Senior Director, Field Application Engineering at Sonatus

Sunnyvale, California, United States

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Not SpecifiedCompensation

Senior (5 to 8 years), Expert & Leadership (9+ years)Experience Level

Full TimeJob Type

UnknownVisa

Automotive, TechnologyIndustries

Requirements

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

Responsibilities

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
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
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
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

Skills

Key technologies and capabilities for this role

Embedded SoftwareAutomotive SoftwareField Application EngineeringTeam LeadershipOEM SupportTier-1 SuppliersAI SolutionsSoftware-Defined Vehicles

Questions & Answers

Common questions about this position

What is the compensation structure for the Senior Director of Field Application Engineering role?

The role includes a base salary with a variable component.

Is this position remote or does it require working from a specific location?

This information is not specified in the job description.

What key skills and experience are required for this role?

The ideal candidate needs deep automotive industry knowledge, a strong background in embedded software, and proven technical leadership experience.

What is the team structure like for this position?

The role involves leading, mentoring, and growing a global team of Field Application Engineers supporting OEMs, Tier-1s, and ecosystem partners.

What makes a strong candidate for this Senior Director role?

A strong candidate is a proven technical leader with deep automotive knowledge, embedded software expertise, and the ability to build customer relationships while aligning teams with corporate goals.

Sonatus

Platform for software-defined vehicle development

About Sonatus

Sonatus provides a platform for developing software-defined vehicles, focusing on a no-code solution that allows automotive companies to create flexible software architectures. This platform enables the collection and analysis of real-time diagnostic data from vehicles, which helps manufacturers like Hyundai Motor Group to continuously enhance vehicle quality and the ownership experience. Unlike competitors, Sonatus offers a comprehensive solution that spans the entire vehicle lifecycle, from design to after-sales services, allowing for faster innovation and cost reduction. The goal of Sonatus is to drive continuous improvement in automotive software, capitalizing on the increasing demand for software-defined vehicles globally.

Sunnyvale, CaliforniaHeadquarters

2018Year Founded

$107MTotal Funding

SERIES_ACompany Stage

Data & Analytics, Automotive & TransportationIndustries

51-200Employees

Risks

Competition from established firms like Bosch and Continental threatens market share.

Rapid technological advancements may outpace Sonatus' platform updates.

Expansion into new markets may bring regulatory compliance challenges.

Differentiation

Sonatus offers a no-code platform for adaptable vehicle software architectures.

The company partners with major automotive firms like Hyundai for real-time data diagnostics.

Sonatus' Updater solution manages over-the-air updates for software-defined vehicles.

Upsides

Sonatus raised $75 million to accelerate vehicle software innovation.

The company is expanding globally, including into the Japanese market.

Sonatus won two 2024 MotorTrend SDV Innovator Awards for software solutions.

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