Lead Firmware Engineer (x86) (Temporary 1 Year Contract)

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 : The x86 firmware engineering team is responsible for enabling x86 AMD SOCs used in gaming, datacenter, embedded products, and consumer products. We are looking for a hands on Technical Lead (MTS) within the Platform Firmware Organization, responsible for end to end ownership and delivery of critical firmware. This role is designed for an experienced developer who wants to lead through influence, technical depth, and execution, while remaining a strong individual contributor. You will work closely with architects, program leadership, and cross functional engineering teams on all the aspects of firmware development – defining the scope, driving design and implementation, managing interdependencies, and ensuring successful delivery of firmware features and capabilities for AMD APUs and CPUs. This role carries clear ownership for outcomes – quality, schedule, and technical direction, while mentoring and guiding other engineers to raise overall execution standards; this group is spread across a wide range of geographies with whom you will be collaborating on a day-to-day basis. THE PERSON : You are a technically strong, self-driven engineer who takes ownership and steps into leadership when ambiguity exists. You enjoy solving complex problems, driving alignment, and helping teams execute effectively. You lead by example –through high-quality design, clean code, strong communication, and consistent follow-through. You have deep technical knowledge of firmware design and development methodologies, well-honed debug skills across multiple FW components and a collaborative can-do attitude to ensure timely enablement and delivery of critical x86 firmware components. You are comfortable influencing without authority, balancing technical depth with pragmatism, and holding yourself and others accountable for delivery. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES : Technical Ownership & Delivery Own the end to end delivery of firmware features or projects, from scoping and design through implementation, unit testing, validation, documentation, and release; drive architectural and design decisions, author and review design specifications and technical proposals. Act as the primary technical owner for assigned areas, ensuring correctness, robustness, and long term maintainability; debug and resolve complex, cross component issues in pre silicon and post silicon environments, by leveraging simulation and emulation tools. Leadership & Influence Lead by influence : drive alignment, set technical direction, and unblock execution across teams; set a high bar for engineering excellence, development discipline, and quality across the team. Mentor and guide junior and mid level engineers through design reviews, code reviews, and day to day technical coaching. Execution & Cross Team Collaboration Partner with program managers, architects, validation, and other firmware teams to identify dependencies, risks, and execution gaps; proactively track progress, surface issues early, and drive them to closure, balancing short term delivery needs with long term technical health. Leverage a wide range of tools for source control, compilation and debugging, as well as AI-enhanced development and debugging techniques. PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS : Strong experience across the full firmware development lifecycle : design, implementation, debug, validation, and maintenance. Hands-on experience / proficient in C programming language, with knowledge of hardware architectures, debuggers and compilers. Hands-on experience with industry standards and protocols, i.e. SPI, eSPI, I2C / I3C, UART, USB, Memory Training, and PCIe. Background in x86 architecture, UEFI, coreboot, RTOS, or similar firmware environments. Experience working in pre silicon environments (emulation, simulation, or bring up). Demonstrated ability to lead technical initiatives or features with clear ownership and accountability; prior experience mentoring or technically leading other engineers while remaining an individual contributor. Experience writing and reviewing technical documentation and design specifications; experience with source control systems such as git. Ability to work independently under tight deadlines, responding to changing technical needs; highly responsive with excellent communication and interpersonal skills; foundational knowledge of Python and AI-based development tools. ACADEMIC CREDENTIALS : Bachelors or Masters degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or equivalent. Onsite / Hybrid : This is a hybrid role (at least 3 days onsite a week) in the AMD Markham office. #LI-TB1 #LI-Hybrid 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.THE ROLE : The x86 firmware engineering team is responsible for enabling x86 AMD SOCs used in gaming, datacenter, embedded products, and consumer products. We are looking for a hands on Technical Lead (MTS) within the Platform Firmware Organization, responsible for end to end ownership and delivery of critical firmware. This role is designed for an experienced developer who wants to lead through influence, technical depth, and execution, while remaining a strong individual contributor. You will work closely with architects, program leadership, and cross functional engineering teams on all the aspects of firmware development – defining the scope, driving design and implementation, managing interdependencies, and ensuring successful delivery of firmware features and capabilities for AMD APUs and CPUs. This role carries clear ownership for outcomes – quality, schedule, and technical direction, while mentoring and guiding other engineers to raise overall execution standards; this group is spread across a wide range of geographies with whom you will be collaborating on a day-to-day basis. THE PERSON : You are a technically strong, self-driven engineer who takes ownership and steps into leadership when ambiguity exists. You enjoy solving complex problems, driving alignment, and helping teams execute effectively. You lead by example –through high-quality design, clean code, strong communication, and consistent follow-through. You have deep technical knowledge of firmware design and development methodologies, well-honed debug skills across multiple FW components and a collaborative can-do attitude to ensure timely enablement and delivery of critical x86 firmware components. You are comfortable influencing without authority, balancing technical depth with pragmatism, and holding yourself and others accountable for delivery. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES : Technical Ownership & Delivery Own the end to end delivery of firmware features or projects, from scoping and design through implementation, unit testing, validation, documentation, and release; drive architectural and design decisions, author and review design specifications and technical proposals. Act as the primary technical owner for assigned areas, ensuring correctness, robustness, and long term maintainability; debug and resolve complex, cross component issues in pre silicon and post silicon environments, by leveraging simulation and emulation tools. Leadership & Influence Lead by influence : drive alignment, set technical direction, and unblock execution across teams; set a high bar for engineering excellence, development discipline, and quality across the team. Mentor and guide junior and mid level engineers through design reviews, code reviews, and day to day technical coaching. Execution & Cross Team Collaboration Partner with program managers, architects, validation, and other firmware teams to identify dependencies, risks, and execution gaps; proactively track progress, surface issues early, and drive them to closure, balancing short term delivery needs with long term technical health. Leverage a wide range of tools for source control, compilation and debugging, as well as AI-enhanced development and debugging techniques. PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS : Strong experience across the full firmware development lifecycle : design, implementation, debug, validation, and maintenance. Hands-on experience / proficient in C programming language, with knowledge of hardware architectures, debuggers and compilers. Hands-on experience with industry standards and protocols, i.e. SPI, eSPI, I2C / I3C, UART, USB, Memory Training, and PCIe. Background in x86 architecture, UEFI, coreboot, RTOS, or similar firmware environments. Experience working in pre silicon environments (emulation, simulation, or bring up). Demonstrated ability to lead technical initiatives or features with clear ownership and accountability; prior experience mentoring or technically leading other engineers while remaining an individual contributor. Experience writing and reviewing technical documentation and design specifications; experience with source control systems such as git. Ability to work independently under tight deadlines, responding to changing technical needs; highly responsive with excellent communication and interpersonal skills; foundational knowledge of Python and AI-based development tools. ACADEMIC CREDENTIALS : Bachelors or Masters degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or equivalent. Onsite / Hybrid : This is a hybrid role (at least 3 days onsite a week) in the AMD Markham office. #LI-TB1 #LI-Hybrid

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.