Lead Engineer, Data Center Electrical

About the job

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Whether you’re designing next-gen processors, enabling AI breakthroughs, or bringing leading edge products to market, every role at AMD contributes to something bigger — technology that moves the world forward. Join us and, together, we’ll advance your career.

THE ROLE
AMD is seeking a Lead Engineer, Data Center Electrical to provide technical leadership for the electrical design and validation of large-scale AI data centers. This is a grid-to-chip role: you will assess utility and onsite power interfaces, substations, medium- and low-voltage distribution, backup systems, and the final connection to GPU racks.
You will develop reusable electrical requirements for AMD’s data center Basis of Design (BOD), then evaluate developer designs, construction progress, commissioning evidence, and readiness against those requirements. You will recommend practical solutions that improve GPU capacity, reliability, delivery speed, maintainability, and lifecycle cost.

THE PERSON
The successful candidate will have substantial experience with mission-critical or large-scale electrical infrastructure and sound engineering judgment. Relevant experience may come from owner, operator, developer, consulting, utility, commissioning, construction, or comparable environments. You can model and evaluate power systems, critically assess load and redundancy assumptions, identify failure modes and technical risks, and clearly explain their implications to technical and executive audiences. You collaborate effectively across disciplines while maintaining appropriate engineering rigor.

• KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
• Own the electrical content of AMD’s AI data center BOD, including design criteria, reference single-line diagrams, modular power blocks, and concept through approximately 30% design guidance.
• Translate GPU, server, network, storage, and rack requirements into capacity plans; define measurable peak-load and diversity assumptions with appropriate operating guardrails.
• Validate the power path from utility service or behind-the-meter generation through interconnects, substations, transformers, medium-voltage feeders, low-voltage switchgear, and data hall distribution.
• Assess generators, fuel and startup assumptions, energy storage, UPS and battery options, transfer systems, bypass arrangements, and alternative architectures appropriate to specific workloads.
• Review busways and tap-offs, PDUs and RPPs, breakers, rack PDUs, whips, grounding, metering, and final rack connections; confirm power capacity and configuration at each handoff.
• Review load-flow, short-circuit, protection-coordination, selectivity, grounding, arc-flash, harmonic, and power-quality studies, including the response to dynamic AI loads.
• Evaluate voltage and frequency stability, load-step response, UPS ride-through, generator synchronization, transfer behavior, failure domains, maintainability, and expansion capability.
• Define EPMS telemetry, alarms, metering, and reporting needed to verify capacity, manage diversity limits, and diagnose electrical events.
• Compare developer and OEM proposals for technical fit, equipment availability, cost, constructability, schedule, and impact on GPU capacity; recommend appropriate design variations.
• Validate procurement, factory acceptance tests, installation quality, energization plans, load-bank tests, Level 3–5 commissioning, integrated systems testing, and phased ready-for-service acceptance.
• Identify missing design information, unsupported utility or energization assumptions, equipment lead-time risks, change impacts, and unresolved electrical punch-list items.
• Partner with mechanical, controls, compute, and tenant fit-out teams so electrical capacity and commissioning boundaries align with cooling and GPU deployment phases.
• Prepare concise risk assessments, design-option comparisons, technical hold points, and readiness recommendations for leadership.

• PREFERRED EXPERIENCE
• Experience designing, reviewing, operating, or commissioning medium- and low-voltage electrical infrastructure for hyperscale, AI, HPC, utility, industrial, or other mission-critical facilities.
• Strong knowledge of utility interfaces, substations, transformers, switchgear, busways, UPS systems, generators, batteries, relays, grounding, and rack-level power distribution.
• Experience creating or reviewing electrical BODs, single-line diagrams, calculation packages, equipment specifications, and early-stage design packages.
• Ability to evaluate redundancy, selectivity, power quality, transient performance, and maintenance scenarios using ETAP, SKM, or comparable tools.
• Experience assessing high-density compute load profiles, diversity models, modular capacity blocks, and staged energization or sectional commissioning.
• Familiarity with EPMS integration, behind-the-meter power, microgrids, battery storage, and emerging data center power architectures.
• Experience with developer due diligence, design reviews, construction oversight, vendor submittals, change requests, factory testing, and integrated systems testing.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills with the ability to translate electrical risks and technical tradeoffs into clear decisions related to capacity, reliability, schedule, cost, and operational readiness.
• Candidates may bring a combination of these qualifications; experience with every technology or responsibility listed is not required.

• ACADEMIC CREDENTIALS
• Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, Power Systems Engineering, a related technical field, or equivalent relevant experience.
• Master’s degree and/or Professional Engineer license are preferred where relevant to the responsibilities of the role.
• Equivalent experience delivering large-scale data center, utility, industrial, or mission-critical electrical infrastructure will be considered.

This role is not eligible for visa sponsorship.

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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.