Engineering Group, Engineering Group > Software Engineering
General Summary:
Role Summary
We are seeking a Principal/Director-level technical leader to drive Robotics Solution strategy with a primary focus on robotics software ecosystem , customer architecture insight , and future technology direction . As robotics customers and ecosystem partners rapidly co-shape software stacks (OS/ROS, middleware, perception pipelines, AI integration, OTA, safety), this role will systematically connect external signals to internal roadmap decisions.
This position will define and influence the end-to-end robotics software solution architecture and ecosystem strategy around our Robotics SDK, developer experience, and partner enablement—translating customer/partner requirements into actionable product and engineering priorities.
Key Responsibilities
1) Robotics Software Ecosystem Strategy & Partnerships
- Build and maintain a clear view of the robotics software ecosystem landscape (OS distributions, ROS2 ecosystem, middleware/DDS, simulation, tooling, CI/CD, OTA, safety frameworks) and identify strategic gaps/opportunities.
- Engage ecosystem partners (robot OEMs, ISVs, SIs, open-source communities) to influence architecture choices and drive adoption of our robotics software stack and developer workflows.
- Shape upstream/open-source posture to accelerate developer adoption and ecosystem credibility (e.g., ROS2 packages, documentation, distribution).
2) Customer Architecture Insight & Technical Advisory
- Act as a senior technical interface for strategic robotics customers in China, capturing architecture decisions and pain points across the stack (OS/ROS, middleware, perception, AI/ML, diagnostics, OTA, safety).
- Translate customer architecture insights into clear internal artifacts: architecture briefs, reference blueprints, prioritized capability asks, and decision memos for leadership.
- Drive alignment between customer needs and our Robotics SDK evolution, ensuring solution-level coherence beyond point optimizations.
3) Future Technology Direction & Roadmap Influence
- Identify future-facing technology trends and evaluate implications for our solution roadmap (real-time + AI reasoning, graph runtimes, deterministic scheduling, hardware acceleration integration, simulation/regression workflows).
- Influence product and engineering roadmaps with a solution-first view, balancing near-term customer wins with long-term platform strategy.
4) Internal Leadership & Cross-Functional Execution
- Lead cross-functional alignment across Engineering, Product, Program, BD/CE on solution architecture and ecosystem priorities; drive crisp ownership and decision-making.
- Define success criteria and measurable outcomes for ecosystem and architecture initiatives (e.g., reference architecture adoption, partner enablement milestones, SDK capability readiness).
Required Qualifications
- Deep experience in robotics software architecture and systems integration across Linux/Ubuntu, ROS2, middleware/DDS, perception pipelines, and runtime performance considerations.
- Proven customer-facing technical leadership: ability to drive architecture discussions with senior engineers/architects at OEMs/partners and synthesize inputs into actionable internal direction.
- Strong understanding of developer experience principles (SDK packaging, documentation, samples, tooling) and ecosystem adoption mechanics.
- Excellent communication skills: able to write concise architecture briefs and present to executives and cross-functional stakeholders.
Preferred Qualifications (Nice-to-Have)
- Hands-on experience with simulation, and performance/power profiling workflows for robotics software stacks.
- Experience driving open-source contributions or upstream engagement in robotics communities.
- Familiarity with hardware acceleration enablement for robotics workloads and heterogeneous compute integration (CPU/GPU/NPU/DSP).
Minimum Qualifications:
- 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.
Qualcomm is an equal opportunity employer. If you are an individual with a disability and need an accommodation during the application/hiring process, rest assured that Qualcomm is committed to providing an accessible process. You may e-mail [email protected] or call Qualcomm's toll-free number found here . Upon request, Qualcomm will provide reasonable accommodations to support individuals with disabilities to be able participate in the hiring process. Qualcomm is also committed to making our workplace accessible for individuals with disabilities. (Keep in mind that this email address is used to provide reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities. We will not respond here to requests for updates on applications or resume inquiries).
Qualcomm expects its employees to abide by all applicable policies and procedures, including but not limited to security and other requirements regarding protection of Company confidential information and other confidential and/or proprietary information, to the extent those requirements are permissible under applicable law.
To all Staffing and Recruiting Agencies : Our Careers Site is only for individuals seeking a job at Qualcomm. Staffing and recruiting agencies and individuals being represented by an agency are not authorized to use this site or to submit profiles, applications or resumes, and any such submissions will be considered unsolicited. Qualcomm does not accept unsolicited resumes or applications from agencies. Please do not forward resumes to our jobs alias, Qualcomm employees or any other company location. Qualcomm is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes/applications.
If you would like more information about this role, please contact Qualcomm Careers .