Director of Application Engineering

Applicants for this position must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis. Renesas is unable to sponsor applicants for work visas for this position now or in the future. 

Location - San Jose, CA or Raleigh, NC - no relocation provided

We are seeking a highly strategic and customer-focused Director of Application Engineering to lead a talented team of architects, hardware and software engineers. This is a critical leadership role that sits at the intersection of our technology, our customers, and our business. You will be the technical champion for our solutions and product portfolio as we drive our technology to tier one customers, mass market, and distribution accounts.

You are not just a manager; you are a technical leader, a problem-solver, and a trusted advisor both internally and externally who can translate customer needs into actionable technical requirements and drive the creation of winning solutions.

Key Responsibilities:

• Technical Leadership & Strategy: Provide visionary leadership to a US team of hardware, software, and systems application engineers. Define the technical engagement strategy for key customers and market segments.∙
• Customer Solutioning: Lead the team in architecting, designing, and prototyping complex system-level solutions that leverage our semiconductor portfolio to meet market and segment application needs as well as specific customer requirements that accelerate their time-to-market.
• Deep Technical Engagement: Serve as the ultimate technical escalation point for our marketing and sales teams. Engage directly with customer architects and CTOs in cooperation with sales and marketing to understand their system-level challenges, build trust, and propose innovative solutions.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Act as the primary technical bridge between Sales, Marketing, and Product Development teams. Champion the "voice of the customer" internally to influence product roadmaps and future features based on market needs.
• Team Development: Mentor, coach, and develop a world-class application engineering team. Foster a culture of technical excellence, customer obsession, and continuous learning.
• Pre-Sales & Post-Sales Support: Oversee the creation of compelling technical presentations, demonstrators, proof-of-concepts (PoCs), reference designs, and design-in support. Ensure successful customer adoption and resolution of critical technical issues post-sale.
• Knowledge Management: Drive the creation of high-value technical collateral, includingreference designs (hardware and software), user manuals, and application notes, to scaleknowledge across customers and internal teams.

• Applicants for this position must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis. Renesas is unable to sponsor applicants for work visas for this position now or in the future. 
• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field.
• 12+ years of experience in application engineering, systems engineering, or solutions architecture, with a significant portion within the semiconductor industry.
• 5+ years of proven experience in a leadership role, directly managing a team of hardware and software engineers.
• Extensive customer-facing experience, with a demonstrated ability to engage with senior technical and executive-level customer contacts.
• Deep technical expertise in embedded systems, microcontrollers & microprocessors, software, wired and wireless connectivity, analog/mixed-signal circuit design, and power management.
• Proven track record of solving complex technical challenges and developing system-level solutions that have led to significant design wins.
• Exceptional communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to explain highly technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Strategic thinker with strong business acumen and the ability to align technical resources with business objectives.
• Willingness to travel in US/Canada to engage customers, attend tradeshows, work with partners and independent design houses (IDHs) (25-30%)

The expected annual pay range for this position is $208,000 - $280,000. This position is also eligible for   bonus opportunities and commission pay.  Please note that the final offer amount will be dependent on geographic location, applicable experience, and skillset of the candidate. 

Renesas offers a full range of elective benefits including medical, health savings account (with applicable medical plan), dental, vision, health and/or dependent care flexible spending accounts, pre-tax commuter benefits, life insurance, AD&D, and pet insurance. In addition to elective benefit options, benefited employees receive company-paid life insurance and AD&D, LTD, short term medical benefits as well as paid sick time, paid holidays, and accrued paid vacation. New employees will attend a detailed benefit orientation to learn more about our many benefits and resources 

Renesas is an embedded semiconductor solution provider driven by its Purpose ‘To Make Our Lives Easier.’ As the industry’s leading expert in embedded processing with unmatched quality and system-level know-how, we have evolved to provide scalable and comprehensive semiconductor solutions for automotive, industrial, infrastructure, and IoT industries based on the broadest product portfolio, including High Performance Computing, Embedded Processing, Analog & Connectivity, and Power.
 
With a diverse team of over 22,000 professionals in more than 30 countries, we continue to expand our boundaries to offer enhanced user experiences through digitalization and usher into a new era of innovation. We design and develop sustainable, power-efficient solutions today that help people and communities thrive tomorrow, ‘To Make Our Lives Easier.’     
 
At Renesas, you can: 

• Launch and advance your career in technical and business roles across four Product Groups and various corporate functions. You will have the opportunities to explore our hardware and software capabilities and try new things.  

• Make a real impact by developing innovative products and solutions to meet our global customers' evolving needs and help make people’s lives easier, safe and secure. 

• Maximize your performance and wellbeing in our flexible and inclusive work environment. Our people-first culture and global support system, including the remote work option and Employee Resource Groups, will help you excel from the first day.    

Are you ready to own your success and make your mark?  

Join Renesas. Shape Your Future with Us.  

Renesas Electronics is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer, committed to celebrating diversity and fostering a work environment free of discrimination on the basis of sex, race, religion, national origin, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, sexual orientation, military status, veteran status, or any other basis protected by federal, state or local law. For more information, please read our Diversity & Inclusion Statement.

Renesas Electronics deals with dual-use technology that is subject to U.S. export controls regulations. Under these regulations it may be necessary for Renesas to obtain U.S. government export license prior to release of technology to certain persons. The decision whether or not to file or pursue an export license application is at the sole discretion of Renesas.

We have adopted a hybrid model that gives employees the ability to work remotely two days a week while ensuring that we come together as a team in the office the rest of the time. The designated in-office days are Tuesday through Thursday for innovation, collaboration and continuous learning.