options internally and externally (chipset/customer/counterparts) as needed - Availability in key meetings (online & on-site) pertinent to the technical discussions above - Engineering risk and impact analysis to make the best decisions - Drive and mandate quality goals in conjunction with PM - Ensure that the product meets/exceeds the market needs (as defined by PdM) - Take risks (wisely) when necessary to “compete strongly” in the given market - Define and deliver innovative ideas/initiatives and work on broadly defined self-guided opportunities - Follow defined processes but also drive process improvements (as needed) based on experience - Establish single points of truth/reference, but minimize single points of failure, in our processes - Contribute to “lessons learned” and project retrospectives from the technical mgmt perspective - Actively support diversity within our teams, and in the Company Minimum Qualifications - 10 years combined Hardware/Software/System Engineering or related work experience - Bachelor’s degree in Electrical/Computer engineering, Computer Science, or related field - Master’s degree (in above fields) reduces the work experience requirement by 1 years - PhD (in above fields) reduces the work experience requirement by 1 years (in addition to above) - Qualcomm work experience in HW/SW engineering counts as 1.5x for above requirement - Strong communication skills over various forms/media (F2F, Teams chat/mtgs, PowerPoint, emails) - Comfortable in technical discussions spanning software, hardware, system, and productization domains Preferred Qualifications - 15 years combined Hardware/Software/System Engineering or related work experience, with above adjustments - 5 years Graphics HW (GPU) work experience or equivalent applicable knowledge - 2 years as Project Engineer or System Architect for projects with >50 people contributing - Demonstrated ability to take business goals into technology requirements and product design to achieve those goals - Self-driven to identify issues & risks, then define & deploy action plans to address/mitigate those - High level of focus & engagement on ensuring successful projects, meeting/surpassing goals in the face of obstacles - Strong knowledge and experience on all aspects of ASIC design flow (Arch, uArch, RTL, model, verification, synthesis, physical design) in leading technology nodes - Depth of knowledge in at least one of the aspects of ASIC design listed above - Breadth of the role (ownership vs. support) will depend on candidate qualifications and business needs Minimum Qualifications: • Bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related field and 8 years of Software Engineering, Hardware Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related work experience. OR Master's degree in Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related field and 7 years of Software Engineering, Hardware Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related work experience. OR PhD in Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related field and 6 years of Software Engineering, Hardware Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related work experience. 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: $195,200.00 - $292,800.00 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.

Keywords: Qualcomm, Highland , Graphics (GPU) Hardware Project Engineer, Engineering , San Diego, California