Director, System Software and Firmware Engineering

PlayStation Global•San Mateo, CA

About The Position

PlayStation isn’t just the Best Place to Play — it’s also the Best Place to Work. Today, we’re recognized as a global leader in entertainment producing The PlayStation family of products and services including PlayStation®5, PlayStation®4, PlayStation®VR, PlayStation®Plus, acclaimed PlayStation software titles from PlayStation Studios, and more. PlayStation also strives to create an inclusive environment that empowers employees and embraces diversity. We welcome and encourage everyone who has a passion and curiosity for innovation, technology, and play to explore our open positions and join our growing global team. The PlayStation brand falls under Sony Interactive Entertainment, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. Director, Engineering — System Software & Firmware Location: San Mateo, CA, USA Travel: Up to 20% international PlayStation is looking for a Director of System Software and Firmware Engineering to head a worldwide team. This group develops core technology for PlayStation hardware, including and beyond the console. The role also manages the roadmap and delivery of PlayStation Link for both first-party hardware and third-party partner products. It requires close collaboration with external technology partners and PlayStation engineering teams globally.

Requirements

10+ years of engineering experience with deep expertise in system software, embedded systems, firmware, or platform engineering.
5+ years of people leadership experience managing managers and/or multi-team internal+external organizations, including hiring and org scaling.
Demonstrated experience shipping products with tight hardware/software integration from bring-up through high-volume production.
Proven ability to lead architecture and technical direction without being hands-on coding day-to-day.
Strong cross-functional leadership skills and experience driving alignment across teams in different locations/time zones.
Experience collaborating with external partners to deliver coordinated technology and high-quality outcomes.
Excellent communication skills (written, verbal, and executive-level).

Nice To Haves

Experience with high-volume consumer electronics (consoles, portables, accessories/peripherals, audio/input devices).
Familiarity with SoCs, embedded boot flows, secure update concepts, and low-level debugging.
Cross-platform low-level experience on Linux/BSD/Windows/macOS/iOS/Android (drivers, services, privileged utilities).
Background in short-range wireless connectivity technologies and/or partner ecosystem certification programs.

Responsibilities

Lead and grow a global organization accountable for system software and firmware within the PlayStation Product Development organization.
Own the technical strategy and multi-year roadmap for: System Software (device drivers and low-level system utilities/SDKs) across PS5, PlayStation Portal, Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android.
Firmware running on SoCs/microcontrollers, typically in minimal/no-OS environments.
Drive software system architecture, build reviews, and technical decisions that balance performance, power, latency, reliability, security, and manufacturability.
Deliver end-to-end execution from early prototypes through production and post-launch sustainment, in close partnership with hardware engineering, ecosystem engineering, program management, operations, QA, product, and security.
Lead the PlayStation Link technology roadmap and delivery, including partner requirements, integration strategy, validation, and ecosystem enablement.
Establish and maintain strong operating mechanisms (planning, metrics, quality targets, risk management, release readiness, blocking issue).
Communicate clearly and influence effectively across globally distributed teams and executive collaborators.
Hire, mentor, and develop engineering leaders; build a culture of accountability, technical excellence, and collaboration.