Sr. Director, Engineering

Qualcomm•San Diego, CA

4d•$248,000 - $372,000

About The Position

Qualcomm is seeking an exceptional Senior Director, Software Engineering to lead software architecture, development, and execution for our next generation AI accelerator platform. This leader will own the end-to-end software strategy for a breakthrough AI compute architecture, spanning system software, runtimes, compilers, AI frameworks, SDKs, performance optimization, and developer enablement. As the software leader for a flagship AI accelerator program, you will drive the vision, roadmap, and execution of a world-class software stack that enables cutting-edge generative AI, machine learning, and high-performance computing workloads across Datacenter applications. You will work closely with silicon architects, hardware design teams, AI framework, product management, ecosystem partners, and key customers to define and deliver differentiated platform capabilities that maximize hardware performance/efficiency as well as developer productivity. This role requires a unique combination of deep technical expertise, organizational leadership, strategic thinking, and excellence in execution. The ideal candidate has a proven track record of leading large software teams on complex semiconductor platforms with an emphasis on AI.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science, or related field and 10+ years of Software Engineering or related work experience.
Master's degree in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science, or related field and 9+ years of Software Engineering or related work experience.
PhD in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science, or related field and 8+ years of Software Engineering or related work experience.
4+ years of work experience with Programming Language such as C, C++, Java, Python, etc.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or related field.
15+ years of software engineering experience, including significant leadership responsibilities.
8+ years of experience leading large, globally distributed engineering organizations.
Experience delivering software platforms for complex SoC, accelerator, GPU, NPU, CPU, DSP, datacenter, or high-performance computing products.
Deep expertise in one or more of the following: AI/ML software stacks, Compiler technologies, Runtime systems, Operating systems, Distributed computing, High-performance computing, Heterogeneous computing architectures.
Demonstrated success driving cross-functional execution involving hardware and software co-development.
Strong understanding of modern AI workloads in particular inference for large language models/serving frameworks, multimodal AI, recommendation systems, and generative AI applications.
Advanced degree (MS or PhD) in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, AI/ML, or related discipline.
Experience leading software development for AI accelerators, GPUs, NPUs, TPUs, or custom silicon platforms.
Expertise in compiler technologies such as MLIR, LLVM or similar frameworks.
Experience with AI frameworks including PyTorch, TensorFlow, JAX, ONNX, Mojo, Triton or equivalent ecosystems.
Strong understanding of accelerator memory hierarchies, interconnects, parallel programming models, and performance optimization.
Expertise in compiler technologies such as Triton, MLIR, LLVM or similar frameworks
Experience supporting hyperscale cloud deployments and enterprise AI infrastructure.
Track record of delivering industry-leading developer platforms and software ecosystems.
Publications, patents, or recognized technical leadership in AI systems or high-performance computing.
Visionary technology leader with the ability to define and execute transformative platform strategies.
Exceptional communicator capable of influencing executive stakeholders, customers, and engineering teams.
Strong systems thinker who can balance technical innovation, customer needs, and business priorities.
Proven ability to attract, develop, and retain world-class engineering talent.
Demonstrated ability to lead through ambiguity and deliver results in highly complex environments.

Responsibilities

Serve as the software technical leader for Qualcomm's next generation AI accelerator platform.
Define and execute the current Datacenter software vision, architecture, roadmap, and delivery strategy aligned with product and business objectives for the new AI accelerator
Lead multiple engineering organizations responsible for: System software and firmware design and development, Device drivers and kernel integration, AI runtimes and execution engines with emphasis on graphs spanning multiple NPU, Compiler technologies and graph optimization, ML frameworks and ecosystem enablement, Platform SDKs, APIs, tools, profiling, and debugging solutions, Performance optimization and benchmarking, Validation, quality, and release engineering.
Partner with silicon architecture and hardware engineering teams to co-design hardware and software features that maximize AI performance, efficiency, programmability, and scalability.
Drive software readiness across all chip development milestones, including architecture definition, emulation, pre-silicon enablement, bring-up, validation, customer engagements, and production release.
Establish performance, power, reliability, and usability goals for the platform software stack.
Lead strategic engagements with key customers, hyperscalers, ecosystem partners and standards organizations.
Build, mentor, and scale high-performing engineering teams across multiple geographic locations.
Foster a culture of technical excellence, innovation, accountability, collaboration, and operational rigor.
Present program status, technical strategy, and key decisions to executive leadership.