Associate Engineer, WLAN Firmware

About the Role

As an Associate Engineer in the WLAN Firmware team at Qualcomm, you will contribute to the design, development, debugging, and validation of firmware solutions for next-generation Wi-Fi chipsets. You will work closely with firmware, driver, hardware, systems, and test teams to implement Wi-Fi features, optimize performance and power consumption, and resolve customer and product issues across embedded wireless platforms.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain WLAN firmware modules in C/C++ for embedded wireless SoCs.
• Participate in feature development for IEEE 802.11 standards including Wi-Fi 6 (11ax) and Wi-Fi 7 (11be).
• Perform unit testing, integration testing, and debugging of firmware components.
• Analyze and resolve firmware, protocol, interoperability, and performance issues.
• Work with driver, systems, and validation teams to bring up and validate wireless features.
• Investigate customer-reported issues and provide timely fixes.
• Support firmware performance tuning, power optimization, and stability improvements.
• Participate in code reviews and contribute to firmware design discussions.
• Develop debug tools, logs, and automation scripts to improve development efficiency.
• Document design, implementation, and validation results.

Requirements & Tech Stack

• Strong programming skills in C/C++.
• Familiarity with embedded systems and firmware development concepts.
• Basic understanding of networking fundamentals and wireless communication.
• Strong analytical and debugging skills.
• Good written and verbal communication skills.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science, or related field.
• Understanding of data structures, operating systems, and computer architecture.

Preferred Qualifications

• Knowledge of Wi-Fi standards (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax/be).
• Exposure to RTOS, Linux kernel, or embedded software development.
• Understanding of WLAN MAC/PHY concepts, power management, and protocol behavior.
• Experience with scripting languages such as Python.
• Familiarity with firmware debugging tools, JTAG, logic analyzers, or protocol analyzers.
• Exposure to WLAN performance, coexistence, power, or connectivity testing.

Desired Competencies

• Strong problem-solving and troubleshooting mindset.
• Ability to work in a cross-functional and fast-paced environment.
• Passion for wireless technologies and continuous learning.
• Ownership, accountability, and attention to detail.
• Effective collaboration with global engineering teams.

Example Areas of Work

• WLAN MAC feature development
• Aggregation (AMPDU/AMSDU) enhancements
• Scan, connect, roaming, and power-save features
• Wi-Fi 6/6E/7 feature enablement
• Throughput and latency optimization
• Coexistence (BT/WLAN) improvements
• Mission-mode validation and debug
• Firmware logging and diagnostics
• Customer issue triage and root-cause analysis