---
title: 'Senior Director, System Software at Graphcore'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/senior-director-system-software-graphcore-bristol-4nmmhxkw6e00'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-11-03'
---

# Senior Director, System Software at Graphcore

- **Company:** Graphcore
- **Location:** Bristol, United Kingdom
- **Posted:** 2026-10-28
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-11-03
- **Apply:** https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/graphcore/jobs/8883200002

## Job description

## About the job

Lead the system software organisation that turns complex hardware platforms into reliable Graphcore systems. As Director of System Software, you will report to the VP of Software and turn software strategy into clear priorities, plans and outcomes. You will lead the teams delivering firmware, drivers, OpenBMC and system software QA. Your work will shape platform bring-up, production release and long-term support across Graphcore systems. You will align technical decisions with business priorities, delivery milestones and product readiness. You will build a strong engineering organisation, developing managers, technical leaders and engineers. You will own execution, quality and cross-functional delivery across hardware, silicon, software and product teams.

This is a role for a leader who can think big, act fast and take responsibility for complex system outcomes.

The team and culture

System Software works close to the hardware, where small decisions can shape product reliability at scale. The team operates through clear ownership, evidence-based planning and direct technical debate. You will lead managers and specialists across firmware, drivers, OpenBMC and QA. Decisions are made through engineering judgement, clear trade-offs and a strong focus on delivery impact. You will be expected to speak up, challenge assumptions and help resolve issues across hardware and software boundaries. Pace matters, but so do maintainability, security and long term quality.

## What we’re looking for

- A strong track record leading system software teams across closely coupled hardware and software programmes.
- Experience managing managers or multiple technical teams, with clear ownership of delivery outcomes.
- Proven ability to build, coach and develop engineering leaders through change and technical uncertainty.
- Strong judgement across planning, resourcing, dependencies, risk and production release readiness.
- Experience embedding validation, automated testing, hardware-in-the-loop testing and clear release criteria.
- Credible technical breadth across firmware, drivers, OpenBMC, QA or related low-level software domains.

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.

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 lead the system software organisation behind Graphcore’s next generation platforms, we’d love to hear from you. Apply now to be part of the journey.

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.

## 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. [builtin.com/company/graphcore](https://builtin.com/company/graphcore)

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