Principal Software Architect

<h2><strong>About Graphcore&nbsp;</strong></h2> <p>Graphcore&nbsp;is one of the world’s leading innovators in Artificial Intelligence compute. &nbsp;</p> <p>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. &nbsp;</p> <p>As part of the SoftBank Group,&nbsp;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.  &nbsp;</p> <p>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 enjoys a culture of continuous learning and constant innovation.<br><br></p> <h2><strong>Job Summary</strong>&nbsp;</h2> <p>We are looking for a Principal Architect to define and drive the architectural vision of the software stack for the Graphcore ML accelerator.</p> <p>In this role, you will shape the architecture of our software ecosystem and maintain a deep understanding of the product’s hardware and software components, their interfaces, and how they interact.</p> <p>You are an excellent communicator, and you proactively convey the software architecture.</p> <p>You bring a pragmatic, trade-off-aware approach to decision-making, fully recognising the impact of architectural choices on product direction and engineering outcomes.&nbsp;</p> <h2><strong>The Team</strong>&nbsp;</h2> <p>The software architecture team is responsible for defining, maintaining and communicating the overarching architecture of our software stack, from firmware to ML frameworks.</p> <p>The team works within the wider software organisation, partnering closely with engineering teams who deliver against this architectural vision.&nbsp;</p> <h3><strong>Responsibilities and Duties</strong></h3> <ul> <li>Define &amp; document the software architecture of the software stack. &nbsp;</li> <li>Work across different software domains to ensure a coherent end too end architecture.</li> <li>Clearly communicate the software architecture to engineering teams.</li> <li>Ensure teams understand key software architectural components, interfaces, and guiding principles.&nbsp;</li> <li>Continuously maintain the software architecture as the product evolves. Communicate architectural changes proactively to all relevant stakeholders.&nbsp;</li> <li>Stay informed about trends and developments in the ML/software ecosystem.</li> <li>Assess the architectural impact of new technologies.</li> <li>Be aware of the usability, performance, reliability, maintainability, testability, security and observability constraints on the software architecture.&nbsp;</li> <li>Prototyping and validating architectural concepts through proof-of-concept implementations.&nbsp;</li> <li>Contribute to future and/or related product definitions with a forward-looking mindset, understanding and communicating the impact of future direction on software architecture.&nbsp;</li> <li>Work with the HW and Silicon architects to ensure product the needs of software stack.&nbsp;</li> <li>Ensure the software architecture meets the product requirements. &nbsp;</li> <li>Work closely with engineering, product, leadership, and partners to ensure alignment between business goals and architectural direction.&nbsp;</li> </ul> <h2><strong>Candidate Profile</strong></h2> <h3><strong>Essential:</strong></h3> <ul> <li>Expertise in one or more of these technologies; Firmware, Drivers, ML frameworks (PyTorch, Triton, etc), Collectives, HPC, Tooling, C &amp; C++, CPU architectures.</li> <li>Technical expertise in the ML accelerator software space.</li> <li>Excellent communication skill, both written and verbal.&nbsp;</li> <li>Collaborative mindset and ability to influence.&nbsp;</li> <li>Pragmatic approach to decision making, being very aware of trade-offs and implications.&nbsp;</li> </ul> <h3><strong>Desirable</strong></h3> <ul> <li>Demonstrable experience in a previous architecture role.&nbsp;</li> </ul> <p><strong>Benefits</strong></p> <ul> <li> <p>In addition to a competitive salary, Graphcore offers flexible working, a generous annual leave policy, private medical insurance and health cash plan, a dental plan, pension (matched up to 5%), life assurance and income protection. We have a generous parental leave policy and an employee assistance programme (which includes health, mental wellbeing, and bereavement support). We offer a range of healthy food and snacks at our central Bristol office and have our own barista bar! 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.</p> <p><em>Applicants for this position must hold the right to work in the UK. Unfortunately at this time, we are unable to provide visa sponsorship or support for visa applications</em></p> </li> </ul>