Failure Analysis Planner & On-site Engineer

Advanced Micro Devices, Inc•Austin, TX

14d•Onsite

About The Position

At AMD, we believe technology can change lives for the better. It can heal us, entertain us, and make us more connected, productive, and understanding of the world around us. And we’re looking for talent who feel the same: people who want to leave the planet better than they found it, those who don’t shy away from humanity’s challenges but are determined to help solve them. AMD is powering the next generation of supercomputing, high-performance computing, cloud, and AI. Whether you’re designing next-gen processors, enabling AI breakthroughs, or creating go-to-market plans, every role at AMD contributes to something bigger — technology that moves the world forward. The Failure Analysis (FA) Planner and On-site Engineer is part of the Board & Component Quality organization and is responsible for planning, coordinating, and monitoring failure analysis and testing activities for RMAs processed at a third-party RMA (return material authorization) recovery and L1 (Level 1) FA center. This role provides on-site technical oversight, ensures timely execution of L1 FA activities, reviews incoming RMA status and FA results, and provides clear shipping disposition to the appropriate AMD Quality Service Center for further L2 FA when required.

Requirements

Strong planning discipline, failure analysis judgment, and the ability to operate effectively in a third-party RMA recovery environment.
Ability to manage priorities, drive execution with limited supervision, communicate clearly with AMD and supplier stakeholders, and make practical disposition recommendations based on product knowledge, and business urgency.
Problem-solving, critical thinking, logical decision-making, and a continuous improvement mindset.
Experience in RMA operations, repair, debug, validation, failure analysis, manufacturing, or quality engineering.
Strong knowledge of PCBA and GPU product diagnostics, failure analysis, debug techniques, and manufacturing processes.
Ability to review failure analysis data, test logs, inspection results, and technical documentation to drive disposition and escalation decisions.
Experience working with contract manufacturers, repair centers, quality teams, and cross-functional technical stakeholders.
Proficiency with RMA tracking, reporting, and documentation tools, including Excel.
Working knowledge of Windows, Linux/Ubuntu, manufacturing test environments, and basic hardware debug workflows.
Ability to read schematics, component datasheets, and board-level documentation.
Experience with server systems, GPU-based platforms, data center infrastructure, and HPC environments.
Familiarity with IPC-A-610 standards and visual inspection criteria.
Experience identifying failure trends, managing escalations, and supporting high-volume RMA operations.
Strong analytical, organizational, and communication skills.
AI/ML workload experience

Responsibilities

Plan and coordinate FA activities for RMAs arriving at the third-party RMA recovery and L1 (level 1) FA center, ensuring priorities, schedules, and execution plans are aligned with AMD business needs.
Perform on-site oversight of RMA intake, incoming inspection, triage readiness, and L1 FA execution to ensure units are handled according to AMD requirements and applicable debug guidelines.
Work closely with the third-party center to obtain timely updates on L1 FA progress, test status, failure symptoms, screening outcomes, and preliminary findings.
Review L1 (Level 1) FA results and, with collaboration of the CQE team, determine the appropriate shipping disposition for each RMA, including routing units to the correct AMD Quality Service Center for further L2 FA when deeper debug is required.
Maintain clear visibility of RMA status, priorities, blockers, aging units, and shipment plans, and escalate execution risks before they impact turnaround time or customer commitments.
Coordinate with AMD Quality Service Centers, RMA Program Management, PLQ (product line quality), CQE (custom quality engineering), logistics, and internal FA stakeholders to ensure accurate disposition, smooth handoffs, and closed-loop communication.
Validate that RMA documentation, failure symptoms, test evidence, pictures, logs, and L1 FA summaries are complete before units are released for shipment or further analysis.
Track and document FA planning decisions, L1 FA outcomes, shipment disposition, and handoff status in the designated AMD database.
Support failure mode classification, repeat-issue identification, and early escalation of abnormal trends observed at the L1 FA center.
Drive continuous improvement of RMA intake, FA planning, L1 FA reporting, disposition logic, shipment readiness, and communication processes with the third-party center.