Director, Post-Silicon Validation
Job description
Director of Post Silicon Validation at Graphcore, leading the Bristol team responsible for bringing up new AI SoCs and validating them to production quality. The role reports to the Senior Director of Post Silicon Validation and spans silicon, firmware, and platform levels.
At a glance
- Employment
- Full-time · Employee (employment agreement)
- Work mode
- Remote · Bristol
What you'll do
- Manage, develop and grow the Post Silicon Validation team in Bristol
- Play a significant role in the definition, planning and execution of chip bringup activities
- Develop and refine the overall post-silicon validation approach for AI SoCs, ensuring reliable and timely delivery of validated silicon, architectural correctness, feature robustness, and at-scale system reliability
- Drive cross-domain debug and issue resolution, leading investigation and resolution of complex issues spanning silicon, firmware, operating systems, and platform interactions
- Work closely with design, software, and validation teams to align on quality objectives and debug priorities
- Encourage the use of emulation, prototyping, and large-scale validation infrastructure to improve coverage and reduce time to debug
- Foster a culture that values learning, transparency, and improvement in validation methods, automation, and analysis
- Provide clear and concise updates on validation progress, risks, and quality indicators to executive teams and key partners
- Contribute to product readiness assessments and roadmap decisions
What we're looking for
- Building and running high performing teams
- A systems thinker, comfortable working across hardware, software, and integration boundaries
- A collaborative leader who builds trust and alignment across diverse teams
- Skilled in technical problem solving and debugging complex post-silicon issues
- A clear communicator who can simplify complexity and support sound decision-making in fast-paced environments
- Committed to developing people and promoting an inclusive, high-performing team culture
- Bachelor's degree in Electronic Engineering or equivalent
- 20+ years in silicon, system, or platform validation, including 10+ years in technical leadership
- Proven experience leading post-silicon validation and bring-up for complex SoCs (AI, GPU, or CPU)
- Strong understanding of SoC architecture, coherency protocols, power management, and interconnects
- Expertise in debug tools, DFT infrastructure, and validation automation frameworks
- Proficient in C/C++, Python, and Linux-based environments
Nice to have
- Master's degree
- Experience with large-scale validation clusters
Your team
Post Silicon Validation
A relatively new team with a strong remit, growing quickly to help Graphcore bring up new silicon quickly and effectively.
Benefits
- Competitive salary
- Flexible working
- Generous annual leave policy
- Private medical insurance and health cash plan
- Dental plan
- Pension
- Life assurance and income protection
- Generous parental leave policy
- Employee assistance programme (health, mental wellbeing, and bereavement support)
Apply
Direct apply at Graphcore
Opens the job posting at Graphcore
About Graphcore
A globally recognized leader in Artificial Intelligence computing systems
Graphcore designs advanced semiconductors and datacentre hardware that provide the specialized processing power needed to drive AI innovation, while delivering the efficiency required to support its broader adoption. 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.
Mission
Working to enable Artificial Super Intelligence and ensure that its benefits are accessible to everyone
Key facts
- Artificial Intelligence computing systems / semiconductors
- Part of the SoftBank Group
- Designs advanced semiconductors and datacentre hardware for AI
- Developing a next-generation large-scale system-on-chip (SoC) for AI compute
What they value
- Inclusive work environment
- Equal opportunity