Quality Systems Engineer, Sr Staff

Company: Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. Job Area: Engineering Group, Engineering Group > Quality Assurance Engineering General Summary: As a leading technology innovator, Qualcomm pushes the boundaries of what's possible to enable next-generation experiences and drives digital transformation to help create a smarter, connected future for all. As a Qualcomm Quality Engineer, you will plan, implement, and manage compliance of design, development/manufacturing, production processes, and/or quality requirements with safety, quality, and regulatory standards for worldwide distribution. Qualcomm Engineers collaborate with cross-functional teams to meet and exceed customer expectations. Location Requirement: This position is based in San Diego, CA only and requires onsite presence. Minimum Qualifications: • Bachelor's Degree in Applied Science, Computer Science, Data Science, Engineering, Information Systems, or related field and 6+ years of Quality Engineering or related work experience. OR Master's Degree in Applied Science, Computer Science, Data Science, Engineering, Information Systems, or related field and 5+ years of Quality Engineering or related work experience. OR PhD in Applied Science, Computer Science, Data Science, Engineering, Information Systems, or related field and 4+ years of Quality Engineering or related work experience. This role is a senior Quality Systems leader responsible for ensuring scalable, standards-driven quality governance across complex electronic products/platforms. The position partners closely with engineering, program management, operations, and executive leadership to embed quality into the product lifecycle, enable expansion into new market segments (Automotive, Datacenter, IoT), and evolve the Quality Management System (QMS) to support long-term business growth. The role requires strong manufacturing electronics fundamentals, broad quality systems expertise, and the ability to influence a highly matrixed organization. Principal Duties and Responsibilities • Lead the planning and execution of internal assessments to evaluate compliance with quality, safety, and regulatory requirements across design, development, manufacturing, and production processes, aligned with ISO-based and industry-specific standards. • Independently conduct internal assessments and act as a trusted quality advisor to hardware, system, and program teams; provide actionable feedback, identify systemic gaps, and drive effective corrective and preventive actions. • Serve as the primary Quality Systems lead for engagement with external ISO registrars and certification bodies, owning audit readiness, execution, and follow-up. Lead external audits, drive effective resolution of findings, and maintain strong, credible relationships to ensure sustained certification and continuous improvement. • Champion “design-in quality” by influencing early lifecycle decisions, supplier engagement, and manufacturing readiness. • Analyze quality data, assessment outcomes, and customer signals to identify enterprise level risks and trends; translate insights into improvements to standards, governance, and controls. • Ensuring quality is seamlessly integrated across functions including design, development, process engineering, manufacturing, and production. • Serve as a Quality Systems thought partner for new market and platform diversification initiatives, assessing readiness, risk, and standards alignment for emerging product categories. • Build and maintain strong relationships with senior engineering and business leaders to drive alignment on quality objectives, risk posture, and continuous improvement priorities. • Lead cross functional efforts to resolve complex quality issues spanning processes, products, suppliers, and customer feedback. • Develop, deliver, and oversee quality training, process documentation, and templates to support internal QMS effectiveness and external certifications. • Drive knowledge transfer, mentoring, and capability building within the Quality Systems team to ensure continuity, scalability, and long-term organizational resilience. • Lead oversight and reporting for ESD compliance and Lab Compliance Audits across Qualcomm labs. Level of Responsibility • Operate independently with minimal supervision. • Provides technical leadership, guidance, and mentorship to other quality team members. • Exercises significant judgment and decision making that impacts multiple organizations. • Communicates complex concepts effectively to technical and nontechnical stakeholders, often requiring influence and negotiation. • Serves as a trusted advisor to senior leadership on quality risk, standards strategy, and organizational readiness. • Works in an environment where objectives are broadly defined and planning, prioritization, and problem solving are essential. Required Qualifications • Bachelor’s degree in engineering or a related technical field (electronics background required). • Hands-on knowledge of ISO 9001 quality standard to successfully plan, lead, and execute internal and external audits, driving meaningful findings resolution and sustained compliance. Lead Auditor Certification. • 10+ years of experience in quality systems, product engineering, manufacturing, or reliability roles supporting complex electronic products. • 10+ years of experience planning, leading, or participating in internal and/or external quality assessments. • Strong understanding of product development lifecycles, validation, and release processes. • Demonstrated experience applying quality and safety standards across multiple product domains. • Proven ability to lead structured problem solving and root cause analysis for systemic issues. • Demonstrated success influencing cross functional teams and senior leaders in large, matrixed organizations. • Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills. Preferred Qualifications: • Familiarity with IATF16949, ISO 26262, ESD S20.20, Functional Safety, Automotive SPICE. • 3+ years of experience with data modeling in statistical software such as MS Excel, Minitab, etc. • Black Belt/Six Sigma certification. • ASQ (e.g., CQE or CRE) certification or equivalent. 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 disability-accomodations@qualcomm.com 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). 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. EEO Employer: Qualcomm is an equal opportunity employer; all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, Veteran status, or any other protected classification. 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. Pay range and Other Compensation & Benefits: $140,400.00 - $210,600.00 The above pay scale reflects the broad, minimum to maximum, pay scale for this job code for the location for which it has been posted. Even more importantly, please note that salary is only one component of total compensation at Qualcomm. We also offer a competitive annual discretionary bonus program and opportunity for annual RSU grants (employees on sales-incentive plans are not eligible for our annual bonus). In addition, our highly competitive benefits package is designed to support your success at work, at home, and at play. Your recruiter will be happy to discuss all that Qualcomm has to offer – and you can review more details about our US benefits at this link. If you would like more information about this role, please contact Qualcomm Careers.