Hardware Validation & Debug Engineer

Graphcore; Bristol; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working

Generous leave

Pension match

Job summary

Graphcore is seeking a Validation and Debug Engineer to validate high‑speed interfaces and prove silicon and platforms under real product conditions. You will own hands-on lab validation, focusing on SerDes, PCIe Root Complex and Ethernet, tuning links and diagnosing issues to drive decisions across teams.

You will collaborate with Architecture, Silicon, Hardware and Firmware engineers, taking ownership of bring-up and issue resolution with data-informed testing and clear communication.

Qualifications

• Hands-on hardware validation experience with board bring-up and subsystem debugging.
• Experience validating Ethernet, PCIe Root Complex and SerDes systems.
• Proficient with lab instrumentation (oscilloscopes, BERT, VNA/TDR, PCIe analyzers).
• Ability to debug signal integrity and protocol-level issues to root cause.

Responsibilities

• Own hands-on validation and debug in the lab focusing on SerDes, PCIe Root Complex and Ethernet.
• Tune links, investigate failures and translate lab findings into engineering decisions.
• Drive bring-up and issue resolution across silicon, hardware, firmware and architecture teams.

Skills

Hardware validation

Ethernet validation

PCIe/SerDes debugging

Lab instrumentation

Root cause analysis

Signal integrity analysis

Independent problem solving

Tools

Oscilloscopes

BERT systems

VNA/TDR equipment

PCIe protocol analyzers

Job description

Debug the high-speed interfaces that decide whether advanced AI systems perform in the real world.

As a Validation and Debug Engineer, you will help prove Graphcore silicon and platforms work across real product conditions. You will build deep knowledge of our devices, boards and system behaviour.

You will own hands-on validation and debug in the lab, focused on SerDes, PCIe Root Complex and Ethernet. Your work will help resolve complex issues across silicon, hardware, firmware and architecture teams.

This role is for someone who enjoys getting close to the hardware. You will tune links, investigate failures and turn difficult lab findings into clear engineering decisions.

The team and culture

You will work closely with Architecture, Silicon Engineering, Hardware Engineering and Firmware. Progress comes through practical evidence, clear communication and fast problem solving.

The team expects ownership without daily oversight. You will drive bring-up, debug issues and help teams reach decisions based on data.

You will be trusted to speak up when something is unclear or risky. The best ideas can come from anyone close to the problem.

What we’re looking for

• Strong hands-on hardware validation experience, including board bring-up and subsystem debug
• Experience validating and debugging Ethernet, PCIe Root Complex and SerDes systems
• Confident use of lab instrumentation, including oscilloscopes, BERT systems, VNA/TDR equipment and PCIe protocol analysers
• Ability to debug signal integrity, protocol-level and interface issues through to root cause
• Experience with PCIe bring-up, LTSSM analysis, link training, equalization tuning and interoperability testing
• Ability to work independently, take responsibility and drive issue resolution across teams

While we have outlined a set of requirements, we value transferable skills and diverse experiences. If you meet most of our essential criteria, we encourage you to submit an application and showcase how your background makes you a strong candidate.

• Flexible working: Balance your work and personal life with greater flexibility
• Generous leave: Take time to rest, recharge and enjoy life outside of work
• Retirement planning support: Up to 5% matched pension
• Phantom equity: Share in Graphcore’s success
• Workplace experience: Enjoy thoughtfully designed office spaces for collaboration, with free food and an on-site barista to support your day
• Peace of mind protection: Income protection and life assurance to provide financial security for you and your loved ones
• Flexible benefits: Tailor your benefits package with a choice of additional options, including private medical insurance and dental cover
• Optional benefits: Dental cover, health cash plan, private medical insurance, cycle to work scheme, give as you earn

We welcome people from all backgrounds and experiences and are committed to building an inclusive environment where everyone can do their best work.

We’re an equal opportunity employer and recognise that everyone brings different strengths and perspectives. If you need any adjustments during the interview process, just let us know - we’re happy to support you.

Sponsorship

Applicants must have the legal right to work in the UK. Unfortunately, we are unable to provide visa sponsorship or support visa applications for this role.

Join the Team at Graphcore

Graphcore is one of the world’s leading innovators in Artificial Intelligence compute. It is developing hardware, software and systems infrastructure that will unlock the next generation of AI breakthroughs and power the widespread adoption of AI solutions across every industry.

As part of the SoftBank Group, Graphcore is a member of an elite family of companies responsible for some of the world’s most transformative technologies. Together, they share a bold vision: to enable Artificial Super Intelligence and ensure its benefits are accessible to everyone.

Graphcore’s teams are drawn from diverse backgrounds and bring a broad range of skills and perspectives. A melting pot of AI research specialists, silicon designers, software engineers and systems architects, Graphcore brings together deep expertise to solve complex problems and deliver meaningful progress in AI compute.

If you want to help validate the hardware foundations of next-generation AI compute, we’d love to hear from you. Apply now to join Graphcore.

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We take pride in our commitment to creating an inclusive and diverse workplace. As part of our recruitment process, we ask for confidential diversity data from all applicants. This data will be anonymised so that no personal identification information will be collected, and is retained for statistical purposes only and is not attached to your application. Your responses to the following three questions will remain confidential and will not impact or be used in any way in regards to your application. We are only using this data to improve our hiring process to be inclusive of all diversity backgrounds.

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