Engineer, Principal Manager

Job Summary

Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. – Principal Manager, Virtual Platform Engineering.

This role is open to candidates based in Santa Clara, San Diego, or Austin. Relocation will be required for candidates who are not currently located in these locations.

As Principal Manager in Virtual Platform Engineering, you will lead the strategy, architecture, and development of advanced virtual platforms—including System

C TLM and QEMU—used to enable early software development, system validation, and architectural exploration for complex SoC programs. You will define technical direction, guide engineers across multiple teams, and drive execution for high‑impact deliverables that influence product, architecture, and software readiness.

• Own the end‑to‑end strategy for virtual modeling of complex SoC architectures, including System
  
  C TLM, QEMU, and hybrid simulation flows.
• Architect, design, and guide the development of high‑fidelity System
  
  C TLM models that represent processors, interconnects, peripherals, and custom IP blocks.
• Establish modeling methodologies, coding standards, performance guidelines, and best practices for virtual platform development.
• Evaluate new technologies and modeling techniques; drive adoption of modern C++ features, tooling, and simulation frameworks.

• Lead design reviews, modeling roadmaps, and technical execution across multiple SoC programs to ensure model completeness, performance, and delivery to schedule.
• Oversee integration of models into System
  
  C‑based simulators and broader software/firmware development pipelines.
• Lead triage, debugging, and resolution of complex system‑level modeling issues across hardware, firmware, and software boundaries.
• Ensure rigorous validation through code reviews, unit testing, regression infrastructure, and continuous integration workflows.

• Collaborate with senior hardware architects, design teams, firmware leaders, and software stakeholders to define modeling requirements and ensure alignment with program goals.
• Represent the virtual platform function in cross‑organizational planning, architecture discussions, and silicon program milestones.
• Drive cross‑team initiatives that improve model accuracy, usability, and overall simulation ecosystem maturity.

• Provide technical direction, mentorship, and performance guidance to engineers developing System
  
  C TLM and QEMU models.
• Build and scale modeling capabilities by coaching team members, establishing best practices, and fostering a high‑performance engineering culture.
• Partner with senior leadership on hiring, talent development, and long‑term organizational planning for the virtual platform team.

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science, or related field and 8+ years of Software Engineering or related work experience.
• Master's degree in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science, or related field and 7+ years of Software Engineering or related work experience.
• PhD in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science, or related field and 6+ years of Software Engineering or related work experience.
• 4+ years of work experience with programming languages such as C, C++, Java, Python, etc.

• 12+ years of experience in Software, Firmware, or Systems Engineering; including 7+ years building Virtual Platforms, System
  
  C TLM models, or simulators.
• 3+ years of proven experience leading teams or projects with high technical complexity and cross‑functional impact.
• Hands‑on expertise with:
  • System
    
    C TLM 2.0 and/or QEMU internals
  • Modern C++ (C++14/17/20)
  • ARM Architecture (CPU, GIC, Core Sight, debug infrastructure)
  • Firmware, boot code, or low‑level driver development
  • Git and modern CI/CD frameworks
  • ARM Fast Models or equivalent modeling frameworks
  • Server architecture including RAS, manageability, and platform firmware

• Operates independently, exercising expert‑level judgment and technical decision‑making.
• Provides supervision, mentoring, and strategic technical guidance to other engineers.
• Makes decisions with…