Staff SoC Architect

Graphcore; West of England; On-site; GBP 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working

Generous leave

Retirement planning support

Phantom equity

On-site barista and free food

Income protection and life assurance

Electric Vehicle Scheme

Flexible benefits

Job summary

Graphcore is seeking a Staff SoC Architect in Bristol to translate product requirements into specifications for high‑performance silicon. You’ll own sub‑system architecture, modelling, validation and evaluation, and you’ll connect early design choices with practical implementation to support AI acceleration platforms.

You’ll assess third‑party IP, work with vendors, and specify how sub‑systems integrate across the platform.

Qualifications

• A degree in Electronic Engineering, Computer Science or a related subject.
• A solid understanding of computer and SoC architecture.
• Experience writing clear technical specifications.
• Knowledge of RTL development and verification processes.
• The ability to explain design choices clearly and work across engineering teams.
• Confidence working across programming languages, with the initiative to take ownership of technical problems.

Responsibilities

• Translate product requirements into specifications for high-performance silicon devices.
• Own sub-system architecture, modelling, validation and evaluation.
• Assess third-party IP and specify how sub-systems integrate across the platform.
• Contribute to silicon bring-up, characterisation and evaluation.
• Work with cross-functional teams to check implementation correctness.
• Mentor engineers and help others develop their judgement.

Skills

SoC architecture

Technical specifications

Cross-team communication

Ownership mindset

Problem solving

Education

Degree in Electronic Engineering, Computer Science or related

Tools

RTL development

Verification processes

Verilog/SystemVerilog

Hardware debugging

Job description

Shape the high-speed interfaces and silicon sub-systems behind Graphcore’s next AI acceleration platforms.

As a Staff SoC Architect in Bristol, you’ll translate product requirements into specifications for complex, highly integrated, high-performance silicon devices. You’ll own sub-system architecture, modelling, validation and evaluation, connecting early design choices with practical implementation. You’ll help determine how critical components work together, balancing product needs with implementation trade-offs. Those choices will support the specialised compute that lets AI innovators tackle more demanding problems. You’ll assess third-party hard and soft IP, work with vendors and specify how sub-systems integrate across the platform. You’ll also contribute to silicon bring-up, characterisation and evaluation when your expertise is needed.

Your contribution won’t stop at a specification document. You’ll deepen your understanding of AI acceleration by seeing how architectural decisions play out in working silicon.

The team and culture

Reporting to the Director of Silicon Architecture, you will be working with processor, SoC and system architects. Silicon design, verification, hardware and software engineers are partners in evaluating options and checking implementation correctness. You’ll represent the team in cross-functional working groups, making trade-offs clear and speaking up when designs need further scrutiny. You’ll help teams move forward by resolving complex bugs and improving engineering processes. Mentoring engineers will let you share your judgement and help others develop theirs.

What we’re looking for

• A degree in Electronic Engineering, Computer Science or a related subject.
• A solid understanding of computer and SoC architecture.
• Experience writing clear technical specifications.
• Knowledge of RTL development and verification processes.
• The ability to explain design choices clearly and work across engineering teams.
• Confidence working across programming languages, with the initiative to take ownership of technical problems.

While we have outlined a set of requirements, we value transferable skills and diverse experiences. We also welcome engineers returning to the profession after a career break, including through returnship routes.

Benefits

• 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
• Electric Vehicle Scheme: Choose an electric vehicle and lease it through salary sacrifice
• 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.