--- title: 'Director, Sustaining Engineering at Graphcore' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/director-sustaining-engineering-graphcore-milpitas-hp5nj92q8k71' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-10-27' --- # Director, Sustaining Engineering at Graphcore - **Company:** Graphcore - **Location:** Milpitas, CA - **Posted:** 2026-10-23 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-27 - **Apply:** https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/graphcore/jobs/8735050002 ## Job description The Team The Sustaining Engineering team supports deployed systems and associated data centre infrastructure, with a focus on reliability, serviceability, availability and continuous improvement. The team works closely with product development, data centre operations, manufacturing, quality, sourcing and supplier teams to understand field performance, identify systemic issues and drive effective corrective actions. Bringing together expertise across failure analysis, hardware systems, firmware and software, data engineering and quality, the team provides advanced technical support for complex issues and turns operational insight into measurable product and reliability improvements. ## Responsibilities and Duties - Lead and develop the Sustaining Engineering function, setting direction, priorities, operating rhythms and success measures for the team. - Build, manage and coach a multidisciplinary engineering team spanning failure analysis, systems engineering, firmware and software support, data engineering and quality-related disciplines. - Own the advanced technical support path for complex deployed-system issues, ensuring effective triage, root cause analysis, containment, corrective action and communication. - Establish and continuously improve processes for failure reporting, analysis, corrective action and prevention across deployed infrastructure. - Partner with engineering, operations, manufacturing, quality, sourcing and suppliers to resolve recurring hardware, firmware, software and system-level reliability issues. - Use fleet telemetry, service data, repair information and failure-analysis outputs to identify trends, quantify impact and prioritise engineering improvements. - Drive effective feedback loops from deployed-system performance into design, validation, manufacturing, supplier quality and serviceability improvements. - Define requirements for tools, workflows, laboratory capability and data infrastructure needed to support effective sustaining engineering operations. - Develop scalable approaches to failure analysis, including laboratory processes, equipment strategy, external specialist support and effective handling of returned materials. - Establish metrics and reporting that provide clear visibility of reliability trends, issue status, corrective actions, risks and operational performance. - Ensure effective collaboration across sites and functions, creating alignment around priorities, ownership and technical decisions. - Represent sustaining engineering in cross-functional reviews, technical discussions and operational forums, ensuring reliability and field-performance considerations inform decision-making. - Translate operational learning and technical analysis into strategic recommendations that improve the quality, reliability and supportability of Graphcore systems. Candidate Profile Essential: - Experience leading sustaining engineering, reliability engineering, failure analysis, hardware systems engineering, data centre infrastructure engineering or a closely related technical function. - Strong understanding of deployed-system reliability, root cause analysis, corrective action, serviceability and lifecycle improvement for complex hardware-based systems. - Experience building and leading multidisciplinary engineering teams, including developing managers, technical leads and senior individual contributors. - Ability to operate at both strategic and detailed technical levels, translating operational data and engineering analysis into clear priorities and action plans. - Experience working across hardware, firmware, software, operations, quality, manufacturing, sourcing and supplier teams to resolve complex technical issues. - Strong analytical capability, with experience using telemetry, quality data, service data and failure-analysis outputs to identify trends and support engineering decisions. - Demonstrated ability to establish scalable engineering processes and drive continuous improvement across complex systems and organisations. - Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence across functions and communicate complex technical issues clearly. - Ability to create structure in ambiguous situations, make well-informed decisions and drive issues through to measurable resolution. - Strong people leadership skills, with an emphasis on clear direction, coaching, accountability and effective collaboration. Desirable: - Experience with large-scale data centre compute, server, storage, networking, power or cooling infrastructure. - Experience with failure reporting, analysis and corrective action systems or equivalent structured reliability processes. - Familiarity with fleet telemetry, asset management, service management, data platforms or analytics systems used to support reliability and operational insight. - Experience defining or scaling failure-analysis laboratory capability, including equipment, processes, external specialist support and supplier engagement. - Knowledge of supplier quality engineering, manufacturing quality, field quality or returned-material analysis. - Experience with