Director, GPU Compilers

Samsung Semiconductor; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 222,000 - 365,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical

Dental

Vision

Life insurance

401(k)

Free onsite lunch

Employee purchase program

Tuition assistance

Paid time off

Wellness incentives

Job summary

Samsung Austin Research and Development Center (SARC) and Advanced Computing Lab (ACL) are seeking a Director of GPU Compilers to lead a team delivering compiler software for Samsung GPUs, integrated with Samsung SOCs. You will drive annual backend updates to address new optimizations, hardware features, and front-end/back-end collaboration.

Responsibilities include technical leadership, back-end optimizations, performance and power improvements, and coordination with architecture and senior

Qualifications

• 15+ years of experience with a relevant degree, or 13+ with a Master’s, or 11+ with a PhD.
• 10+ years leading software engineering teams delivering system-level software.
• In-depth understanding of compiler back-end technology and experience building or enhancing at least 2 different compilation systems.
• Strong experience with modern C++ and Python.
• Practical experience developing JIT compilers or compilers for shader languages.
• Knowledge of OpenGL/OpenGL-ES, OpenCL, SPIRV.
• Compiler development for mobile architectures is highly preferred.
• Knowledge of Android ecosystem is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership by researching compilers and related tech.
• Implement register allocation, instruction scheduling, graphics-specific optimizations, SIMD-related control flow, and code placement optimizations.
• Apply classic machine-independent optimizations on low-level IRs.
• Optimize applications to reduce execution time, memory usage, or power usage.
• Lead annual planning for next-generation hardware support, including effort estimation and cross-functional negotiation with architecture and engineering leads.
• Present team objectives, key results, and progress summaries to senior leadership.
• Coordinate with peer teams, architecture leads, and senior management to align priorities.
• Hold regular one-on-one and team meetings to review status and priorities.
• Document and submit team-generated IP for protection after major releases.
• Conduct annual performance reviews and mentor engineers.
• Recognize strong performance and support engineers’ professional development.

Skills

Leadership

Compiler back-end

C++

Python

JIT compilers

Shader languages

OpenGL/OpenGL-ES/OpenCL/SPIRV

Mobile GPU compiler

Android ecosystem

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science/Computer Engineering

Master’s degree

PhD

Job description

Position Summary

Samsung, a world leader in advanced semiconductor technology, is founded on a simple philosophy – the endless pursuit of excellence will create a better world for all. At Samsung Austin Research and Development Center (SARC) and Advanced Computing Lab (ACL), we are building a center of excellence for Intellectual Property (IP) that is applied to high-performance computing devices consumed by millions of people around the world. Come build with us!

Position Summary

Samsung, a world leader in advanced semiconductor technology, is founded on a simple philosophy – the endless pursuit of excellence will create a better world for all. At Samsung Austin Research and Development Center (SARC) and Advanced Computing Lab (ACL), we are building a center of excellence for Intellectual Property (IP) that is applied to high-performance computing devices consumed by millions of people around the world. Come build with us!

Role And Responsibilities

The Director of GPU Compilers manages a team of engineers to deliver compiler software for Samsung GPUs, which are packaged as a part of Samsung SOC’s. This team only supports a common back end, which translate intermediate representations into machine language. In this role, you will ensure the compiler is updated on an annual basis to address the needs of new optimizations, new hardware features, new front-end features that require back-end support, and improving correctness.

• Provide technical leadership by researching advances in compilers, software engineering, graphics, and related disciplines, and translating them into improvements to the compiler back end through prototyping, open-source contributions, AI-assisted tools, and supervised engineering experiments.
• Implement register allocation, instruction scheduling, graphics-specific optimizations, SIMD relevant control flow, and code placement optimizations
• Apply classic machine independent optimizations, preferably on low-level IRs
• Optimize applications to reduce execution time, memory usage, or power usage
• Lead the annual planning process for next-generation hardware support, including effort estimation and cross-functional negotiation with architecture and engineering leads.
• Present team objectives, key results, and periodic activity summaries to senior leadership.
• Coordinate and communicate regularly with peer teams, architecture leads, and senior management to align priorities and share progress.
• Hold regular one-on-one and team meetings to review status, maintain focus on priorities, and report progress up the management chain.
• Document and submit team-generated intellectual property for protection following major releases.
• Conduct annual performance reviews and deliver feedback to each team member.
• Recognize strong performance and support each engineer’s professional development through regular coaching and mentorship.

Skills And Qualifications

• 15+ years of experience with a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science/Computer Engineering/relevant technical field, or 13+ years of experience with a Master’s degree, or 11+ years of experience with a PhD
• 10+ years of experience managing software engineers who produced system-level software (compiler, operating systems, etc.)
• Must have an in-depth understanding of compiler back-end technology and experience building or enhancing at least 2 different compilation systems
• Sufficient experience with modern C++ and Python to read and understand code
• Practical experience developing JIT compilers or compilers for shader languages
• Knowledge of OpenGL/OpenGL-ES, OpenCL, SPIRV
• Compiler development for mobile architectures is highly preferred
• Knowledge of Android ecosystem is a plus

Our Team

The System Software team is part of SARC/ACL GPU Software Development organization, focused on designing and developing cutting-edge graphics hardware and drivers to deliver a world-class mobile graphics experience. As the first to bring Ray Tracing and console-quality graphics to the mobile platform, we collaborate closely with leading game engine providers to push boundaries, innovate across key differentiating areas of Samsung’s power- and performance-optimized GPU IP, and redefine the mobile gaming experience for users worldwide.

At SARC/ACL, you will work alongside a diverse global task force with cross-functional impact, contributing to multiple stages of the technology development cycle and seeing your work in real-world products. Here your bold ideas are encouraged, learning always happens, and teamwork fuels our innovation.

Total Rewards

At Samsung – SARC/ACL, base pay is one part of our total compensation package and is determined within a range. This provides the opportunity to progress as you grow and develop within a role. The base pay range for this role is between $221,700 and $364,800. Your actual base pay will depend on variables that may include your education skills, qualifications, experience, and work location. This is an exempt position, which is not eligible for overtime pay under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

• medical
• dental
• vision
• life insurance
• 401(k)
• free onsite lunch
• employee purchase program
• tuition assistance (after 6 months)
• paid time off
• wellness incentives
• and many more.