Sr. Director - Engineering

Qualcomm; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 277,000 - 415,000; Full time

Job summary

Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. seeks a Director‑level System Lead to define next‑generation mobile system solutions in collaboration with OEMs and cross‑functional teams.

You will shape system architectures across compute, multimedia, AI, memory, and power management, guiding hardware and software evolution to improve power efficiency and user experience.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or related field with 10+ years of Electrical, Computer, or Software Engineering or related work experience.
• Master's degree with 9+ years of Electrical, Computer, or Software Engineering or related work experience.
• PhD with 8+ years of Electrical, Computer, or Software Engineering or related work experience.
• 10+ years of experience in semiconductor product development.
• 5+ years in a technical leadership role.

Responsibilities

• Define and drive next‑generation mobile system solutions with OEMs and internal teams.
• Lead system‑level architecture across compute, multimedia, AI, memory, and power management.
• Translate requirements into clear architectures and implementation paths.
• Present risk‑benefit analyses and strategic options to executive leadership.

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or related field

Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or related field

PhD in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or related field

Job description

Company

Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.

Job Area

Engineering Group, Engineering Group > Mobile Chipset PE, MDM & MSM

General Summary

As a leading technology innovator, Qualcomm is dedicated to pushing the boundaries of what is possible. The company drives digital transformation and enables next‑generation experiences, striving to create a smarter, more connected future for everyone.

Position Overview

We are seeking a Director‑level System Lead to define and drive next‑generation mobile system solutions through deep engagement with OEMs and a strong understanding of emerging and evolving use cases. As part of the Mobile Product System and Architecture organization, you will work closely with hardware, software, and foundational IP systems teams to translate OEM requirements and market needs into clear, actionable system and implementation paths leveraging Qualcomm’s leading‑edge mobile SoCs and software platforms.

In this role, you will take a forward‑looking approach to defining new product and system architectures, proactively identifying opportunities to evolve both hardware and software designs to improve use‑case‑level power efficiency, performance, scalability, and user experience. You will provide system‑level leadership across the stack—spanning compute, multimedia, AI, connectivity, and low‑power operating modes—ensuring OEM‑driven innovation is effectively aligned with and informs Qualcomm’s evolving mobile product roadmap.

Key Responsibilities

Product Architecture Analysis

• Analyze new and emerging OEM and customer use cases—spanning multimedia, AI/ML, camera, graphics, gaming, and always‑on / low‑power modes of operation—and map them to Qualcomm’s current hardware and software solutions. Propose architectural enhancements and optimizations for inclusion in next‑generation product planning.
• Drive system‑level trade‑off analysis across power, performance, cost, latency, and thermal constraints, with particular focus on end‑to‑end user scenarios and real‑world OEM deployment requirements.
• Challenge the status quo by evaluating trade‑offs across cost, IP selection, system partitioning, and key product KPIs, proposing innovative architectural paradigms that align with business unit objectives and long‑term platform strategy.
• Influence architectural direction across compute, multimedia pipelines, AI acceleration, memory subsystems, and power management to enable differentiated OEM solutions and optimized low‑power and sustained‑performance operating modes.

Cross‑Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with core systems, hardware design, software, and product management teams to define and align product roadmap intercepts and build robust, incremental development plans. Act as a system and OEM advocate, directly contributing to setting technical priorities, investment focus, and budget decisions within the business unit.
• Partner with OEM‑facing teams to ensure customer requirements, integration constraints, and deployment feedback are accurately reflected in system architecture and product planning decisions.
• Effectively communicate system architectures, implementation strategies, and trade‑offs to senior technical leaders and cross‑functional stakeholders. Present concise risk‑benefit analyses and strategic options to executive leadership to enable informed, timely decision‑making.
• Operate comfortably with large and complex data sets, extracting actionable insights to support architectural direction, product definition, and execution alignment across teams.

Strategic Problem Solving and Innovation

• Lead strategic, top‑down problem solving in environments with ambiguous or evolving OEM requirements, working from first principles and “blank‑sheet” scenarios to define system direction and converge on data‑driven solutions.
• Identify architectural gaps and opportunities across hardware and software boundaries, driving differentiated system‑level innovations in areas such as AI workloads, multimedia processing efficiency, and ultra‑low‑power user experiences.
• Contribute to Qualcomm’s intellectual property portfolio by inventing and filing patents on system‑level solutions developed in the course of this work.
• Anticipate future OEM needs and technology inflection points, ensuring system architecture decisions made today scale effectively across multiple product generations and market segments.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or related field and 10+ years of Electrical, Computer, or Software Engineering or related work experience.

OR

Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or related field and 9+ years of Electrical, Computer, or Software Engineering or related work experience.

OR

PhD in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or related field and 8+ years of Electrical, Computer, or Software Engineering or related work experience.

• 10+ years of experience in one or more areas of semiconductor product development.
• 5+ years in a technical leadership role.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's Degree or Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field.
• 15+ years of experience in one or more areas of semiconductor product development (e.g., system design, architecture, HW design and validation, SW development).
• 5+ years of experience balancing tradeoffs between product KPIs and costs.
• 5+ years of experience managing project costs.
• 4+ years of experience working in a large matrixed organization.
• 3+ years of work experience in a role requiring interaction with executive leadership.

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‑[e-mail] 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).

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

$276,900.00 - $415,300.00

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.