statistical analysis, quality methods or engineering analysis tools used in root cause investigation and continuous improvement. USA Benefits In addition to a competitive salary, Graphcore offers flexible working and a comprehensive benefits package designed to support your health, wellbeing and financial future. Our benefits include medical, dental and vision coverage, Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs), Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), disability and life insurance, a 401(k) retirement plan, commuter benefits, wellness services and an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP). We welcome people of different backgrounds and experiences; we're committed to building an inclusive work environment that makes Graphcore a great home for everyone. We offer an equal opportunity process and understand that there are visible and invisible differences in all of us. We can provide a flexible approach to interview and encourage you to chat to us if you require any reasonable adjustments. ## About Graphcore ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: Graphcore designs and builds the Intelligence Processing Unit (IPU), a processor purpose-built for machine intelligence, and provides a complete AI compute stack from silicon to software. - **Entity Type**: Private (wholly owned subsidiary of SoftBank Group Corp as of 2025/2026) - **Headquarters**: Bristol, England, UK - **Founded**: 2016 - **Founders**: Nigel Toon and Simon Knowles ## Core Business - **Primary industry**: AI hardware/accelerators, semiconductor design, AI software platform - **Target customers**: Cloud providers (Microsoft Azure), enterprises, AI researchers, hyperscalers - **Mission statement**: “Let innovators create the next breakthroughs in machine intelligence to enhance human potential” ## Products & Services - **[IPU (Intelligence Processing Unit)](https://www.graphcore.ai/)**: A processor designed from the ground up for machine intelligence workloads; uses a massively parallel architecture (MIMD) with fine-grained compute and on-chip memory. - **[IPU-Machine M2000](https://www.graphcore.ai/about)**: Second-generation IPU platform – a 1U server appliance housing 4 MK2 GC200 IPU processors, delivering an 8× performance uplift over the first generation. - **[C2 IPU Accelerator PCIe Card](https://www.graphcore.ai/about)**: PCIe form factor accelerator for server integration, first demonstrated at ICML 2018. - **[Poplar Software Stack](https://www.graphcore.ai/)**: Full SDK and framework integration (PyTorch, TensorFlow) that lets developers target the IPU directly. ## Market Standing - **Valuation/Market Cap**: Acquired by SoftBank Group Corp (amount undisclosed); prior to acquisition valued at $2.77 B (Series E, lead by Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board). - **Key Metric**: Total funding raised prior to acquisition – over $680 M across Series A through E. - **Notable Investors/Partners**: SoftBank (owner), Microsoft (customer and investor), BMW, Samsung, Dell Technologies, Bosch, Sequoia Capital, Atomico, Fidelity, Baillie Gifford, Ontario Teachers’. - **Growth Signals**: Part of the fast-growing SoftBank AI ecosystem; expanding teams globally (Bristol, London, Cambridge, Gdańsk, Hsinchu, Bengaluru); first customer (Microsoft Azure) live since 2018. ## Competitive Advantages - **First purpose-built AI processor**: The IPU architecture is fundamentally different from GPUs – designed specifically for the sparse, parallel nature of neural network computation. - **Full stack ownership**: Graphcore controls silicon, system hardware, and software (Poplar), enabling tight optimisation across the entire compute chain. - **Cloud + on‑prem availability**: IPUs are available in the cloud on Microsoft Azure and as hardware from Dell, giving customers flexible deployment options. - **Strong IP and ecosystem**: 99+ engineering staff; deep expertise in semiconductor, systems, and AI software, backed by long-term SoftBank investment. ## Strategic Focus - **Scale AI infrastructure**: Delivering key technology into SoftBank’s global AI ecosystem and expanding the IPU platform to meet growing demand for AI compute. - **Expand into new regions**: Opening offices and hiring in India (Bengaluru) and across Europe (Gdańsk, London, Cambridge) to accelerate R&D and customer support. - **Democratise AI**: Continuing to lower the barrier for machine intelligence by providing accessible, high-efficiency hardware and software for innovators worldwide. ## Why Work Here - **Flexible hybrid work**: Employees are expected on-site three days a week, with trust and flexibility to balance work and life. - **Comprehensive benefits**: Unlimited annual leave, private medical insurance (UK), dental & health cash plan, income protection, life assurance, pension matched up to 5%, generous parental leave, and a personal development plan. - **Culture and growth**: ML reading groups, board game socials, book clubs, yoga, running, watersports, team events; strong DE+I initiatives; ambitious but supportive environment. - **Perks**: Free barista‑made coffee, snacks, and wellbeing rooms; cycle‑to‑work scheme; gym membership discount; education/training allowances. - **Purpose-driven work**: Opportunity to shape the future of AI compute and see your contributions used by global innovators. ## Sources 1. [graphcore.ai/about](https://www.graphcore.ai/about) 2. [graphcore.ai/](https://www.graphcore.ai/) 3. [graphcore.ai/careers](https://www.graphcore.ai/careers) 4. [graphcore.ai/jobs](https://www.graphcore.ai/jobs) 5. 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