Sonatus
Senior Director, Field Application Engineering
Sonatus, Sunnyvale, California, United States, 94087
Senior Director, Field Application Engineering
Join a high‑performing team at Sonatus that’s redefining what cars can do in the era of Software‑Defined Vehicles (SDV). Sonatus is driving the transformation to AI‑enabled software‑defined vehicles, accelerating the shift for leading OEMs. Our technology is already in production across more than 5 million vehicles on the road today and is rapidly expanding.
Opportunity We are seeking an experienced Senior Director of Field Application Engineering (FAE) to lead our global team of technical experts supporting automotive customers worldwide. This role bridges our customers’ engineering needs with our internal product and technology teams, ensuring successful integration of advanced software and AI solutions into next‑generation vehicles and platforms.
The ideal candidate is a proven technical leader with deep automotive industry knowledge, a strong background in embedded software, and a passion for helping customers deploy transformative technologies in production environments. This role reports directly to the Chief Revenue Officer and includes a variable compensation component in addition to base salary.
Roles & Responsibilities Leadership & Management
Lead, mentor, and grow a global team of Field Application Engineers supporting OEMs, Tier‑1s, and ecosystem partners.
Define and execute the FAE organization’s strategy, ensuring alignment with corporate objectives and customer success goals.
Establish best practices for technical engagement, knowledge sharing, and continuous improvement across regional teams.
Customer & Partner Engagement
Serve as the primary technical liaison between customer engineering organizations and internal product and R&D teams.
Drive customer success through proactive engagement, architecture guidance, and technical issue resolution.
Build strong relationships with engineering leaders at key automotive customers, understanding their roadmaps, challenges, and requirements.
Represent the company’s technical capabilities in executive‑level discussions, technical workshops, and design reviews.
Product & Technology Collaboration
Provide structured feedback from the field to influence product roadmaps, feature prioritization, and long‑term technology strategy.
Collaborate closely with product management, software engineering, and AI research teams to ensure customer requirements are translated into robust, scalable solutions.
Identify gaps in product capabilities and coordinate with internal teams to develop enablement tools, reference designs, and documentation.
Operational Excellence
Develop and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) for global FAE effectiveness and customer satisfaction.
Oversee technical training programs to ensure the FAE organization stays current with evolving software, AI, and automotive standards.
Champion a customer‑centric, data‑driven approach to support planning and resource allocation.
Required Qualifications
Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field.
Minimum 15 years of experience in the automotive or embedded software industry, including leadership roles in technical customer‑facing organizations.
Deep understanding of automotive software stacks, including AUTOSAR, functional safety (ISO 26262), cybersecurity, and real‑time embedded systems.
Proven success leading global technical teams in complex customer environments.
Strong experience working with OEMs, Tier‑1 suppliers, and semiconductor partners.
Excellent communication and executive presence, with the ability to translate complex technical concepts into strategic discussions.
Preferred Qualifications
Experience with AI, machine learning, or computer vision technologies applied to automotive use cases (ADAS, autonomous driving, predictive maintenance, etc.).
Familiarity with cloud‑connected vehicle architectures and edge AI deployment.
MBA or equivalent business experience a plus.
Benefits Offered
Competitive compensation and equity program
Health care plan (Medical, Dental & Vision)
Flexible and Dependent Care Expense program
Retirement plan (401k)
Life Insurance (Basic, Voluntary & AD&D)
Unlimited paid time off per year, 15 paid holidays
Hybrid office work arrangement/flexibility
Perk Offerings
Complimentary lunches, snacks, and beverages during on‑site working days
Wellness benefit allowances (toward gym membership and fitness programs)
Internet reimbursement
Computer Accessory Allowance
Employee Engagement Offerings
Departmental team building and outings
Employee Referral Program
Culture/Employee Satisfaction Surveys – Feedback matters!
The posted salary range is a general guideline and represents a good faith estimate of what Sonatus (“Company”) could reasonably expect to pay for a base salary for this position. The pay offered to a selected candidate will be determined based on factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the qualifications of the selected candidate, departmental budget availability, geographic location, and external market pay for comparable jobs. The Company reserves the right to modify this range in the future, as needed, as market conditions change.
Pay range for this role: $203,000—$338,000 USD.
Sonatus is a fast‑paced and innovative company and is seeking team members who are passionate about making a difference. If you are ready to take your career to the next level, we highly encourage you to apply.
