Senior Director, Hardware

SonicWall is a cybersecurity forerunner with over 30 years of expertise, recognized as a leading partner-first company. We provide relentless security against cyberattacks across cloud, hybrid, and traditional environments for increasingly remote, mobile, and cloud-enabled users. With our own threat research center, we deliver purpose-built security solutions for enterprises, government agencies, and SMBs worldwide.

About the Role

The Senior Director, Hardware/Architecture role requires a dynamic R&D professional to lead the research, design, and execution of multi-disciplinary hardware systems, including servers, firewalls, security appliances, switches, and access points. This role involves managing cross-geo teams and driving development with JDM/ODM partners, primarily in Asia. As part of the hardware and operations leadership team, you will collaborate with Software, Product, Finance, and Operations to align hardware strategy with business priorities. The role demands a leader who operates at both strategic and operational levels, with a focus on execution, accountability, and results.

Responsibilities

• Provide leadership for the global hardware engineering team in design and development.
• Engage hands-on with Software and Product leads to define hardware architecture, including silicon selection and system power/thermal/mechanical decisions aligned with target COGs.
• Drive multi-disciplinary functions across board and system design, power, signal integrity, ECAD, mechanical/thermal, validation, and compliance.
• Evaluate trade-offs in design for manufacturing, reliability, and quality.
• Apply working knowledge of high-speed network interfaces (25Gbps+), PCIe gen3+, DDR4+, CPU (x86 or ARM) subsystems, WiFi, and cellular technologies.
• Provide executive leadership with visibility on performance, risks, and priorities.
• Advocate for and drive career planning, compensation, and employee development across the hardware organization.
• Develop hiring and resourcing plans, including headcount and budget.

Qualifications

• BS degree in Electrical Engineering (EE) or Computer Engineering (CE), with 15+ years of technical experience.
• Minimum 10+ years of technical and people leadership experience.
• Relevant experience in hardware product design, with expertise in architecture, design tools, and ecosystems such as PCB design, power management, and logic design.
• Experience supporting new product introductions and influencing cross-functional decisions.
• Experience driving hardware development in both internal and JDM/ODM models.
• Ability to operate effectively at the executive level, both internally and externally with JDM and supply chain executives.
• Experience building and leading high-performing teams.
• Strong strategic communication skills, with solid operational and financial acumen.

Skills

• Experience with servers, network security, firewalls, and/or edge networking products.
• Deep understanding of platform software requirements and ability to drive architectural decisions for well-integrated systems/solutions.
• Ability to drive decisions across hardware functions including mechanical/thermal, signal integrity, ECAD, diagnostics, validation, and compliance.
• Familiarity with global JDM/ODM ecosystems, especially in Asia.
• Trusted partnership with Software, Marketing, and Supply Chain leadership for successful go-to-market and product lifecycle management of high-volume product families.

Why This Role

This is a critical leadership role with direct impact on hardware product strategy, roadmap definition, revenue, cost structure, and customer delivery. You will shape how the company develops and delivers products at scale while partnering closely with executive leadership to drive business outcomes.