Staff Hardware System Test Engineer

About the Position

Staff Hardware System Test Engineer

Bristol, UK; Cambridge, UK

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Build the test systems that help deliver AI hardware at production scale.

As a Staff Hardware System Test Engineer, you'll develop manufacturing test solutions for complex compute systems. Your work will help ensure products reach customers with the quality and reliability expected from Graphcore.

You'll shape how hardware is tested across Host Processor Modules, server blades, and multi-node racks. The tools, test content, and diagnostics you create will directly influence manufacturing efficiency and product quality.

You'll develop test software, design test approaches, and solve challenging hardware issues. You'll work closely with hardware, firmware, software, and manufacturing teams to improve test coverage and diagnose problems quickly.

This role offers broad technical scope across silicon, boards, systems, software, and manufacturing. You'll have the opportunity to influence engineering decisions and raise technical standards across the organisation.

Responsibilities

• Develop manufacturing test solutions for high-performance servers, accelerators (GPU-class), or comparable large-scale compute hardware.
• Design test software and approaches to ensure product quality and reliability.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to improve test coverage and diagnose hardware issues.
• Define effective manufacturing test coverage and lead complex debug/root-cause analysis.
• Work with internal software/firmware/platform teams to enable testability and diagnosability.
• Use Linux, OpenBMC, and vendor-specific test tools to test hardware in lab and manufacturing environments.
• Build reliable test infrastructure and integrate heterogeneous test content using scripting and automation (e.g., Python, Bash).

Requirements

Essential:

• Significant experience developing and deploying manufacturing test solutions for high-performance servers, accelerators (GPU-class), or comparable large-scale compute hardware.
• Strong technical leadership as an individual contributor, with experience owning substantial technical workstreams and collaborating across multiple teams without direct line management responsibility.
• Strong technical understanding across silicon, board, and system design sufficient to define effective manufacturing test coverage and lead complex debug/root-cause analysis.
• Strong cross-functional collaboration skills, with experience working with internal software/firmware/platform teams to enable testability and diagnosability.
• Hands-on experience using Linux, OpenBMC, and vendor-specific test tools, diagnostics, and system-level utilities to test hardware in lab and manufacturing environments.
• Strong software engineering skills with scripting and automation (e.g., Python, Bash, or similar), including building reliable test infrastructure and integrating heterogeneous test content.

Desirable:

• Familiarity with rack-scale/multi-node systems, high-speed interconnects, and production qualification of complex assemblies.
• Experience improving manufacturing KPIs (yield, test time, false fail reduction) through data-driven test optimisation and robust statistical/diagnostic approaches.
• Knowledge of open-source tools commonly used for manufacturing test, system bring-up, and hardware diagnostics.
• Experience designing testability/diagnosability features into products (e.g., telemetry, self-test hooks, debug interfaces) in partnership with design teams.

We Offer

• Unlimited annual leave
• Up to 5% matched pension
• Phantom equity – share in Graphcore’s success
• True flexibility in how and where you work
• Office spaces designed for collaboration
• Free food and an on-site barista
• Health cash plan
• Income protection
• Life assurance
• Along with other benefits you can choose from (private medical insurance, dental plan etc)

About the Company

Graphcore is building the compute platform for the next generation of artificial intelligence. From advanced silicon to intelligent software, our technology is designed to unlock breakthroughs in AI and bring its benefits to every industry.

As part of the SoftBank Group, we’re backed by one of the world’s most ambitious technology investors, working alongside companies shaping the future of AI. Together, we share a bold goal: to help enable artificial superintelligence and ensure it delivers meaningful impact at a global scale.

At Graphcore, you’ll work with people who are pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. Our teams bring together AI researchers, chip designers, software engineers and systems experts from a wide range of backgrounds. It’s an environment where we take on big challenges with curiosity and focus, move quickly and decisively, take real ownership of our work, and speak up to challenge ideas, stepping up to support each other and lead through action.

If you enjoy solving complex hardware challenges and want to influence how advanced AI systems are tested and delivered, we'd love to hear from you. Apply now to join Graphcore.