Senior Director - Engineering

Job Title

Senior Director - Engineering

Role Summary

Lead system-level product and architecture definition for next-generation mobile SoC platforms within the Mobile Product System and Architecture organization. Engage directly with OEMs, hardware, software, and IP teams to translate customer requirements into system architectures and implementation plans.

Experience Level

Senior. Requires extensive industry experience (see Education Requirements for degree/years guidance). Technical leadership experience expected (multi-year director-level/technical-lead roles).

Responsibilities

Accountable for defining system direction, influencing product roadmaps, and aligning cross-functional teams to enable OEM-driven solutions.

• Define and drive mobile system solutions across compute, multimedia, AI, connectivity, and low-power modes.
• Translate OEM and customer use cases into system architectures and implementation paths.
• Perform system-level trade-off analyses across power, performance, cost, latency, and thermal constraints.
• Propose architectural enhancements and optimizations for next-generation products.
• Collaborate with hardware, software, IP, and product teams to set technical priorities and development plans.
• Advocate for OEM requirements and integration constraints in product planning and roadmap decisions.
• Communicate architectures, risks, and strategic options to senior leadership and stakeholders.
• Lead top-down problem solving in ambiguous environments and identify cross-boundary architectural opportunities.
• Contribute to the company IP portfolio by inventing and filing patents when appropriate.

Requirements

Must-have experience and capabilities; preferred items listed where indicated.

• 10+ years of experience in semiconductor product development.
• 5+ years in a technical leadership role.
• Proven system architecture experience across compute, multimedia pipelines, AI acceleration, memory subsystems, and power management.
• Experience mapping OEM/customer use cases to HW/SW solutions and performing trade-off analyses.
• Strong cross-functional collaboration with hardware, software, product management, and OEM-facing teams.
• Experience presenting technical trade-offs and strategy to executive leadership.
• Ability to work with large, complex data sets and extract actionable insights to guide architecture and product decisions.
• Preferred: 15+ years in semiconductor product development; experience managing project costs; experience in large matrixed organizations and interacting with executive leadership.

Education Requirements

Bachelor's, Master’s, or PhD in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience. The source specifies degree-to-experience equivalencies: Bachelor's +10 years, Master’s +9 years, PhD +8 years. Preferred: Master’s or PhD.

About the Company

Company: Qualcomm

Headquarters: San Diego, California, United States

Qualcomm is a global leader in semiconductor and telecommunications equipment, specializing in mobile technologies and innovations. Known for its Adreno GPUs, the company provides solutions enabling advancements in mobile gaming, AI, VR/AR, and autonomous driving. Qualcomm's cutting-edge technology and commitment to high-performance, power-efficient designs drive the evolution of mobile graphics and connectivity worldwide.