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THE ROLE:AMD's AI software stack is moving fast - and keeping pace means shipping complete, validated GPU stack releases to customers as quickly as the software can evolve. Today, that release velocity is limited by the coordination overhead between layers: firmware, kernel driver, and ROCm each have their own build systems, their own workflows, and no shared release baseline. Every customer delivery requires manual effort to assemble and validate a coherent recipe across all three, and lower-level components - firmware and kernel - are increasingly the bottleneck to getting the full stack out the door.
We're building the infrastructure to change that: a unified build and CI platform that treats the complete GPU stack as a single deliverable, built from source, validated together, and releasable on demand. The result is faster time-to-customer for validated, fully-supported GPU stack releases - without sacrificing the stability that product lines depend on.
THE PERSON:We need an AMD Director to own this area end-to-end. You'll lead a tiger team of 5-10 engineers while spending roughly half your time in the code yourself - making architecture calls, driving the hardest technical problems, and setting the bar for how the team works. The other half is working directly with executives to sequence the rollout in a way that accelerates release velocity without disrupting active product lines. This is an organizational change effort as much as it is an engineering one - and we need someone who can operate credibly at both levels without giving up either.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:- Technical direction for the unified build and release platform - from PoC architecture decisions through phased production rollout, you'll set the direction and be accountable for the outcome. You'll have senior ICs executing against that direction; your job is to make sure the strategy is right and stays right as the platform matures.
- Executive alignment on phased rollout - the transition to a unified platform cannot delay active product shipments. You'll work directly with executives and product line owners to design a rollout sequence that delivers value incrementally, identifies and mitigates risk at each phase, and builds organizational confidence in the new platform before dependencies on the old one are removed.
- Organizational change across firmware, kernel, and ROCm teams - unifying the build and release process for 1,000+ developers requires more than good tooling. You'll work with component team leads and engineering directors to align on new workflows, build the cultural shift toward shift-left development and trunk health, and get organizational buy-in at the right level.
- Tiger team leadership - you'll directly lead the senior engineers building the platform, including the Build Architect and CI Infrastructure Engineer. You'll keep them unblocked, make the cross-cutting technical calls, and ensure the build and CI workstreams converge into a coherent system.
- Code at ~50% - and mean it - for this role, this is a real commitment, not a line in a job description. You'll own meaningful parts of the platform yourself, not just review others' work. We're at a pivotal moment in the industry: agentic AI tools are genuinely changing what it means to be a technical leader, and the best engineering teams are being led by people who are in it alongside them. If you've drifted away from coding over the years but are ready to re-engage - especially with AI as a force multiplier getting you back up to speed - we want to talk. What matters is the commitment, not whether you've been shipping code every week.
- Sharpen your agentic AI engineering leadership - this platform has a scope (65+ firmware components, 1,000+ developers, multi-layer GPU stack) that demands agentic AI as a genuine force multiplier, not a productivity experiment. You'll be setting the example for how senior technical leaders use these tools, developing that capability in your team, and building an organization that moves faster because of it.
- Own a strategic area end-to-end - from PoC through production rollout, across build systems and CI, across firmware and kernel and ROCm, across the tiger team and the executive stakeholders. Full ownership, full accountability.
- Direct line to customer impact - the platform you build determines how quickly AMD can put validated GPU stack releases in front of customers. That's a board-level concern and you'll be the person driving it.
- Organizational change at scale - this is a rare opportunity to shift how a major hardware company builds and releases its GPU stack, with the executive support and mandate to make it stick.
- Open-source aligned - this work follows the same shift-left, trunk-health principles driving AMD's ROCm open-source direction, with visibility into AMD's most strategic hardware and software programs.
PREFERRED EXPERIENCE:- Deep software engineering experience, with demonstrated technical leadership at the director or fellow level
- Deep technical range across build systems, CI/CD infrastructure, and software release pipelines - credible with senior ICs, fluent with engineering executives
- Track record of driving large-scale infrastructure or platform modernization across multiple teams with competing priorities
- Experience sequencing technical change in a way that protects active product commitments - you know how to be bold about direction while being careful about disruption
- Executive-level communication: able to frame technical tradeoffs as business decisions, build alignment across stakeholders, and hold accountability for outcomes at an organizational level
- Demonstrated ability to build and lead high-performing small teams in a greenfield or PoC context
- Fluency with agentic AI workflows (Cursor, Claude, Copilot, etc.) - both as a personal productivity multiplier and as a capability you actively develop in your team
- Experience with firmware, kernel, or embedded software release pipelines and their specific constraints
- Familiarity with GitHub Actions, self-hosted CI infrastructure, and cloud-based build environments (AWS)
- Experience driving adoption of shift-left development practices across large engineering organizations
PREFERRED ACADEMIC CREDENTIALS:- Master's degree or PhD in related discipline preferred. Equivalent professional experience demonstrating engineering expertise will also be considered.
LOCATION: San Jose, CA
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Benefits offered are described: AMD benefits at a glance.
AMD does not accept unsolicited resumes from headhunters, recruitment agencies, or fee-based recruitment services. AMD and its subsidiaries are equal opportunity, inclusive employers and will consider all applicants without regard to age, ancestry, color, marital status, medical condition, mental or physical disability, national origin, race, religion, political and/or third-party affiliation, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We encourage applications from all qualified candidates and will accommodate applicants' needs under the respective laws throughout all stages of the recruitment and selection process.
AMD may use Artificial Intelligence to help screen, assess or select applicants for this position. AMD's "Responsible AI Policy" is available here.
This posting is for an existing vacancy.
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