Sr. Director - Engineering

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.

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-accomodations@qualcomm.com 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).