VP, Software Product Management - Mobile Handset
Qualcomm Inc/De
San Diego, CA · Posted September 17, 2026
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Where San Diego, CA placed in our monthly rankings, month by month. Each month stays online at its own address.
November 2026
- #1Cities hosting the most business conferences in the West Coast78 conferences · of 17
- #2Cities hosting the most human resources conferences6 conferences · of 10
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Rankings about product jobs
- Best cities for product jobs #1 New York (738 openings)
- Best cities for product pay after cost of living #1 Santa Clara ($224k)
- Most requested AI skills in product jobs #1 AI product management (17.9%)
- AI tools named most often in product jobs #1 Claude (3.2%)
- Employers with the most product jobs #1 Amazon (356 roles)
How AI is used in this kind of work
Among marketing managers, AI is already used for a large share of the tasks. Measured exposure for marketing managers: 32% (high).
Share of this job’s tasks that AI is already used for at work, from real usage. It is not a forecast of job loss, and a low number means no use seen yet. Source: Anthropic Economic Index.
About the job
Company: Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.
Job Area: Operations Group, Operations Group > Product Management
General Summary:
The successful candidate will lead software product management for Qualcomm’s largest business: Mobile Handsets, with a strong emphasis on AI. The scope spans collection of market requirements, creating product specifications, overseeing execution, and mobile platform strategy development, all at a large, global scale.
CORE DIMENSIONS OF THE ROLE
Software Execution & Delivery
Define and manage handset software requirements for OEMs (e.g., Samsung, Oppo, Xiaomi)
Software baselining across chipsets and SKUs
Kernel strategy, verification, and quality of release (KOR)
Qualcomm delivery execution at massive scale
Platform Expansion & Ecosystem Enablement
Extend the handset platform with richer capabilities (e.g., ArcSoft, ecosystem partners)
Bring external technologies into the Qualcomm platform
Drive platform extensibility across the broader ecosystem
Future Vision & Software Strategy
Define long‑term software direction (security, Agentic AI, new paradigms)
Evaluate build/buy/acquire decisions needed to get there
Shape roadmap for next‑generation mobile software solutions
Responsibilities include:
Set and lead the software strategy for Mobile Handsets, with a clear point of view on how AI and software drive competitive advantage.
Embed software strategy into business decision making, with working knowledge of financial implications, legal considerations, and go‑to‑market tradeoffs.
Ability to work closely with internal executives and key stakeholders to gain support and execute long-term plans
Establish key business and technical goals to drive success of the group
Identify and work closely with top customers and their executives to establish Qualcomm as an innovative leader in the industry
Lead and influence the development of scalable software architectures
Provide cross‑functional leadership and influence across product management, engineering, and business unit teams, building consensus in a highly matrixed organization.
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:
Bachelor's degree in Computer/Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or related technical field.
Fifteen (15) years of Software Product Management or related technical work experience.
Six (6) years of leadership experience.
Four (4) years of working in a large matrixed organization.
Two (2) years of working with operating budgets and/or project financials.
Two (2) years of negotiating 3rd party business agreements.
Preferred Qualifications
Twenty (20) or more years of related professional experience in technology and software product management.
Ten (10) years of leadership experience.
Master’s degree or PhD in Computer Science or Engineering, or a related technical field of study.
Deep software domain credibility spanning system software, platforms, and developer enablement—sufficient to earn trust with senior architects and engineering leaders.
Strong understanding of mobile computing systems, including how CPU, GPU, and NPU capabilities come together in real‑world software solutions.
Fluency in modern AI systems and platforms (e.g., ChatGPT, Gemini, and related toolchains), with the ability to translate AI trends into platform strategy.
Proven experience leading large‑scale, multi‑stakeholder software initiatives with enterprise‑level impact.
Strong executive presence, influence, and communication skills—able to align disparate teams and priorities.
Business acumen, including comfort engaging on financial, legal, and ecosystem considerations.
Willingness to travel internationally as needed.
Mandarin fluency is a plus, reflecting the global nature of the mobile ecosystem.
Skilled at operating in a complex, cross-functional organization or company where your teams need to collaborate and integrate with other teams across many disciplines.
Deep understanding of key macro trends in the industry.
In addition to experience, the successful candidate will have demonstrated competencies in the following areas:
Strategic Execution: Ensures execution plan drives key strategic priorities and company goals; has significant impact on the direction of a large number of critical projects. Drives timely , complex, and strategic decisions that have a global reach and/or significant business or financial impact while adhering to Qualcomm standards of ethical behavior.
Coaching & Development: Provides leadership across organizations (e.g., creates a strategy for organization development, develops a strong talent pipeline/workforce and drives talent development to execute present and future business priorities, sets clear expectations for departments, drives coaching and mentoring relationships, creates a culture of inclusion and learning) and motivates peers, senior leaders, and employees to align individual, team, department, and organization development with the broader vision and goals of the company.
Impactful Innovation: Inspires stakeholders, the company culture, and the industry with a visionary approach that shapes the organization by introducing and enabling breakthrough ideas, products, and/or processes. Creates new business opportunities by challenging the organization to push boundaries while taking the appropriate risk and anticipating future needs to transform the product category to new industry standards .
Clear Communication: Translates the strategic vision into succinct and impactful messages that inspires and connects efforts to the broader vision and goals of the company. Acts as a champion for proactive, open, respectful, and inclusive
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 : $281,400.00 - $422,000.00
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 .