Sr. Director, Product Development Manager (PDM) AI Platforms and Systems Solutions

Qualcomm · San Diego · $237,800–$356,800 (stated in the posting)

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General Summary:

This role requires full-time onsite work in San Diego, CA (5 days per week).

About the Team 

The AI Platforms & Systems Solutions team sits at the center of how next-generation AI comes to life across on-device and hybrid computing. We define the end-to-end hardware–software solutions that turn cutting-edge AI/ML models, agentic experiences, and orchestration runtimes into real products people use every day—fast, efficient, and built to scale. 

Our charter spans the full AI stack: from model enablement and inference optimization, to the agentic frameworks and orchestration engines that coordinate work across compute tiers, to the open protocols and specifications that make the broader ecosystem interoperable. We partner deeply with silicon, software, standards bodies, OEMs, and developers to shape not just individual products, but the standards the industry builds on. 

This is a place for people who want to work at the frontier—where systems design, product strategy, and open standards meet. If you are energized by defining what comes next in AI computing and driving it from concept through adoption, you will feel at home here. 

Job Description 

The AI Platforms & Systems Solutions team defines and delivers the end-to-end hardware–software solutions that power next-generation on-device and hybrid AI experiences, with a strong focus on the Windows AI ecosystem. As Sr. Director, PDM, you will direct a comprehensive product strategy—from conception and definition through end of life—for AI platform products and specifications spanning AI/ML model enablement, agentic systems, orchestration runtimes, and the open protocols and standards that connect them across local AI accelerators (CPU, GPU, NPU). 

You will build and lead a high-performing product team, formulate and execute long-term roadmaps for cost and profit control, and function as a central resource across systems, engineering, standards, quality, marketing, and partner teams. You will set direction, grow talent, and be accountable for the portfolio outcomes of your organization, translating emerging model, agentic, and orchestration trends across the Windows edge-AI stack into a differentiated, defensible product and specification roadmap. 

Technical Focus Areas 

This role places strong emphasis on the following domains. Candidates should demonstrate depth in several and working fluency across all: 

• AI / ML Models: model lifecycle, quantization and optimization, inference performance, and on-device / hybrid deployment trade-offs. 

• Agentic Systems: planning, tool use, multi-agent workflows, and the product requirements that make agentic experiences reliable and performant. 

• Orchestration: task decomposition, routing, execution, and aggregation across compute tiers, including NPU-first runtime strategies. 

• Protocols & Standards: authoring, evolving, and driving adoption of interoperability specifications and open standards across the ecosystem and standards bodies. 

• Windows & Edge AI Ecosystem: delivering AI products and services on the Windows ecosystem that leverage local AI accelerators (CPU, GPU, NPU) across the app-to-silicon stack. 

• Product & Specification Development: translating system solutions into shippable products and ratifiable specifications with clear KPIs, conformance criteria, and partner enablement. 

Windows Ecosystem & Edge AI Experience 

This role is centered on the Windows AI ecosystem and on-device inference. Candidates should demonstrate hands-on depth across the following (Windows strongly preferred): 

• Hands-on experience delivering Windows ecosystem-based AI products/services that utilize local AI accelerators (CPU, GPU, or NPU). 

• Detailed understanding of AI-related APIs/DDIs and SDKs for edge devices (Windows preferred; Android/Mac/Linux acceptable) and the flow of AI workloads from app-to-silicon—e.g., DirectX, WinML, OpenCL (OCL), and GGML. 

• Understanding of AI middleware and frameworks such as llama.cpp, Ollama, and AnythingLLM, and familiarity with the AI application development flow. 

• Understanding of LLM/VLM models in the ~1B–150B parameter range and the performance, power, latency, memory-footprint, and security trade-offs of running them on edge devices; familiarity with the Qwen, Llama, Gemma, and gpt-oss model families preferred. 

Principal Duties and Responsibilities 

• Builds, leads, and develops a team of product managers—setting direction, defining objectives, managing performance, and growing talent to deliver against the Windows AI platform roadmap. 

• Oversees successful cross-functional collaboration by ensuring completion of milestones by engineering and program-management partners, aligning delivered work to the product-line roadmap. 

• Develops and redesigns organizational strategies and provides overall direction for the function, with influence over the formulation and achievement of long-term business plans and objectives. 

• Reviews identified gaps in the market based on complex analysis of overall ecosystem demands across the AI/ML, agentic, and orchestration landscape, and makes portfolio decisions on how these gaps impact product and specification roadmaps. 

