Robotics Solution Lead (Software Ecosystem & Architecture)

Company: Qualcomm China Job Area: 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. 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