Director, Engineering – Drones; IE-IoT

Company:

Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.

Engineering Group, Engineering Group >
Systems Engineering

Hiring in Santa Clara & San Diego locations.

We are seeking a Director of Engineering to lead the end-to-end engineering strategy and execution for Drone solutions within the IE-IoT business unit
. This role will drive innovation across hardware, software, and AI systems, ensuring Qualcomm’s leadership in next-generation drone platforms for industrial, commercial, and emerging markets.

• Define and execute the engineering roadmap for drones, aligning with IE-IoT’s long-term vision and Qualcomm’s growth objectives.
• Partner with product management and business teams to translate market opportunities into technical deliverables.

• Oversee architecture and development of drone compute platforms, including heterogeneous SoCs, AI accelerators, and multi-OS environments (Linux, ROS2, Android).
• Drive advancements in visual‑inertial odometry (VIO), GPS‑denied navigation, BVLOS capabilities, and autonomy stacks.
• Integrate cutting‑edge AI solutions for perception, planning, and anomaly detection leveraging Qualcomm’s AI Hub and SDKs.

• Work closely with robotics and connectivity teams to deliver high‑performance, low‑power solutions for drones.
• Collaborate with ecosystem partners and standards bodies to ensure compliance and interoperability.

• Build and mentor a world‑class engineering team across multiple geographies.
• Establish best practices for design, validation, and certification, including functional safety and regulatory compliance.

This role is pivotal in shaping Qualcomm’s position in the drones‑as‑a‑service market and enabling AI‑driven autonomy for industrial and commercial applications. You will lead initiatives that integrate long‑range connectivity, AI perception models, and multi‑camera systems, delivering best‑in‑class performance and power efficiency.

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science, or related field and 8+ years of Systems Engineering or related work experience.
• Master's degree in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science, or related field and 7+ years of Systems Engineering or related work experience.
• PhD in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science, or related field and 6+ years of Systems Engineering or related work experience.

• 12+ years of experience in embedded systems, robotics, or drone engineering, with at least 5 years in leadership roles.
• Proven track record in system architecture, AI/ML integration, and real‑time control systems.
• Deep knowledge of connectivity technologies (5G, Wi‑Fi, GNSS) and edge AI frameworks.
• Deep knowledge of integrated chipset solutions for private connectivity, MNO connectivity, Wi‑Fi offload, camera image processor and AI processors.
• Strong understanding of ROS2, Linux, and heterogeneous compute platforms.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
• Experience in commercial drone product development and BVLOS certification.
• DO‑178C certification experience for airborne software compliance.
• DO‑254 certification experience for airborne electronic hardware compliance.

• Leverages expert Systems knowledge and experience to implement and drive the research, design, development, simulation, and/or validation of systems‑level software, hardware, architecture, algorithms, and solutions while ensuring system‑level requirements and standards are met.
• Directs and influences the functional analysis that drives requirements and specifications and defines and aligns with standards for hardware and software.
• Leads multiple teams in the analysis and development of system level design including requirements, interface definition, functional/performance definition, and implementation of a new system or modification of an existing system.
• Collaborates with high‑level representatives from other functions (e.g., testing group, product group, customers) to develop and execute system…