Senior Director - DSP & Mixed Signal

Location: Staefa (Switzerland)

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.