Director Software Engineering

Zebra Technologies • Lincolnshire, IL

4d • $174,400 - $261,600 • Hybrid

About The Position

At Zebra, we are a community of innovators who come together to create new ways of working. United by curiosity and a culture of caring, we develop smart solutions that anticipate our customer's and partner's needs and solve their challenges. Being a part of Zebra Nation means you are seen, heard, valued, and respected. Drawing from our unique perspectives, we collaborate to deliver on our purpose. Here you are a part of a team pushing boundaries today to redefine the work of tomorrow for organizations, their employees, and those they serve. You'll have opportunities to learn and lead in a forward-thinking environment, defining your path to a fulfilling career while channeling your skills toward causes you care about - locally and globally. Come make an impact every day at Zebra. At Zebra, we are a community of changemakers, innovators, and doers who set out to deliver a performance edge to the front line of business. The Enterprise Mobile Computing (EMC) business unit is at the heart of this mission. We build the rugged mobile computers, wearables, and intelligent software that empower workers in retail, transportation & logistics, and warehousing to achieve a new level of performance. Our solutions, under the renowned Zebra Mobility DNA brand, are the backbone of workflows for the world s largest companies. We are entering a new era of intelligence, and we re looking for a visionary leader to pioneer our AI strategy. This is a unique opportunity to build and lead a new AI function from the ground up, shaping the future of mobile computing and influencing how AI is leveraged on the front line of business. As the Director of Artificial Intelligence for EMC, you will be the single-threaded leader responsible for defining and executing our AI vision, strategy, and engineering roadmap. This is a brand-new, hands-on role where you will build and lead a world-class AI team to create transformative, on-device AI capabilities for our Android-based mobile computers and wearables. You won't just be managing from the sidelines. We are looking for a "player/coach" who will dive deep into the technology, drive engineering execution, and serve as our thought leader for all things AI. Your work will directly influence our product roadmap and, critically, our future hardware and chipset selection (e.g., Qualcomm), ensuring our devices are optimized for the next generation of frontline workflows. This role is a hybrid position and requires a minimum of 3 days a week in one of the Zebra locations below: -Chicago, IL -Lincolnshire, IL -Holtsville, NY -Kennesaw, GA -Mississagua, Ontario CANADA -Austin, TX Come join us!

Requirements

• Bachelor's or Master's degree (in an appropriate engineering discipline preferred) required
• Minimum 10+ years' engineering experience required
• Quantitative and problem solving skills required
• Experience with hands on AI/ML devleopent required

Nice To Haves

• PhD Degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or Electrical Engineering, preferably with a concentration in machine learning, computer vision, or natural language processing; alternatively, a comparable industry career, with significant experience in delivering products using state-of-the-art computer vision or machine learning systems.
• Solid foundation in machine learning (including deep neural networks), computer vision, and the application of ML/CV technologies, libraries, and frameworks in practical system implementations.
• Professional experience in software development (design and development life cycle in Python/C++/Java/JavaScript).
• Professional experience in microservices-based deployment of AI algorithms on cloud platforms (GCP, AWS or Azure).
• Experience using Agile program management methodologies and tools.
• An internally recognized leader who exercises judgment within broadly defined practices and policies in selecting methods, techniques, and evaluation criteria for obtaining results.
• Ability to distill informal customer requirements into problem definitions.
• Ability to articulate customer and business value resulting from technology research outcomes.
• Proven achievements in developing and managing a research vision and portfolio of research initiatives, with algorithms that have been successfully integrated into production systems.
• Superior verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to clearly explain the technology and its business and customer implications to executives and customers.
• Ability to work effectively on teams at all levels - direct reports, peers, cross-org, and corporate is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Define the Vision: Develop and own the AI/ML strategy and technology roadmap for the EMC business unit, with a primary focus on creating value through on-device, edge AI solutions.
• Build & Lead the Team: Recruit, mentor, and lead a high-performing team of AI/ML engineers and researchers. Foster a culture of innovation, collaboration, and execution.
• Drive Hands-On Execution: Lead the end-to-end development and delivery of AI algorithms and software-from proof-of-concept to seamless integration into our Mobility DNA portfolio and hardware products.
• Influence Future Hardware: Act as a key stakeholder in defining hardware requirements for future devices. Collaborate with product and engineering teams to influence chipset selection and system architecture to create a performance edge for our AI-driven solutions.
• Innovate for the Frontline: Identify and translate frontline worker challenges and workflow use cases into tangible, high-value AI features and products.
• Be the Expert: Serve as the EMC business unit's senior technical authority on AI, representing our vision to executives, customers, and industry partners.
• Collaborate & Align: Work cross-functionally with product management, software/hardware engineering, and the CTO's office to ensure our AI initiatives are aligned with Zebra's broader business objectives.

Benefits

• Zebra Total Rewards includes more than just pay and is structured to meet the needs of our changing global business and evolving talent.
• We are committed to providing our employees with a benefits program that is comprehensive and competitive - including healthcare, wellness, inclusion networks, and continued learning and development offerings.
• We offer community service days, in addition to the traditional insurances, compensation, parental leave, employee assistance program and paid time off offerings depending on the country where you work.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees