Vates is a French software company specializing in virtualization, offering a credible alternative to proprietary solutions on the market. Our Vates VMS solution enables companies to manage their IT infrastructures in a simple, efficient, and controlled way.

As Hardware Compatibility Lead, you own the design and evolution of the Hardware Compatibility List (HCL) for XCP-ng.

Your mission is to define, build, and operate a structured HCL system that becomes the reference for hardware compatibility across the platform.

Your responsabilities:

Own the Hardware Compatibility Program

-Define and maintain the roadmap for the HCL system

-Align priorities with product, engineering, alliances, and support

-Identify gaps in coverage, validation depth, and tooling

-Drive improvements in compatibility quality and system reliability

-Ensure alignment with product strategy and release cycles

Design and Operate the 3-Level HCL Model

-Define and maintain the Certified / Verified / Compatible model

-Ensure consistent rules, data quality, and lifecycle across all tracks

-Balance vendor, internal, and community validation sources

-Define governance for acceptance, review, and publication

Lead and Perform Validation Activities

-Actively contribute to hardware validation (servers, storage, networking, accelerators)

-Support certification efforts with vendors when applicable

-Improve regression and compatibility testing practices

-Use and shape early-stage tooling through real-world validation work

Build the HCL Ecosystem

-Develop relationships with hardware vendors and technology partners

-Work with alliances to expand coverage and engagement

-Define processes for collecting and validating compatibility data

-Integrate feedback from customers and the open-source community

Drive the HCL Platform

-Define data model and workflows behind the HCL system

-Work with engineering teams to prioritize and deliver platform features

-Contribute directly to implementation when needed

-Ensure the platform becomes the trusted source of compatibility information

Coordinate Across Stakeholders

-Align engineering, product, alliances, support, vendors, customers, and community contributors

-Facilitate discussions and drive decisions

-Communicate progress, risks, and trade-offs clearly

-Build alignment without relying on formal authority

Required Skills :

-Can run a cross-team program from end to end: roadmap, priorities, and the calls on what gets validated and when. Builds alignment without having formal authority over the people doing the work.

-Knows how to build and keep working relationships with hardware vendors and partners (joint validation, lab access, certification), not just run tests in a corner.

-Comfortable around an open-source community: gathering and reviewing the results people submit, folding them into the HCL, and working with the Community Manager rather than around them.

-Broad infrastructure background across virtualization, storage (SAN/NAS/HCI) and networking (VLANs, bonding, 10/25/100G). Enough to design test plans and read results critically. Deep hardware or electronics expertise is not the point here.

-Hands-on, not only strategic. At ease with Python/Ansible/Bash, willing to shape the early tooling and write parts of the system until it can stand on its own.

-Reports clearly, in writing and out loud, to technical and non-technical people.

-Fluent English.

Nice to Have :

-Familiar with XCP-ng or Xen-based virtualization.

-Has run a hardware compatibility list, a certification program, or partner/QA engineering before.

-Has worked in an open-source environment.

Why join us?

At VATES, you will find a flexible work environment, a supportive and approachable team, and a role that makes a real impact on a daily basis.

Location :

Our offices are based in Grenoble or Paris, but we operate on a fully remote model to provide greater flexibility and daily work comfort.

You are free to work 100% remotely or come on-site occasionally, depending on your preferences.

Benefits :

-Meal vouchers

-Health insurance coverage funded at 50% by the company

-Benefits provided by the Works Council (employee discounts, cinema tickets, etc.)

-Employee savings plan (PEE)

-Profit-sharing scheme

-Annual bonus

-100% remote work

As part of our diversity and inclusion policy, this position is open to all candidates, regardless of gender.

We are looking for a technical and cross-functional professional who is comfortable with infrastructure, virtualization, and hardware environments, and who can bring teams and partners together around a strategic, high-impact project.

We are looking for someone with:
-Bachelor’s degree to a Master’s degree in Computer Science, Systems Engineering, Network & Systems, Computer Engineering, or a related technical field.
-Several years of experience.
-Autonomous and pragmatic. Pulls in the right people (engineering, product, alliances, support, community).

-Player-coach: as happy designing the model as plugging a server in to test it.
-Fluent English.