Data Center AI Hardware Technical Lead – Rack Scale Design

Qualcomm•San Diego, CA

About The Position

The Qualcomm Data Center AI System Hardware and Validation Engineering team develops rack-level AI inference solutions for next-generation, liquid-cooled data centers. As the organization continues to grow, the team is seeking experienced Technical Leads to help deliver the next wave of innovative AI products. As a System Hardware and Validation Technical Lead, you will partner with SoC, software/firmware, rack-level system design, and manufacturing teams. Collaborating closely with peer leads, you will ensure program activities are well planned, tracked, and executed against phase-gate milestones from concept through production.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Electrical/Electronics Engineering, Engineering, or related field and 6+ years of Hardware Engineering or related work experience.
OR Master's degree in Computer Science, Electrical/Electronics Engineering, Engineering, or related field and 5+ years of Hardware Engineering or related work experience.
OR PhD in Computer Science, Electrical/Electronics Engineering, Engineering, or related field and 4+ years of Hardware Engineering or related work experience.
Experience with server technologies, including board design, SIPI, thermal and mechanical aspects, BIOS, BMC, and networking.
Experience working with CMs, OEMs, ODMs, and suppliers in product development.
Strong cross-functional communication skills, with experience managing complex program lifecycles, building sustainable processes, and coordinating release schedules.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in computer science/engineering, electrical engineering, or a related field.
8+ years of experience in systems or hardware engineering, hardware project lifecycle management, and technical product/program management.
Experience with rack level systems and components.
Proven experience collaborating with technical teams to develop systems, solutions, and products.
Experience managing technical programs across cross-functional teams, establishing processes, and coordinating release schedules, and working in large, matrixed organizations.
Demonstrated proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, SharePoint, JIRA/Confluence, and other defect-tracking tools.
Persuasive communication, organizational, coordination, multi-tasking, and documentation skills.
Familiarity with Agile methods and practices.

Responsibilities

Lead execution for next-generation Qualcomm rack-scale designs within a matrixed organization spanning multiple teams and global sites.
Define and manage requirements, scope, schedules, and deliverables in alignment with engineering teams, partners, and stakeholders.
Own rack-level integration plans across compute nodes/accelerators, PCIe fabrics, networking, storage, power delivery, cooling, and rack management/telemetry.
Drive firmware/software/hardware co-design execution, aligning BIOS/BMC/Redfish/telemetry requirements with hardware schedules and validation gates.
Lead cross-functional design reviews and readiness reviews (architecture, schematic/layout, SI/PI, thermal, mechanical, firmware, manufacturing), and close actions to schedule.
Coordinate platform-level debug and instrumentation (telemetry, logging, health monitoring) to accelerate failure analysis and improve observability.
Establish and run triage mechanisms (issue intake, prioritization, defect metrics) and drive issues to root cause, corrective action, and verified closure.
Define and track program-level KPIs (schedule health, build quality, defect trends, coverage, yield, reliability) and publish executive dashboards and weekly program reviews.
Identify program risks, drive mitigation plans, and manage scope changes while proactively communicating status and decisions to stakeholders.