Dir, Application Engineering

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.

【Responsibilities】

*The full details regarding your position scope as well as any future potential changes in work location and job scope will be provided during the interview process.

【WANT】

- English: Business level – able to communicate clearly in internal and external settings.
- 12+ years of experience in application engineering, systems engineering, or solutions architecture, with a significant portion within the semiconductor industry.
- Extensive customer-facing experience, with a demonstrated ability to engage with senior technical and executive-level customer contacts.
- Technical expertise in software, wired and wireless connectivity, analog/mixed-signal circuit design.
- Strategic thinker with strong business acumen and the ability to align technical resources with business objectives.
- Willingness to travel domestically in Japan to engage customers, attend tradeshows, and work with partners and independent design houses (IDHs) (25-30%)

Responsibilities

Technical Leadership & Strategy: Provide visionary leadership to a Japanese 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, including reference designs (hardware and software), user manuals, and application notes, to scale knowledge across customers and internal teams.

Requirements

Japanese: Business level – able to communicate effectively with customers and internal teams.; Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field.; 5+ years of proven experience in a leadership role, directly managing a team of hardware and software engineers.; Deep technical expertise in embedded systems, microcontrollers & microprocessors, software, and power management.; Exceptional communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to explain highly technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences.