Senior Director - DSP & Mixed Signal

About the job

Staefa, Switzerland

Senior Director - DSP & Mixed Signal

Location: Staefa (Switzerland)

Who we are

Sonova is a global leader in innovative hearing care solutions: from personal audio devices and wireless communication systems to audiological care services, hearing aids and cochlear implants. Sonova operates through four businesses: Hearing Instruments, Audiological Care, Consumer Hearing and Cochlear Implants – and the core brands Phonak, Unitron, AudioNova, Sennheiser (under license) and Advanced Bionics as well as recognized regional brands. The Group’s globally diversified sales and distribution channels serve an ever-growing consumer base in more than 100 countries.

The Role

The Senior Director – DSP & Mixed Signal leads the development, integration, and industrialization of advanced DSP and mixed-signal ASICs, forming the technological backbone of Sonova’s future Hearing Instruments (HI) and Cochlear Implants (CI) platforms.

In this role, you will ensure the delivery of robust, scalable, and high-performance electronic platforms that enable product innovation and differentiation. You will drive end-to-end execution of complex ASIC programs, while building strong technical capabilities, developing talent, and establishing efficient processes to support high-quality and timely delivery.

By fostering strategic partnerships with external technology providers, you will further expand innovation capacity and access to cutting-edge solutions, strengthening Sonova’s competitive position.

The Senior Director – DSP & Mixed Signal reports directly to the VP HW Components and will have 10-15 direct reports.

Key responsibilities

The person in this role will, in particular, be responsible for the following:

Strategic Leadership & Execution

• Define and communicate a clear vision and strategy for the DSP & Mixed Signal function, aligned with the overall R&D HW Components roadmap.
• Ensure the delivery of high-quality electronic components, meeting targets for performance, content, quality, timeline, and cost.
• Make final technical design decisions, ensuring architectural consistency and long-term platform sustainability.
• Contribute to strategic and operational workforce planning to secure critical capabilities for future technology roadmaps.

Organizational Development & Collaboration

• Foster a culture of accountability, technical excellence, and ownership across the team.
• Establish an effective organizational setup with clear interfaces across R&D, Operations, Product Management, and other key stakeholders.
• Build and maintain strong partnerships with external technology providers and strategic vendors.
• Lead and support organizational change initiatives to continuously enhance ways of working, structures, and capabilities.

People Leadership

• Provide strong line and functional leadership, driving engagement, development, and high performance.
• Lead talent development, succession planning, and knowledge retention to ensure long-term organizational strength.
• Partner closely with HR on employee development, performance management, and organizational health.

Process, Standards & Infrastructure

• Define, implement, and continuously improve best-in-class engineering processes, methodologies, and design practices.
• Ensure full compliance with Sonova development processes, quality standards, and regulatory requirements.
• Oversee state-of-the-art infrastructure, tools, and environments for development, verification, and testing.
• Participate in project reviews, design approvals, and audits to ensure technical robustness and alignment.
• Manage infrastructure- and tool-related budgets, ensuring cost efficiency and sustainable capability development.

What We Are Looking For

Education & Professional Background

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Engineering, Physics, or a related technical field.
• Continuous professional development through hands-on experience and active industry engagement.

Work Experience

• Minimum five years of leadership experience in a research and development environment.
• Proven technical domain expertise with a strong track record of delivery.
• Demonstrated leadership capabilities, including fostering collaboration in complex organizational structures and guiding technical decision-making.
• Solid experience in project leadership.
• Experience in MedTech R&D is considered an advantage.

Personal Competencies

• Strong leadership and managerial skills combined with a proactive mindset.
• Acts proactively and takes ownership of decisions.
• Demonstrates resilience and perseverance in decision-making and leadership.
• Shows curiosity and a strong commitment to continuous learning and self-development.
• High level of self-motivation, discipline, and structured execution.
• Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to navigate complex systems.

Social Competencies

• Excellent interpersonal, communication, and negotiation skills.
• Strong presentation and storytelling abilities tailored to diverse audiences.
• Team-oriented mindset with a strong focus on collaboration and shared success.
• Effectively leads cross-functional and cross-cultural teams.
• Applies strong influencing skills to align stakeholders, resolve conflicts, and drive decisions.
• Inspires and motivates others to achieve high performance.

Languages

• Fluent in English, both written and spoken, with excellent communication skills.
• Additional languages (e.g., German) are considered an advantage.

IT Skills

• Proficiency in project planning and management tools, as well as standard office software.
• Experience with collaboration and workflow platforms such as Confluence and Jira.

Why Join Us

Sonova is an equal opportunity employer.

We team up. We grow talent. We collaborate with people of diverse backgrounds to win with the best team in the marketplace. We guarantee every person equal treatment in regard to employment and opportunity for employment, regardless of a candidate’s ethnic or national origin, religion, sexual orientation or marital status, gender, genetic identity, age, disability or any other legally protected status.