Director Systems Design Eng.
AMD · Seattle
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THE ROLE:
AI infrastructure is scaling faster than traditional debug models can support. Customers deploy EPYC and GPU platforms across hyperscale clouds, enterprise AI clusters, and remote datacenters where on-site access is not possible. Failures rarely originate in a single layer. They span silicon, firmware, drivers, frameworks, networking, and workload. Customer debug is where these layers converge, and it is one of our richest sources of insight.
The Debug Manager leads the team responsible for driving these issues to root cause and translating what is learned into tooling, telemetry, and playbooks. This leader advises Engineering, Quality, Architecture, and the Cloud, Enterprise, Enterprise AI, and HPC customer teams. This is a high-visibility role with direct influence on the reliability of AMD’s AI infrastructure platforms.
Guiding Principles:
- Customer time comes first. Every hour a cluster is unavailable or underperforming is an hour of high-value silicon sitting idle.
- Root cause over workaround. A workaround resolves the case. A root cause resolves the problem.
- Every debug is a signal. Resolve an issue once, then build the means to detect it going forward.
- Debug what cannot be touched. Remote datacenters are the norm, so the necessary data must be captured and delivered to us.
- One view across the stack. Ownership extends across every layer involved.
THE PERSON:
This role requires an uncommon combination of deep technical debugging expertise, composure under pressure, and strong leadership. The successful candidate builds trust with customers during critical incidents and communicates clear, concise status to executive audiences.
You are an ambitious engineering leader with a proven record of resolving complex system-level problems at scale. You combine hands-on platform knowledge with cross-functional collaboration, influence, mentorship, and the development of technical leaders.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Lead and grow a team of debug engineers supporting escalations across hyperscale, HPC, and sovereign AI deployments
- Manage two horizons in parallel: daily debug with Cloud and Enterprise AI customers, and at-scale debug with remote datacenters
- Own the debug lifecycle end to end: triage, root cause, resolution, and prevention
- Establish a disciplined daily operating rhythm: rapid triage, transparent status, clean handoffs, and complete case documentation
- Standardize data capture with customers, including telemetry, logs, and out-of-band access, before issues arise
- Automate recurring cases into checks, runbooks, and self-serve diagnostics
- Build fleet-wide visibility by correlating failures across large numbers of nodes and sites to identify systemic issues early
- Deliver clean, reproducible cases that Engineering can accept without rework
- Translate field findings into fixes in Engineering, test coverage in Quality, and design decisions in Architecture
- Assess the current state of AMD’s hardware, firmware, software, and ecosystem debug capabilities and define generational improvements
- Develop strong relationships across the organization and with customers and ecosystem partners
- Coach engineers in advanced technical debugging and effective customer communication
PREFERRED EXPERIENCE:
- Multiple years in systems, silicon, firmware, or platform debug/customer debug, including several years leading technical teams and customer debug
- Deep expertise debugging servers, accelerators, interconnects, drivers, and firmware at scale
- Fluency in firmware and software, in addition to hardware
- Experience with AI/ML training and inference clusters, HPC, or hyperscale environments
- Demonstrated success managing customer escalations directly under pressure
- Experience with remote debug, telemetry, and large-scale fleet operations
- Understanding of how system-level failures affect delivered performance, power consumption, and reliability
Academic Credentials:
- Bachelor’s Degree (BS) in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or other relevant field
- Master’s Degree (MS) preferred
THIS ROLE IS NOT ELIGIBLE FOR VISA SPONSORSHIP.
#LI-AG1
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.
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.