Senior Director, Government Affairs - Automotive, AI, and Emerging Technologies

Company: Qualcomm Incorporated

Job Area: Legal Group, Legal Group > Government Affairs

Qualcomm's Government Affairs team is seeking a senior technology policy leader to drive advocacy priorities for Qualcomm's automotive and transportation technology business and support key initiatives across AI and emerging technologies.

This role will primarily lead policy engagement on connected and automated vehicles, including V2X/ITS, ADAS/functional safety, vehicle connectivity, cybersecurity, data governance, and smart transportation infrastructure. The position will also contribute to selected policy priorities related to AI inc. industrial, physical & robotics, data center and, XR, as they intersect with Government policies such as trade, and emerging regulatory frameworks in the United States and globally.

As part of Qualcomm's Government Affairs organization, this role will engage policymakers, industry partners, and associations. The position requires working closely with engineering, product, legal, standards, and communications teams to assess policy developments into practical advocacy strategies aligned with Qualcomm's technology and business priorities.

Ideal candidates will bring strong automotive policy expertise, sound business judgment, technical curiosity, and the ability to communicate complex regulatory, geopolitical, technology, and commercial issues clearly to senior internal and external stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead policy advocacy for Qualcomm's automotive and transportation priorities, including connected and automated vehicles, V2X/ITS, vehicle safety, cybersecurity, and data governance.
• Develop and execute advocacy strategies with federal and state policymakers, industry organizations, think-tanks, and other external stakeholders.
• Support selected emerging-technology priorities, including AI infrastructure, XR, robotics, industrial IoT, trade, and technology competitiveness.
• Monitor legislative, regulatory, trade, and geopolitical developments and advise internal teams on potential business and product impacts.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with engineering, product, business, legal, standards, and communications teams to shape policy positions and external engagement strategies.
• Prepare policy materials, executive briefings, talking points, regulatory comments, white papers, and thought leadership materials.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required
• Significant experience in government affairs, public policy, regulatory affairs, legislative affairs, technology policy, or a related field.
• Deep experience in automotive or transportation technology policy, including connected vehicles, automated driving, V2X/ITS, functional safety, cybersecurity, or related areas.
• Proven ability to advise and communicate effectively with senior executives, policymakers, technical experts, legal teams, and business stakeholders.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Government Affairs, Business, Political Science, Public Policy, Public Affairs, Engineering, Legal, or related field.
• 9+ years of Government Affairs, Communications, Industry Associations, or related work experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in Government Affairs, Business, Political Science, Public Policy, Public Affairs, Engineering, Legal, or related field.
• 10+ years of experience working with Government Affairs, Communications, Industry Associations, or related work experience.
• Business fluent in English.
• 3+ years of experience working in or with a large multinational organization.
• 3+ years of working with operating budgets and/or project financials.
• 4+ years in a leadership role with or without direct reports (only applies to positions with direct reports).

Additional Preferences

• Familiarity with AI, including data center infrastructure, semiconductors, XR, robotics, industrial, wireless communications, edge computing, or technology competitiveness policy.
• Experience engaging Federal agencies, Congress, State governments, international policymakers, and industry associations.
• Strong writing, briefing, and executive communication skills, with experience developing policy positions, regulatory submissions, and external engagement materials.
• Ability to translate complex technical issues into clear policy, business, and commercial implications.
• Strong analytical, strategic thinking, stakeholder management, and project management skills in a cross-functional environment.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities

• Leverages expert knowledge of government and related institutions to create and improve strategic programs, initiatives, or portfolios with cross-organizational and public impact.
• Oversees and directs multiple teams across functional areas to support programs, initiatives, or portfolios.
• Manage key stakeholder relationships with government and related institutions and develop long-term strategic partnerships.
• Networks with key stakeholders in other departments within Qualcomm and/or globally as well as contacts outside of Qualcomm to gain insight, ideas, and build strategic long-term connections.
• Collaborates closely with high-level internal and external stakeholders globally to develop, oversee, and drive large initiatives.
• Sets the strategic direction and priorities across the functional area for advocating Qualcomm's position based upon expertise of Qualcomm products, technology and strategic roadmap; provides oversight to others on shaping highly complex and unique public issues.
• Drivers the strategic evolution across domains and defines roadmaps by collaborating with senior stakeholders across the business.
• Drives research and analytical efforts on new or critical policies, regulations, laws, or other relevant issues and utilizes reports to oversee the management of programs, initiatives, or portfolios.
• Has responsibility for budget development and management for multiple strategic programs, initiatives, or portfolios.
• Oversees multiple, large, and extremely complex projects that are relatively diverse in nature and objectives. Accountable for planning, staffing, managing priorities, and implementing changes to meet project goals.
• Serves as a change agent by identifying strategic and long-term opportunities for change and then communicating the vision, implications, and rework associated with that change.
• Decisions that have implications across sites as well as global implications in order to create better alignment across departments. Decisions reflect in-depth understanding of functional areas, business strategies, and company's goals.

Level of Responsibility

• Works independently with no supervision.
• Provides supervision to other supervisors/managers who are direct reports.
• Decisions are more significant in their impact, influencing overall program or project success, finances, and/or the ability to meet objectives. Errors are not readily apparent due to the complexity of work process/product or time between decisions and results. Errors typically result in significant expenditure of time, resources, and funds to correct.
• Requires verbal and written communication skills to convey complex and/or detailed information to multiple individuals/audiences with differing knowledge levels. Role may require strong negotiation and influence, communication to large groups or high-level constituents.
• Overall responsibility for developing and administering budgets, schedules, and performance standards for multiple departments or functional areas. Erroneous decisions, failure to achieve goals results in additional costs and personnel and critical delays in schedule and may jeopardize overall group business activity.
• Has a great degree of influence over key organizational decisions (e.g., is making or directly making key decisions that will have substantial impact over the organization).
• Most tasks require multiple steps which can be performed in various orders; tasks require simultaneously executing multiple cognitive abilities and maintaining information in short or long-term memory while performing the task.
• Regularly determines what needs to be done and is involved with sharing innovative solutions to achieve broad policies and objectives.
• Works on abstract problems in variable situations that typically require complex analysis, interpretation, or evaluation of intangible factors. Directs the resolution of complex problems that have impact beyond own area. Participates in corporate development of methods, techniques, and evaluation criteria for projects, programs, and people.
• Responsible for implementing objectives established during strategic planning period.

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 View email address on click.appcast.io 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).

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

$227,400.00 - $341,200.00

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.