Kernel / Linux Development Engineer - TX, Austin, United States
Originally posted 3 February 2026 by the employer. Relisted by the employer on 20 August 2026.
Enable AMD x86-64 architecture features, Linux KVM, and QEMU virtualization in open-source kernels.
About the role
AMD's server software and solutions engineering team is seeking an engineer to join the Linux Kernel and Virtualization development team. You will work on enabling AMD x86-64 architecture features in Linux, designing and developing core CPU and SoC features for the Linux kernel and related open-source projects.
What you'll do
- Enable AMD x86-64 architecture features in Linux and develop core CPU and SoC features for the Linux kernel and open-source projects. - Execute across all phases of software development, focusing on virtualization, memory management, performance, scalability, low-level bringup, and distro interactions. - Build and submit patches to open-source mailing lists and collaborate with external software partners. - Perform Linux kernel debugging across kernel subsystems and virtualization infrastructure.
What you'll need
- Bachelor’s or Master’s in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a closely related field. - 5+ years of experience in systems software development. - Advanced programming skills in C for operating system kernel and systems development. - In-depth knowledge of x86 computing architecture, operating systems concepts, data structures, ACPI, and PCIe. - Understanding of the Linux kernel and related upstream development workflow using git and the GNU toolchain. - Experience with low-level debug tools, emulators, and simulators.
Nice to have
- Track record of contributions to open-source projects, particularly Linux KVM and open-source VMMs such as QEMU. - Exposure to KVM/QEMU, including x86-64 virtualization extensions. - Background in IO and core kernel development.
Skills: Linux Kernel, Virtualization, x86 architecture, open-source, KVM, QEMU
This role has been open 178 days — well above the 66-day median for Systems Software Engineering roles.
Systems Software Engineering · Systems Software
|
Open roles in category
674
|
Median days open
66 d
|
Median salary
$209k
|
See the full market breakdown ▾Category comparison, skills in demand, and who else is hiring
| Metric | AMD | All employers we track in this specialty (674 roles · 70 employers) |
|---|---|---|
| Open roles in this specialty | 58 | 674 |
| Open roles in the wider Software, Firmware & Systems family | 391 | 6302 · 146 employers |
| Median days open | 55 d | 66 d (−11 d vs this employer) |
| Median salary (USD postings) | — | $209k |
Skills observed across this category: Linux Kernel, Virtualization, x86 architecture, open-source, KVM, QEMU
Who's hiring in this category
- Qualcomm · 175 open roles · median 80 d
- NVIDIA · 132 open roles · median 44 d
- AMD (this employer) · 58 open roles · median 54 d
- Mobileye · 23 open roles · median 89 d
- Arm Holdings · 20 open roles · median 123 d
- Broadcom · 19 open roles · median 62 d
How we counted: 674 open Systems Software Engineering (Systems Software) roles from 70 employers tracked in the SemiconductorJobs index, counted 26 Oct 2026. Specialty figures count only roles carrying this exact specialty label, so an employer's related work in neighbouring specialties is not included there — it is counted in the wider Software, Firmware & Systems family row. Figures refresh nightly.