Staff, Product Data Manager (PDM) AI Platforms & Systems Solutions

Company:

Job Area:

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 a Staff PDM, you will own the product strategy, definition, and lifecycle 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 develop, define, and execute plans of record-including schedules, budgets, resources, deliverables, and risks-and direct a comprehensive product strategy from conception and definition through end of life. You will function as a central resource across systems, engineering, standards, quality, marketing, and partner teams as products and specifications move through their lifecycle.

This role requires deep fluency in the Windows edge-AI stack and the ability to translate emerging model, agentic, and orchestration trends 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-ossmodel families preferred.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities

• Identifies gaps and opportunities based on complex analysis of market, customer, technology, and ecosystem demands across the AI/ML, agentic, and orchestration landscape, and uses this insight to guide solution and design conversations.

• Leads the creation and validation of business cases for new and complex AI platform products and specifications, ensuring alignment with the differentiated product roadmap and business direction.

• Owns product definition for Windows-based AI/ML model enablement, agentic frameworks, orchestration runtimes, and associated protocols-including scope, requirements, cost/impact analysis, and success KPIs.

• Drives authoring and evolution of technical specifications and standards, and partners with standards bodies, consortia, and ecosystem partners to accelerate ratification and adoption.

• Prepares and delivers highly complex technical presentations on product and specification roadmaps to customers, partners, and senior leadership.

• Markets new and complex products and technologies through technical marketing channels-conferences, developer events, and direct customer engagement-and drives launch and adoption efforts.

• Translates customer feedback, competitive intelligence, and the external AI environment into roadmap changes and communicates these clearly to senior leaders.

• Directsand oversees development of highly complex products and new product areas independently, maintaining communication across systems, engineering, and cross-functional teams.

• Ensures successful cross-functional collaboration by confirming that agreed KPIs, conformance criteria, and specifications are met upon delivery by engineering teams.

• Holds self and teams accountable for staying current on competitors, model and agentic advances, and the broader Windows AI ecosystem, and leads design innovation to articulate product differentiation.

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

Level of Responsibility

• Works independently with little supervision, making decisions that are significant in impact where errors may not be readily apparent due to complexity 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; may require strong negotiation, influence, and communication to large groups or high-level constituents.

• Has a moderate-to-high amount of influenceover key organizational decisions and is consulted by senior leadership on strategic direction.

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

• Exercises exceptional creativity to innovate new products, specifications, and processes without established objectives or known parameters.

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

• Occasionally participates in strategic planning within own area affecting immediate operations.

Required Competencies

(All competencies below are required upon entry.)

• Analytical Skills - gathers, integrates, and interpretsinformation 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.

• Mentoring and Coaching - develops, coaches, and mentorsassociatesthrough development experiences and networking opportunities.

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

Preferred Qualifications

• 10+ 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-ossfamilies preferred.

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

• 3+ 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.

The Responsibilities of This Role Do Not Include

• Direct financial accountability (e.g., budgeting ownership).

Minimum Qualifications:

• 5+ years of Product Management or related work experience.

*Completed advanced degrees in a relevant field may be substituted for up to two years (Master’s = one year, Doctorate = two years) of work experience.

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 [email protected] 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 rangeand 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.