System Architect (Santa Clara)

WHAT YOU DO AT AMD CHANGES EVERYTHING At AMD, our mission is to build great products that accelerate next-generation computing experiences—from AI and data centers, to PCs, gaming and embedded systems. Grounded in a culture of innovation and collaboration, we believe real progress comes from bold ideas, human ingenuity and a shared passion to create something extraordinary. When you join AMD, you’ll discover the real differentiator is our culture. We push the limits of innovation to solve the world’s most important challenges—striving for execution excellence, while being direct, humble, collaborative, and inclusive of diverse perspectives. Join us as we shape the future of AI and beyond. Together, we advance your career. THE ROLE:  We are seeking a hands‑on System Architect to lead the end‑to‑end architecture for our next‑generation products. In this role, you will be the technical authority responsible for defining system requirements, architecture, and integration strategies across hardware, firmware, software, and operational aspects. You will ensure that all subsystems work cohesively to achieve functional, performance, security, and reliability goals, while guiding teams on best practices throughout the product lifecycle. The System Architect will collaborate with engineering leads, product managers, operations teams, and customer stakeholders to align technical solutions with business objectives.THE PERSON:  You are a recognized subject matter expert in system architecture with a track record of influencing technical direction across programs. You bring broad cross‑domain experience and strong communication skills to align hardware, firmware, software, mechanical, and manufacturing stakeholders. You are comfortable making pragmatic tradeoffs among performance, cost, schedule and risk, and you mentor engineers on architecture principles, design patterns and system‑level thinking. Your decisions are data‑driven, and you elevate engineering quality through clear guidance and coaching.KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:  Define and maintain the overall system architecture for complex hardware/software integrated products.Translate product and market requirements into system-level specifications, functional decomposition, and architecture artifacts.Conduct trade‑off analyses incorporating performance, scalability, security, reliability, power, thermal, and cost considerations.Select and recommend technologies for processors, memory, storage, networking, management controllers, and other core system elements.Establish and enforce system interface standards and interoperability guidelines.Collaborate with platform architects, chief engineers, and subsystem owners to ensure design consistency and integration quality.Lead architecture reviews and manage cross-domain technical risks.Support engineering teams during design, validation, manufacturing readiness, and deployment phases.Drive alignment with relevant industry standards and protocols.Mentor engineering staff in system-level thinking, architecture methods, and technical decision-making processes.QUALIFICATIONS:  Proven architectural leadership in complex compute or embedded products.Strong understanding of hardware/software co-design, distributed systems integration, and lifecycle engineering.Expertise in multiple relevant domains: compute architecture, networking/interconnect, power and thermal management, system security.Familiarity with industry standards such as PCIe, Ethernet, NVMe, IPMI/Redfish, SMBus/I²C, SPI, and emerging protocols.Proven ability to lead cross-functional technical initiatives and resolve integration challenges.Excellent communication skills for interacting with technical and non-technical stakeholders.Experienced in producing architectural documentation, designing diagrams, compiling requirements matrices, and providing technical justifications.PREFERRED EXPERIENCE:  Experience with high-density servers, telecommunications gear, industrial embedded platforms, or aerospace systems.Knowledge of cyber‑security and regulatory compliance for system-level architecture.Exposure to manufacturing processes and field support for large-scale deployments.Capability to work effectively with geographically distributed teams.ACADEMIC CREDENTIALS:  Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related discipline.Location:  Santa Clara, CAAustin, TXSeattle, WAThis role is not eligible for visa sponsorship.#LI-JE1Benefits 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.