Solution Architect - Remote (Mountain View, CA)

Job Title: Solution Architect

Location: Remote (Mountain View, CA - possibility to spend up to 25% of time in business trips)

Job Type: Long-term contract

Project description

• The software inside a vehicle was traditionally expected to be a very controlled and self-contained environment. Equipping cars with perception and machine intelligence changes a lot in the overall picture of the vehicle manufacturer.
• The Architect, IIX Systems, is a senior technical leader responsible for shaping, validating, and guiding the detailed architecture and system integration of infotainment and digital experience solutions within the Interior, Infotainment & Digital Experience (IIX) domain.
• This role focuses deeply on the design and optimization of the in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) platform, encompassing audio, graphic, connectivity, vehicle communication, diagnostics, FOTA, and application frameworks that define the customer's digital experience inside the vehicle.
• As a senior individual contributor, the Architect ensures that complex infotainment systems are designed for scalability, performance, and interoperability across brands within the Volkswagen Group.
• This role bridges conceptual architecture with implementation, translating system requirements and platform principles into tangible, production-ready designs.
• The Architect collaborates closely with Principal Architects, Delivery Units, and brand engineering teams to drive cross-domain alignment, ensuring that infotainment solutions meet technical, regulatory, and experiential standards at a global scale.

Responsibilities

• Architectural Design and Technical Leadership
• Translate the architectural vision and platform principles into system and software architecture design specifications and integration blueprints.
• Define and maintain system decomposition, component responsibilities, and inter-process communication interfaces.
• Drive the evaluation and adoption of technologies that support modularity, reusability, and scalability.
• Serve as the technical lead for complex design and integration challenges across software, hardware, and vehicle network layers.
• Review and validate design proposals from development teams for technical soundness and architectural alignment.
• System Integration and Cross-Domain Alignment
• Lead technical deep dives and design reviews across functional areas such as Applications, SW platform and Hardware.
• Ensure seamless interaction and data exchange between IIX subsystems and adjacent vehicle domains.
• Collaborate with Systems Engineering and Delivery Units to align architecture deliverables with project milestones.
• Support integration readiness by identifying dependencies, risks, and optimization opportunities early in the lifecycle.
• Provide hands-on guidance during system bring-up, debugging, and performance tuning phases.
• Collaboration and Stakeholder Engagement
• Partner with cross-functional teams, including Brand Engineering, Systems Engineering, and Security, to align technical decisions with product and compliance goals.
• Engage with Tier 1 suppliers and technology vendors to ensure interoperability and adherence to interface specifications.
• Contribute to cross-brand forums and architecture working groups to promote standardization and knowledge sharing.
• Serve as a mentor and technical resource for engineers and architects, fostering growth within the architecture team.
• Technical Governance and Risk Management
• Support the definition and enforcement of architecture review processes, design quality gates, and compliance checklists.
• Identify and mitigate technical risks related to performance, scalability, safety, and maintainability.
• Ensure solutions comply with relevant safety and regulatory standards (ISO 26262, UNECE R155/R156).
• Contribute to maintaining architectural traceability from requirements to implementation and validation.
• Innovation and Continuous Improvement
• Monitor emerging technologies in embedded systems, Android OS, and connected car ecosystems.
• Propose improvements to architecture methodologies, tools, and documentation standards.
• Contribute to capability-building efforts by developing reusable design assets and best practices.
• Foster a culture of technical excellence and innovation within the architecture and engineering community.
• Work Flexibility
• Calls, (virtual) meetings & workshops (overlapping with German/US business hours as needed) to align with leadership and development teams.
• Up to 25%. Requires occasional domestic/international travel and extended hours as necessary to meet the demands of the role.

Skills Must have

• Minimum 10 years of professional experience in software and system architecture design, ideally in infotainment, embedded systems, or consumer electronics domains. Required Education
• Bachelor's degree in computer science, Engineering, or a related field
• Desired Education - Master's or PhD in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field. Skills
• AAOS Audio Architecture
• AAOS VHAL
• Mixed criticality communication between the Linux Instrument cluster and AAOS
• BT stack communication flow
• Strong leadership and strategic thinking skills, with the ability to drive initiatives and influence change across the organization
• Exceptional communication skills, with the ability to engage and influence stakeholders at all levels of the organization
• Collaborate and work with multiple and cross-functional teams (product teams, engineering systems and validation teams, hardware teams) across geographies and time zones
• Excellent problem-solving skills, with the ability to identify and mitigate complex architectural and system-level risks, including those related to security, safety, and performance
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and deliver results in a fast-paced environment
• Required Skills
• Proven experience in architecting and delivering Android-based IVI or digital cockpit solutions in production vehicles.
• Strong technical expertise in Android Automotive, Linux, and/or QNX platforms, including OS internals, middleware layers, and system integration.
• Deep understanding of hypervisor technology, system decomposition, interface design, and inter-process communication (e.g., Binder, D-Bus).
• Hands-on experience resolving cross-system performance, stability, and reliability challenges.
• Solid understanding of infotainment domains such as Application Frameworks, Connectivity, Audio/Video pipelines, Graphics, Carplay & Android Auto.
• Familiarity with safety, security, and diagnostics standards in automotive systems.
• Ability to influence technical decisions across diverse engineering and supplier teams.

Nice to have Desired Skills

• Experience working with E/E architecture (E3 1.1/1.2) or comparable OEM platform.
• Knowledge of vehicle communication protocols (Ethernet, CAN, LIN).
• Exposure to OTA update mechanisms, diagnostics frameworks, and ISO 26262 safety design principles.
• Prior experience with cloud connectivity or mobile app integration within in-car experiences.
• Strong collaboration skills and the ability to navigate complex stakeholder environments across brands and suppliers.
• German language proficiency or experience working within German-based engineering organizations.