NPI Product Quality and Return Material Authorization (RMA), Sr. Staff Engineer / Manager

Company:

Qualcomm Semiconductor Limited

Job Area:

Engineering Group, Engineering Group > Hardware Engineering

General Summary:

Job Description

This Sr. Staff Engineer / Manager role leads the full spectrum of Product Quality functions across both New Product Introduction (NPI) and Return Material Authorization (RMA) organizations. The manager serves as the primary leader throughout the entire product lifecycle, from early concept and development through high-volume manufacturing and post-launch customer support, ensuring product readiness, reliability, outgoing quality, and effective resolution of customer and field issues.

The position requires a strong balance of technical expertise, organizational leadership, and business acumen to guide teams through complex problem-solving, risk assessment, root cause investigations, and continuous improvement initiatives. The manager will develop and mentor engineering talent, establish quality objectives and priorities, and ensure the effective execution of proactive and reactive quality processes. Additionally, this leader will serve as a key escalation point for critical quality issues, driving timely resolution while fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, and data-driven decision making across global organizations.

Key Responsibilities

• Conduct technical evaluations of customer returned devices at system and device levels utilizing tools such as ATE, XRAY, CSAM, IV curve, system level test, and bench leading to a clear path of root cause.
• Track actions, schedules and owners to maintain targeted RMA analysis cycle time. Initiate internal corrective actions where applicable.
• Act as the conduit between Qualcomm’s customer, Product Core Team and Branch CQE. Provide customer prospective (voice of customer) to internal stakeholders with the view to driving customer satisfaction metrics higher.
• Drive improvement of internal quality systems with the goal of reducing outgoing product quality DPPM.
• Serve as Quality Engineering representative in NPI core teams, ensure reliability, supplier readiness, customer RMA readiness, and product readiness deliverables are met for new product launch.
• Work with cross-functional teams (QRE, Packaging, PTE, Systems, Design, etc.) to make sure lessons-learned and corrective/preventative actions are applied upstream during product development.
• Lead technical and business teams to resolve escalated Quality issues in HVM, including factory excursions and non-conforming materials disposition.

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Minimum Qualifications:

• BS in Electrical/Electronics/Computer Engineering (MS preferred).
• Minimum 10 to 15 years of relevant experience in managing RMAs, NPI Product Quality, RMA, or Product Test Engineering roles.
• Hands on RMA and NPI processing.
• Strong semiconductor quality background and knowledge of wafer fabrication, semiconductor assembly and testing, and packaging.
• Hands on knowledge with Electrical test equipment , with troubleshooting RF, Baseband, Power Management, RFFE
• Hands on knowledge/application of quality tools, statistics, CAPA, and problem solving techniques.
• Strong cross-functional communication and leadership skills.
• Strong verbal and written skills; ability to clearly organize and articulate information; seeks win/win resolution in difficult situations

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Electrical/Electronics Engineering, Engineering, or related field and 6+ years of Hardware Engineering or related work experience.

OR Master's degree in Computer Science, Electrical/Electronics Engineering, Engineering, or related field and 5+ years of Hardware Engineering or related work experience. OR PhD in Computer Science, Electrical/Electronics Engineering, Engineering, or related field and 4+ years of Hardware Engineering or related work experience.

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