Graduate Software Engineer - Drivers and Utilities

Location: Bristol, UK
Salary: £45,000 per annum 
Start date: September 2027
Application deadline: Midnight, 29th November 2026 
We encourage you to apply early, as we may close applications before the advertised deadline.

The Graduate Programme at Graphcore

Join Graphcore in a permanent role and start your career with two years of hands-on learning. From day one, you’ll be trusted to take ownership, share your ideas and help shape what we’re creating. You’ll tackle challenging problems alongside a team who support your development and are as excited about your success as you are.

What you’ll work on

Put your coding skills to work at the boundary of hardware and software, helping Graphcore’s platforms perform at their best.

As a Graduate Systems Software Engineer in the Drivers and Utilities team, you’ll help plan, build, test and improve kernel drivers and user space driver libraries.

Your code will support the wider software stack and help engineering teams and customers use Graphcore hardware efficiently and effectively.

You’ll write code to Graphcore standards, create unit tests, review code and manually test changes. You’ll also support our continuous integration system and contribute to technical design discussions, learning how changes are developed, checked and integrated.

Your team and support

Systems Software brings together Firmware, Drivers and Utilities, and System QA. These teams enable the silicon and hardware platforms created across Graphcore.

You’ll work closely with hardware and software colleagues through design discussions, Scrum ceremonies, code reviews and testing. Technical evidence and the needs of the software stack help guide our decisions.

As you find your feet with your buddy’s assistance, you’ll be encouraged to ask questions, challenge existing approaches and share ideas for making things better. Take responsibility for your code, ask questions early and learn from feedback. Speak up when you spot a problem or need support. While we expect more of a learning curve with graduates joining the team, everyone’s contribution is valued and you may find your solutions to our most challenging problems being adopted  – some of our previous graduates' ideas have even been accepted for patent applications in their first year with the company!

How you’ll learn and grow

During the two-year programme, you’ll build your understanding of how hardware and software interact through hands-on work on drivers and libraries.

Writing and testing changes will help you develop your low-level programming skills and learn how to check that your code behaves as intended. Work on continuous integration will show you how automated checks support reliable software development.

Code reviews, design discussions and practical problem solving with hardware and software teams will help you develop your engineering judgement, explain your approach and understand how your work fits into Graphcore’s wider software stack.

What we're looking for

• Experience with low-level software, such as embedded software, device drivers, or a university or personal project
• Basic electronics knowledge, including confidence reading schematics and datasheets
• Introductory coding experience in C, C++ or Python
• Practical Git experience, including branches, pull requests, reviews and merges, and awareness of Continuous Integration systems such as Jenkins
• Bring curiosity about how hardware and software platforms interact, a willingness to take responsibility for your work and openness to asking questions and learning from others

You can demonstrate these skills through coursework, a dissertation, personal or team projects, research, or other relevant experience. Tell us what you built or investigated, how you approached it and what you learned.

Benefits

• Flexible working: Balance your work and personal life with greater flexibility
• 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.

Sponsorship

Applicants must already have the right to work in the UK for the full duration of the programme, without requiring visa sponsorship. We are unable to sponsor work visas for our Early Careers opportunities.

Introduction to Graphcore

At Graphcore, we’re building next generation AI compute: from semiconductors and software to systems at datacenter scale. We are proud to be owned by SoftBank Group and work with other companies in the SoftBank family to deliver AI compute to customers working at the AI frontier. Starting your career here means working alongside people with different backgrounds and expertise, from AI researchers to chip designers and software engineers. You’ll learn from each other, bring fresh ideas and help solve challenging problems together.

How to apply and what to expect 

To apply, answer the application questions below and upload your CV and cover letter. We’ll let you know the outcome of your application by early December at the latest. If successful, you’ll be invited to complete a technical assessment. Candidates who reach the final stage will then be invited to attend in-person assessments in early spring.

Ready to put your learning into practice? Start your career in a permanent Systems Software Engineer role, with two years of hands-on learning through the Graphcore Graduate Programme. Apply now and help shape what comes next.