To all recruitment agencies:
Sonatus, Inc. (“Sonatus”) does not accept unsolicited agency resumes. Please do not forward resumes to our careers alias or other Sonatus employees. Sonatus is not responsible for any fees associated with unsolicited activities.
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Opportunity We are seeking an experienced Senior Director of Field Application Engineering (FAE) to lead our global team of technical experts supporting automotive customers worldwide. This role bridges our customers’ engineering needs with our internal product and technology teams, ensuring successful integration of advanced software and AI solutions into next‑generation vehicles and platforms.
The ideal candidate is a proven technical leader with deep automotive industry knowledge, a strong background in embedded software, and a passion for helping customers deploy transformative technologies in production environments. This role reports directly to the Chief Revenue Officer and includes a variable compensation component in addition to base salary.
Roles & Responsibilities Leadership & Management
Lead, mentor, and grow a global team of Field Application Engineers supporting OEMs, Tier‑1s, and ecosystem partners.
Define and execute the FAE organization’s strategy, ensuring alignment with corporate objectives and customer success goals.
Establish best practices for technical engagement, knowledge sharing, and continuous improvement across regional teams.
Customer & Partner Engagement
Serve as the primary technical liaison between customer engineering organizations and internal product and R&D teams.
Drive customer success through proactive engagement, architecture guidance, and technical issue resolution.
Build strong relationships with engineering leaders at key automotive customers, understanding their roadmaps, challenges, and requirements.
Represent the company’s technical capabilities in executive‑level discussions, technical workshops, and design reviews.
Product & Technology Collaboration
Provide structured feedback from the field to influence product roadmaps, feature prioritization, and long‑term technology strategy.
Collaborate closely with product management, software engineering, and AI research teams to ensure customer requirements are translated into robust, scalable solutions.
Identify gaps in product capabilities and coordinate with internal teams to develop enablement tools, reference designs, and documentation.
Operational Excellence
Develop and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) for global FAE effectiveness and customer satisfaction.
Oversee technical training programs to ensure the FAE organization stays current with evolving software, AI, and automotive standards.
Champion a customer‑centric, data‑driven approach to support planning and resource allocation.
Required Qualifications
Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field.
Minimum 15 years of experience in the automotive or embedded software industry, including leadership roles in technical customer‑facing organizations.
Deep understanding of automotive software stacks, including AUTOSAR, functional safety (ISO 26262), cybersecurity, and real‑time embedded systems.
Proven success leading global technical teams in complex customer environments.
Strong experience working with OEMs, Tier‑1 suppliers, and semiconductor partners.
Excellent communication and executive presence, with the ability to translate complex technical concepts into strategic discussions.
Preferred Qualifications
Experience with AI, machine learning, or computer vision technologies applied to automotive use cases (ADAS, autonomous driving, predictive maintenance, etc.).
Familiarity with cloud‑connected vehicle architectures and edge AI deployment.
MBA or equivalent business experience a plus.
Benefits Offered
Competitive compensation and equity program
Health care plan (Medical, Dental & Vision)
Flexible and Dependent Care Expense program
Retirement plan (401k)
Life Insurance (Basic, Voluntary & AD&D)
Unlimited paid time off per year, 15 paid holidays
Hybrid office work arrangement/flexibility
Perk Offerings
Complimentary lunches, snacks, and beverages during on‑site working days
Wellness benefit allowances (toward gym membership and fitness programs)
Internet reimbursement
Computer Accessory Allowance
Employee Engagement Offerings
Departmental team building and outings
Employee Referral Program
Culture/Employee Satisfaction Surveys – Feedback matters!
The posted salary range is a general guideline and represents a good faith estimate of what Sonatus (“Company”) could reasonably expect to pay for a base salary for this position. The pay offered to a selected candidate will be determined based on factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the qualifications of the selected candidate, departmental budget availability, geographic location, and external market pay for comparable jobs. The Company reserves the right to modify this range in the future, as needed, as market conditions change.
Pay range for this role: $203,000—$338,000 USD.
Sonatus is a fast‑paced and innovative company and is seeking team members who are passionate about making a difference. If you are ready to take your career to the next level, we highly encourage you to apply.
To all recruitment agencies:
Sonatus, Inc. (“Sonatus”) does not accept unsolicited agency resumes. Please do not forward resumes to our careers alias or other Sonatus employees. Sonatus is not responsible for any fees associated with unsolicited activities.
#J-18808-Ljbffr