💻 Staff Software Engineer – AI Accelerator Card Security

Qualcomm Technology Inc.’s Dragonfly AI accelerator cards provide the backbone of an enhanced AI experience by shifting AI workloads away from generic processors and onto specialised NPU cores that deliver faster execution times, shorter latencies, and lower power consumption.

These accelerators process valuable user and model data — meaning security is a critical product requirement. We are seeking a talented Staff Software Engineer – Security to join the Dragonfly security team, ensuring the components of the AI accelerator card meet security requirements and are securely configured and provisioned.

This role combines security architecture and requirements development with hands-on prototyping, implementation review, automation, and validation. 🔐

📍 Cork, Ireland (Onsite)  | 
💼 Full-time · Permanent  | 
💷 Competitive salary + stock + bonus  | 
✈️ Critical Skills Permit · Relocation & immigration support

🎯 Key Responsibilities

You will ensure the components and software on the Dragonfly AI accelerator cards meet security requirements and are securely configured and provisioned:

• 📐 Define and document security requirements for components on an AI accelerator card
• 🔗 Define and document mechanisms for secure communication between the Board Management Controller (BMC) and platform-management services, including Redfish, SPDM-based, and PLDM-based interactions
• 🛡️ Define and document processes to establish device identity, collect measurements, generate evidence, and verify evidence enabling a Platform Root of Trust (PRoT) to attest the state of the AI accelerator card to a management service through the BMC
• 🗣️ Represent the Dragonfly security team in customer, vendor, and standards forums — especially related to the use, development, and interoperability of attestation protocols
• 🔍 Evaluate components for their ability to meet security requirements and work with vendors to improve components that fall short
• 🔑 Design and document services for device personalisation and provisioning of keys, certificates, identities, and configuration data in factory environments
• 🧪 Design and document test plans and production-line validation systems to verify identities, keys, certificates, and secure configuration data are provisioned correctly in the factory environment

✅ What We Are Looking For

We’re looking for a security engineer with deep hardware-rooted security expertise. You will need:

Required Skills and Qualifications

• 🎓 Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science, or related field, and 7+ years of experience in product security or related field (Master’s/PhD work experience considered)
• 🔩 Understanding of the security relevance of physical components on an AI accelerator card (BMC, PRoT, flash devices, PCIe switches, including ACS use)
• 🔑 Understanding of key management and certificate management principles
• 🛡️ Understanding of device security lifecycle, root-of-trust security, boot-chain security, and firmware authentication
• ⚠️ Experience performing security risk assessments on systems of discrete components
• 📋 Experience drafting security specifications and reviewing systems against those specifications
• 💻 Proficiency in security review of firmware/software written in C
• 🐍 Proficiency in Python — developing provisioning utilities, test automation, and protocol-validation tools
• 🗣️ Excellent written and verbal communication skills

Preferred Qualifications (Bonus Points!)

• 🎓 Master’s degree with a security specialisation
• 🐛 Understanding of secure debug and RMA flows
• 📡 Understanding of MCTP, SPDM, PLDM, and Redfish protocols
• 🏭 Experience designing security provisioning protocols in a factory setting
• 🔐 Experience designing attestation systems — including the role of post-quantum cryptography in attestation protocol security
• 📜 Experience implementing specifications from the Open Compute Project (OCP), Confidential Computing Consortium (CCC), and IETF RATS working group (e.g. EAT token format)
• 🤖 Experience developing AI accelerator systems
• 💻 Proficiency in C — developing systems for provisioning keys, certificates, and secure configuration data

🖥️ Working Conditions

• 🏢 Onsite in Cork, Ireland — open, relaxed, collaborative office environment
• 🌍 Global collaboration with teams across Qualcomm’s international sites
• ⏱️ Ability to manage multiple concurrent security workstreams
• 📚 Continuous learning in an evolving security and AI hardware landscape

🌍 Where You’ll Be Working — Cork, Ireland

✈️ Visa Sponsorship & Relocation Details

💷 Salary & Benefits

🎁 What Qualcomm Offers You

• 💷 Salary, stock, and performance-related bonus
• 👶 Maternity / Paternity Leave
• 📈 Employee Stock Purchase Scheme
• 🏦 Matching pension scheme
• 🎓 Education Assistance
• ✈️ Relocation and immigration support (if needed)
• 🏥 Life, Medical, Income and Travel Insurance
• 🧘 Subsidised memberships for physical and mental well-being
• 🚲 Bicycle purchase scheme
• ⚽ Employee-run clubs — running, football, chess, badminton + many more
• 🤝 Open, relaxed, collaborative working environment

🏢 About Qualcomm

Qualcomm is a global leader in wireless technology and AI innovation, powering devices and infrastructure that connect the world. Its Dragonfly AI accelerator cards represent the next generation of AI infrastructure — shifting AI workloads onto specialised NPU cores for faster, more efficient execution. Qualcomm is an equal opportunity employer committed to accessibility and inclusion in its hiring process.

📩 How to Apply