• Validates business cases based on a thorough understanding of internal and external influences and determines product and specification development that advances the roadmap. 

• Drives product-line and specification launch strategies for new Windows-ecosystem AI products and technologies through technical marketing opportunities such as conferences, standards bodies, and direct customer engagement, ensuring successful launch and adoption. 

• Prepares and delivers highly complex, high-stakes technical presentations on product and specification roadmaps to customers, partners, and executives, and integrates feedback into the roadmap. 

• Monitors the market to validate product and specification roadmaps and translates insights into adjustments across AI/ML, agentic, orchestration, and protocol initiatives. 

• Oversees development of multiple complex products and specifications, ensuring cross-functional communication of goals and that the portfolio is differentiated using input from customers, market, competitors, and technology advances. 

• Drives long-term innovation and IP strategy—including patents and standards contributions—while maintaining the best interest of customers and alignment to the roadmap. 

• Communicates regularly with internal customers, third-party partners, and senior management to establish needs and goals, and executes communication and change-management plans for stakeholders and executives. 

• Collaborates with key stakeholders and program sponsors to develop product goals (performance, cost, timeline, customer schedules), assess feasibility, and facilitate cross-functional decision making for product lines. 

Level of Responsibility 

• Works independently with no supervision, making decisions that are significant in impact—influencing overall program or project success, finances, and the ability to meet objectives—where errors may not be readily apparent and typically require significant time and resources to correct. 

• Uses verbal and written communication skills to convey complex, detailed information to multiple audiences with differing knowledge levels; requires strong negotiation, influence, and communication to large groups and high-level constituents. 

• Completes multi-step, cognitively complex tasks that can be performed in various orders and require managing information across short- and long-term horizons. 

• Regularly determines what needs to be done and shares innovative solutions to achieve broad policies and objectives. 

• Applies deductive and inductive problem solving where information is often missing or conflicting; advanced data analysis and interpretation skills are required. 

• Has a great degree of influence over key organizational decisions, making or directing decisions that have substantial impact on the organization. 

• Holds some financial accountability (e.g., manages a budget and has input into P&L). 

• Develops and redesigns organizational strategies and provides overall direction for functional areas and/or the entire organization, with influence over long-term business plans and objectives. 

Required Competencies 

(All competencies below are required upon entry.) 

• Analytical Skills — gathers, integrates, and interprets information from multiple sources to identify fundamental patterns and trends. 

• Building Trusting Relationships — builds collaborative rapport with diverse people and businesses, delivers on commitments, and maintains confidentiality. 

• Communication — conveys information clearly and accurately using a technically sound style, choosing the most effective delivery method. 

• Creating the New and Different — produces breakthrough ideas, manages innovation, and translates new concepts into shippable solutions and specifications. 

• Decision Making — makes quick, accurate decisions, weighing alternatives and the impact on people and resources. 

• Getting Work Done — organized, resourceful, and planful; leverages multiple resources, manages parallel tasks, and plans around obstacles. 

• Leading People — builds, develops, coaches, and inspires high-performing teams, setting clear direction and growing talent. 

• Product Management — directs a comprehensive product strategy from conception through end of life, functioning as a central cross-functional resource. 

Preferred Qualifications 

• 15+ years of Product Management or related technical work experience. 

• Advanced degree (MS or MBA) in a technical or business discipline preferred. 

• Direct experience defining or shipping Windows-ecosystem AI/ML platforms, inference runtimes, agentic frameworks, or orchestration systems on local accelerators (CPU, GPU, NPU). 

• Detailed understanding of edge AI APIs/DDIs and SDKs (Windows preferred; Android/Mac/Linux acceptable) and the app-to-silicon workload flow (DirectX, WinML, OpenCL, GGML). 

• Familiarity with AI middleware/frameworks (llama.cpp, Ollama, AnythingLLM) and the AI app development flow. 

• Working knowledge of LLM/VLM models in the ~1B–150B range and their edge trade-offs (perf, power, latency, memory, security); Qwen, Llama, Gemma, gpt-oss families preferred. 

• Experience authoring or contributing to technical specifications, protocols, or industry standards (e.g., via consortia or standards bodies). 

• 5+ years of people-leadership experience, including hiring, developing, and retaining technical talent. 

• 4+ years working in a large, matrixed organization. 

• 2+ years working with operating budgets and/or project financials. 

• 2+ years negotiating third-party business agreements or partnerships. 

Minimum Qualifications:

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).

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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:

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.

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