Qualcomm · 22 hours ago
Director/Principal Engineer – Automotive Software
San Diego, CA
Full-time
Onsite
Senior Level, Lead/Staff, Director/Executive
$208K/yr - $311K/yr
6+ years expQualcomm Technologies, Inc. is seeking a highly skilled and motivated Director/Principal level Customer Project Engineer for their Automotive Software Platform team. The role involves overseeing the entire lifecycle of automotive software projects, ensuring they meet quality standards and are completed on time while interfacing with OEM engineering executives and Qualcomm leadership.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)Generative AISoftwareTelecommunicationsWireless
Responsibilities
Develop a deep understanding of the OEM’s roadmap, vehicle and backend architecture, requirements, and constraints
Lead and coordinate all technical aspects of business acquisition, delivery execution, and post-SOP maintenance
Represent the “voice of the customer” in internal forums, escalating needs and driving alignment across Qualcomm engineering, product management, program management, and sales
Act as the chief technical counterpart to the OEM’s engineering leadership for all ADAS and related programs
Serve as the main technical point of contact covering SoC, platform software, tools, and system integration topics
Work with Software Product (SP) PE internally and manage external customer deliverables/expectations/escalations
Lead and manage automotive software engineering projects from conception to completion
Prepare, schedule, coordinate, and monitor the assigned engineering projects
Build and maintain strong, trusted relationships with the customer’s engineering executives, architects, and program leads
Anticipate customer needs and translate them into Qualcomm platform requirements, features, and solutions
Lead the technical workstreams for RFIs/RFQs and advanced engagement discussions with the OEM
Define technical solution proposals based on Qualcomm’s product portfolio, including SoCs, BSP, Platform Software and reference platforms
Provide overarching technical leadership for all active programs with the OEM, across all phases (concept, development, validation, SOP, and maintenance)
Coordinate and synchronize Qualcomm internal engineering teams (HW, SW, systems, safety, security, tools, test) to meet customer milestones
Drive resolution of critical technical issues, ensuring timely escalation and clear communication to both customer and Qualcomm management
Support design reviews, technical workshops, joint debugging sessions, and on-site integration activities as needed
Coordinate with customers and other stakeholders to ensure the Software delivery meet project requirements
Identify, analyze, and mitigate project risks and issues
Implement and manage project changes and interventions to achieve project outputs
Monitor and report on project progress, problems, and solutions
Ensure that all engineering work meets standards and customer specifications
Represent the customer’s priorities, constraints, and pain points in internal reviews, roadmap discussions, and management meetings
Provide structured feedback to product management and engineering on gaps, competitive pressure, and future requirements
Ensure internal stakeholders understand customer commitments, program risk, and required trade-offs
Act as a technical role model: hands-on, detail-oriented, and able to deep-dive into complex system issues when required
Guide and mentor cross-functional Qualcomm teams working on the customer, helping them prioritize and solve problems effectively
Qualification
Required
Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science, or related field and 8+ years of Software Engineering or related work experience
OR Master's degree in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science, or related field and 7+ years of Software Engineering or related work experience
OR PhD in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science, or related field and 6+ years of Software Engineering or related work experience
4+ years of work experience with Programming Language such as C, C++, Java, Python, etc
Preferred
Extensive experience in software engineering, including project management and leadership roles
Strong background in automotive systems engineering with focus on: Compute platform architecture (SoC, GPU/DSP, accelerators), Embedded SW stacks (OS such as QNX/Linux/Android, middleware, frameworks, toolchains)
Solid understanding of automotive safety and quality frameworks (e.g., ISO 26262, ASPICE, cybersecurity standards) and their impact on architecture and execution
Proven experience as a customer-facing technical leader, such as chief engineer, system architect, technical program lead, or equivalent
Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional teams without direct authority in a complex matrix organization
Strong problem-solving skills, data-driven and structured, with ability to remain calm and decisive under pressure
Willingness to travel regularly to customer and Qualcomm sites (domestic and international)
Strong understanding of engineering principles and practices
Proven track record of successfully managing and delivering complex software projects
Excellent communication, leadership, and organizational skills
Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, dynamic environment, independently with minimal supervision
Experience with software development methodologies and tools
Benefits
Competitive annual discretionary bonus program
Opportunity for annual RSU grants
Highly competitive benefits package
Company
Qualcomm
Qualcomm designs wireless technologies and semiconductors that power connectivity, communication, and smart devices.
10001+ employees
H1B Sponsorship
Qualcomm has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (2013)
2024 (1910)
2023 (3216)
2022 (2885)
2021 (2104)
2020 (1181)
Funding
Current Stage
Public CompanyTotal Funding
$3.5M1991-12-20IPO
1988-01-01Undisclosed· $3.5M
Leadership Team
Cristiano Amon
President & CEO
I
Isaac Eteminan
CEO
Recent News
Irish Times
2026-02-06
lightreading
2026-02-06
Company data provided by crunchbase