Senior Director, Design Engineering

Celestica Inc.; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 208,000 - 367,000; Full time

Job summary

Celestica Inc. in San Jose seeks a Senior Director, Technical Engineer to lead a strategic customer engagement with deep technical leadership and cross-functional collaboration.

The role drives architectural direction, oversees the full SDLC, and collaborates with executives to ensure top-quality and innovative solutions, including AI/ML initiatives. A 15+ year track record in engineering and product architecture is expected.

Qualifications

• Fifteen plus years of relevant experience.
• Expert-level in C/C++, Python, Linux kernel and platform drivers.
• Strong background in open source development and networking chipsets.
• Proven ability to lead, influence and communicate with senior stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the principal technical advisor and leader for a key customer.
• Collaborate with the customer to define project scope, requirements, and success criteria.
• Architect and design innovative solutions leveraging emerging technologies (AI/ML).
• Communicate complex concepts to technical and non-technical audiences; build trust.
• Lead and mentor a high-performing engineering team; foster innovation and learning.
• Oversee the full software and hardware development lifecycle with quality at core.
• Champion engineering best practices, including code reviews, testing, and GenAI tools.
• Drive continuous improvements in engineering processes and methodologies.

Skills

C/C++

Python

Linux kernel

Platform drivers

Open source

Networking

Leadership

Mentorship

Strategic thinking

Communication

Hardware/software integration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering

Tools

GenAI tools

Job description

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Date: Oct 12, 2026

Location: San Jose, CA, US

Summary

The role is for a highly accomplished and forward-thinking Senior Director, Technical Engineer for a leading role in a critical customer engagement. This role demands a unique blend of technical expertise, customer-centricity, and a passion for emerging technologies to drive innovation and deliver exceptional results.

This role is accountable for a strategic customer engagement - this includes regular engagement with the customer’s engineering teams on technical advances, product quality, engineering metrics etc. To be successful in the role, the individual will need to work closely with internal and external stakeholders globally.

The candidate will regularly interact with executives and/or major customers and product marketing. Interactions may involve readouts, technical direction setting or responding professionally and proactively to any potential escalations. The individual may also represent the organization in public speaking venues and/or community events.

Engagement in technical forums is highly desired, but not required.

#HPS-NA

Responsibilities

• Serve as the principal technical advisor and leader for a key customer, fostering a deep understanding of their business needs and technical challenges.
• Collaborate closely with the customer to define project scope, technical requirements, and success criteria, ensuring alignment with their strategic objectives.
• Architect and design innovative solutions that leverage emerging technologies (e.g., AI/ML) to address the customer's unique needs.
• Effectively communicate complex technical concepts and solutions to both technical and non-technical audiences at the customer, building trust and confidence.
• Lead and mentor a high-performing engineering team, providing technical guidance and fostering a culture of innovation, collaboration, and continuous learning.
• Oversee the full software development lifecycle, from design and development to testing and deployment, ensuring adherence to the highest quality standards.
• Champion engineering best practices, including code reviews, automated testing, GenAI based toolsets and comprehensive documentation.
• Drive continuous improvement in engineering processes and methodologies to enhance efficiency and effectiveness.

Ensure Quality Outcomes:

• Define and implement robust quality assurance processes and metrics to ensure that deliverables consistently meet or exceed customer expectations.
• Proactively identify and mitigate risks to project success and product quality.
• Champion a culture of quality throughout the engineering team and the customer engagement.
• Deep Expertise: 20+ years of experience in product architecture and engineering, with a proven track record of designing, developing, and delivering complex solutions.
• Technical Mastery: Expert-level understanding of software and hardware engineering principles, design patterns, and architectural best practices. Solid understanding on the interdependencies and system limits within power, thermal, electrical, mechanical, and both FW control systems as well as performant workload systems SW.
• Emerging Tech Focus: Strong experience with and passion for emerging technologies, with the ability to apply them creatively to solve real-world problems.
• Customer-Centric Approach: Exceptional communication, interpersonal, and presentation skills, with a demonstrated ability to build strong customer relationships and understand their needs.
• Quality Advocate: Deep understanding of quality assurance methodologies and a commitment to delivering high-quality solutions.
• Strategic Thinker: Able to translate customer needs into technical solutions and align engineering efforts with business goals.
• Leadership and Mentorship: Proven ability to lead and mentor engineering teams, fostering a collaborative and high-performing environment.
• Domain: Must have had hands on experience, in C/C++, python, Linux kernel, Platform drivers, open source development, Networking switching chipsets

Physical Demands

Incumbent will perform the duties of this position in a normal office environment.

Typical Experience

• Fifteen plus years’ relevant experience

$208,000-$367,000/year

The salary range described in this posting is an estimate by the Company, and may change based on several factors, including by not limited to a change in the duties covered by the job posting, or the credentials, experience or geographic jurisdiction of the successful candidate.

Typical Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or related field, or consideration of an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Notes

This job description is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties and responsibilities of the position. Employees are held accountable for all duties of the job. Job duties and the % of time identified for any function are subject to change at any time.

Celestica 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, age, pregnancy, genetic information, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other protected category under applicable federal, state, and local laws.
This policy applies to hiring, promotion, discharge, pay, fringe benefits, job training, classification, referral and other aspects of employment and also states that retaliation against a person who files a charge of discrimination, participates in a discrimination proceeding, or otherwise opposes an unlawful employment practice will not be tolerated. All information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.
Celestica is an E-Verify employer.

COMPANY OVERVIEW:

Celestica (NYSE, TSX: CLS) enables the world’s best brands. Through our recognized customer-centric approach, we partner with leading companies in Aerospace and Defense, Communications, Enterprise, HealthTech, Industrial, Capital Equipment and Energy to deliver solutions for their most complex challenges. As a leader in design, manufacturing, hardware platform and supply chain solutions, Celestica brings global expertise and insight at every stage of product development – from drawing board to full-scale production and after-market services for products from advanced medical devices, to highly engineered aviation systems, to next‑generation hardware platform solutions for the Cloud.Headquartered in Toronto, with talented teams spanning 40+ locations in 13 countries across the Americas, Europe and Asia, we imagine, develop and deliver a better future with our customers.

Celestica would like to thank all applicants, however, only qualified applicants will be contacted.

Celestica does not accept unsolicited resumes from recruitment agencies or fee based recruitment services.

Nearest Major Market: San Jose
Nearest Secondary Market: Palo Alto
Job Segment: Open Source, Thermal Engineering, Design Engineer, Testing, Senior Quality Engineer, Technology, Engineering