Senior Systems Engineer – Performance & Reliability (Analysis)

<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong><span data-contrast="none">About&nbsp;Graphcore</span></strong><span data-ccp-props="{}">&nbsp;</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">At Graphcore, we’re building the future of AI compute.We’re a team of semiconductor, software and AI experts, with deep experience in creating the complete AI compute stack - from silicon and software to infrastructure at datacenter scale.As part of the SoftBank Group, backed by significant long-term investment, we are delivering key technology into the fast-growing SoftBank AI ecosystem.To meet the vast and exciting AI opportunity, Graphcore is expanding its teams around the world.We are bringing together the brightest minds to solve the toughest problems, in a place where everyone has the opportunity to make an impact on the company, our products and the future of artificial intelligence.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 12pt;" data-ccp-props="{}">&nbsp;</span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong><span data-contrast="none">Job Summary</span></strong></span></p> <p class="p1"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">We turn large-scale system measurements into decisions. Our team runs workloads across </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">clusters of machines and collects detailed performance data. The challenge isn’t running the </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">measurements—it’s deciding what they mean, and whether a system is good enough to enter </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">production.</span></p> <p class="p1"><strong><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br>You will work with results from real systems and help answer questions like:</span></strong></p> <ul> <li class="p1"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Is this system behaving as expected?</span></li> <li class="p1"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Is performance stable enough to trust?</span></li> <li class="p1"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Does this meet the criteria to enter production?<br><br></span></li> </ul> <p class="p1"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">This work includes systems engineering and analysis. It involves understanding variability, </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">repeatability, and the differences between signal and noise.</span></p> <p class="p1"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">You won’t be confined to a single role. You may shape measurements, influence how they are run, </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">or improve how results are interpreted. You are free to specialise, but the team is responsible for </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">leaving no gaps.</span></p> <p class="p1"><strong><span style="font-size: 12pt;">This is not a dashboarding or reporting role in the traditional sense. The goal is to produce </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">outputs that support real engineering decisions.</span></strong></p> <p class="p1"><strong><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br>We’re looking for engineers who:</span></strong></p> <ul> <li class="p1"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Think carefully about uncertainty and evidence</span></li> <li class="p1"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Prefer clarity over presentation</span></li> <li class="p1"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Are comfortable challenging conclusions when data is weak</span></li> </ul> <p class="p1"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong><br>Selection criteria:</strong></span></p> <p class="p1"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Our engineers typically bring significant practical experience and sound engineering judgement.</span></p> <p class="p1"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Depth in one area is valued, but the ability to work across boundaries is equally important.</span></p> <p class="p1"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong><br>Essential</strong></span></p> <ul> <li class="p1"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Strong software engineering experience, typically gained across multiple projects or </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">systems over several years</span></li> <li class="p1"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Experience working in<span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><strong>Linux-based environments</strong>, ideally with distributed or high-</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">performance systems</span></li> <li class="p1"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Proficiency in<span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><strong>Python</strong></span></li> <li class="p1"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Experience with<span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><strong>automation and CI/CD systems</strong><span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span>(e.g. GitLab CI, Jenkins, GitHub Actions)</span></li> <li class="p1"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Ability to design, implement, and run experiments or tests that produce meaningful results</span></li> <li class="p1"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Ability to<span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><strong>interpret results and communicate findings clearly</strong>, with an emphasis on </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">accuracy and usefulness to decision-making</span></li> <li class="p1"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Comfortable working in areas where requirements are not fully defined and judgement is </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">required</span></li> </ul> <p class="p1"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Desirable</strong></span></p> <ul> <li class="p1"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Experience working with<span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><strong>large-scale or distributed systems</strong><span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span>(e.g. clusters, cloud </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">platforms, HPC environments)</span></li> <li class="p1"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Experience with performance, reliability, or systems-level testing/measurement</span></li> <li class="p1"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Familiarity with<span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><strong>pytest or similar frameworks</strong><span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span>for structured test/measurement execution</span></li> <li class="p1"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Experience analysing<span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><strong>system behaviour under load</strong><span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span>(compute, network, or ML workloads)</span></li> <li class="p1"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Experience working with containerisation, orchestration, or provisioning systems (e.g. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Docker, Kubernetes, OpenStack)</span></li> <li class="p1"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Proficiency in other applications programming languages (e.g. C++)<span class="s1">7.<span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span></span>Exposure to data analysis, statistics, or interpreting variability in results</span></li> </ul> <p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span data-contrast="none"><span data-ccp-charstyle="normaltextrun"><strong><br>Benefits</strong><br></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">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.</span></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Sponsorship</strong></span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">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.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span data-contrast="none"><span data-ccp-charstyle="normaltextrun"><br></span></span><span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215,&quot;335559685&quot;:425,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:120,&quot;335559991&quot;:425,&quot;469777462&quot;:[720,426],&quot;469777927&quot;:[0,0],&quot;469777928&quot;:[0,8]}">&nbsp;</span></span></p>