Principal Engineer / Director, Technical Standards

Company: Qualcomm India Private Limited Job Area: Engineering Group, Engineering Group > Systems Engineering General Summary: Qualcomm is seeking a highly experienced UWB systems and standards expert to drive the technical evolution of Ultra-Wideband technologies across industry standards organizations, internal product development teams, and certification programs. This role will serve as a senior technical leader responsible for translating emerging UWB technologies into standards contributions, product requirements, certification strategies, and system architectures. The successful candidate will work closely with Qualcomm standards leadership, architecture teams, product management, validation teams, and external ecosystem partners to ensure Qualcomm maintains a leadership position in UWB technologies. The position requires deep expertise in UWB system architecture, wireless protocols, embedded systems, interoperability, certification, and standards development, with the ability to influence industry direction through technical contributions and cross-company collaboration. Minimum Qualifications: • Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science, or related field and 8+ years of Systems Engineering or related work experience. OR 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. UWB Technical Leadership • Provide technical leadership for UWB standards activities within organizations such as FiRa Consortium, Car Connectivity Consortium (CCC), IEEE 802.15, CSA/Aliro, and related industry forums. • Develop and advocate technical proposals that advance Qualcomm's product and technology strategy. • Analyze emerging UWB technologies, standards, certification requirements, and ecosystem trends. • Drive technical alignment between industry standards and Qualcomm product roadmaps. • Serve as a subject matter expert on UWB ranging, positioning, secure ranging, interoperability, certification, and next-generation UWB features. Systems Architecture • Define system-level architectures spanning hardware, firmware, drivers, middleware, applications, and certification frameworks. • Collaborate with engineering teams to develop architecture requirements, APIs, debugging capabilities, testing interfaces, and platform frameworks. • Evaluate tradeoffs across performance, interoperability, certification, security, power consumption, and implementation complexity. • Author architecture specifications, system requirements, and technical design documents. Standards Development • Create technical contributions, review specifications, and participate in standards working groups. • Analyze technical specifications and identify gaps, ambiguities, interoperability risks, and implementation challenges. • Lead development of change requests and technical proposals. • Track emerging requirements from ecosystem partners and ensure Qualcomm interests are represented effectively. • Influence standards evolution through technical expertise and industry relationships. Certification and Ecosystem Development • Partner with certification, validation, and engineering teams to define certification strategies and implementation plans. • Support industry interoperability events, plugfests, and certification activities. • Drive technical solutions that reduce ecosystem fragmentation and improve interoperability across standards organizations. • Develop strategies that align certification requirements with product deployment objectives. Cross-Functional Technical Coordination • Work with product management, engineering, legal, regulatory, standards, and certification teams. • Translate standards developments into actionable guidance for internal stakeholders. • Provide technical mentorship to engineers participating in industry standards activities. • Present technical recommendations and status updates to senior leadership. Innovation and Intellectual Property • Identify patentable innovations and contribute to Qualcomm's wireless technologies patent portfolio. • Participate in invention disclosure reviews and technical assessments. • Define novel architectural approaches to emerging UWB use cases. • Foster innovation in ranging, positioning, security, interoperability, and certification technologies. Required Qualifications • BS, MS or PhD in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field. • 12+ years of experience in wireless systems, embedded systems, wireless protocols, or standards development. • Deep expertise in Ultra-Wideband technology and protocol architecture. • Experience with wireless standards organizations and specification development. • Strong understanding of wireless system architecture and cross-layer design. • Experience defining technical requirements and influencing product roadmaps. • Demonstrated success leading cross-functional technical initiatives. • Excellent written and verbal communication skills. • Demonstrated ability to influence technical direction across organizations and companies. Preferred Qualifications • Direct experience with FiRa, CCC, IEEE 802.15, CSA/Aliro, Bluetooth SIG, NFC Forum, or similar standards organizations. • Expertise in secure ranging, digital key, access control, location services, or related applications. • Experience with UWB MAC, PHY, ranging algorithms, interoperability, and certification frameworks. • Strong embedded software background including drivers, RTOS, Linux, Android, or firmware development. • Experience leading technical architecture reviews and standards contributions. • Inventor on patents related to wireless systems or communications technologies. • Experience representing a company in multi-company technical working groups. Applicants: 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. 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