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Agent guide: [/agents.md](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/agents.md). --- # Principal / Director - Robotics System Architecture Lead - **Company:** Qualcomm - **Location:** Santa Clara, CA, United States (Remote available) - **Experience:** Expert - **Salary:** $242,300.0 - $363,500.0 - **Contract:** Permanent contract - **Skills:** Artificial Intelligence, Systems Engineering, Information Systems, Linux, Middleware, Firmware, Software Architecture, Sensor Fusion, Signal Processing, Software Systems, Systems Architecture, Cloud Platform System, Information Technology, Feature Extraction, Cloud Integration - **Published:** May 16, 2026 - **Apply:** https://www.indeed.com/viewjob?jk=298da1f82c49a9ea ## About the Role Do you have experience in Team management?, The ideal candidate is a recognized technical leader with deep robotics systems experience, strong architectural judgment, and the ability to influence cross-functional teams and long-term platform roadmaps., * 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. OR PhD in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science, or related field and 6+ years of Systems Engineering or related work experience. * Works in the lab, can use hazardous chemicals (e.g., glue, machinery)., * Master's degree or PhD in a relevant technical field. * 15+ years of experience in robotics, autonomous systems, embedded platforms, or large-scale software systems. * Proven experience owning system-level architecture across hardware and software boundaries. * Strong understanding of robotics fundamentals: perception , sensor fusion, estimation, planning, and control. * Experience working with heterogeneous compute platforms and performance- or real-time-critical systems. * Demonstrated ability to drive alignment and influence decisions across cross-functional engineering teams. * Experience shipping commercial or industrial robotic products at scale. * Hands-on experience with ROS 2, DDS, real-time Linux, MCU-based systems, and AI inference runtimes. * Familiarity with cloud-connected robotics, fleet management, or edge-to-cloud architectures. * Prior experience influencing platform or silicon roadmaps. ## Description Qualcomm Robotics is seeking a Principal or Senior Director-level Robotics System Architecture Lead to define and own the end-to-end system architecture for next-generation robotic platforms. This role is responsible for shaping the technical direction of Qualcomm's robotics solutions across silicon, firmware, operating systems, middleware, AI, and cloud integration., * Own end-to-end robotics system architecture spanning hardware, firmware, OS, middleware, AI runtimes, and cloud/fleet integration. * Define architectural principles for real-time behavior, performance, safety isolation, determinism, and scalability across heterogeneous compute (CPU/GPU/DSP/NPU/MCU). * Lead architectural decisions across perception , localization, navigation, planning, manipulation, and control stacks. * Define multi-sensor architecture (cameras, IMU, lidar/radar, depth) including timing/synchronization, calibration, bandwidth, and compute/power trade-offs for robust perception and state estimation. * Architect time synchronization and deterministic sensor data paths (e.g., hardware timestamping, clock discipline, PTP/IEEE 1588 where applicable) to enable precise multi-sensor fusion and real-time decision making. * Guide signal processing and sensor pipeline design (ISP, filtering, denoising, feature extraction, sensor fusion inputs), partnering with silicon and algorithm teams to meet accuracy, latency, and reliability targets. * Drive integration of ROS 2 / DDS-based middleware and Qualcomm AI technologies into a cohesive, production-grade robotics platform. * Partner with silicon, software, AI, and product teams to ensure alignment between software architecture and SoC capabilities, influencing future platform requirements as needed. * Establish system-level strategies for reliability, diagnostics, functional safety patterns, and validation. * Support customer and partner engagements by translating requirements into scalable reference architectures and platform solutions. * Review and guide complex cross-team design efforts; serve as the technical escalation point for system-level issues. For Director scope: * Provide technical leadership and mentorship across multiple teams and geographies. * Help define hiring standards, technical expectations, and architecture review processes. * Influence multi-year robotics platform strategy and investment priorities. ## Related Videos - [Robots are coming into the wild! 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