Graduate Hardware Engineer

Location: Bristol, UK
Salary: £45,000 per annum 
Start date: September 2027
Applications 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 engineering foundations to work on the electronic systems behind Graphcore’s AI compute platforms.

This role spans Hardware Design and Signal Integrity. Depending on your interests, project needs and developing strengths, you could focus on either area or work across both. You’ll build broad board-level engineering skills while developing deeper expertise.

In Hardware Design, you could develop circuits, select components, create schematics and work with PCB layout through review, bring-up and validation. Projects may involve digital and analogue circuitry, power sequencing, monitoring, board management or interfaces such as I2C, SPI and GPIO. As you grow, you’ll take ownership of scoped circuits or subsystems through to controlled design release.

In Signal Integrity, you could analyse PCIe and Ethernet links, DDR memory interfaces, clocks and other timing-critical signals. Work may span feasibility studies, PCB stack-up, materials, controlled impedance, routing and layout reviews, alongside pre-layout and post-layout simulation. You’ll compare simulations with laboratory measurements, investigate issues and take increasing ownership of defined analyses and interface reviews.

Your team and support

Hardware Design and Signal Integrity engineers work closely with PCB layout, silicon, validation, firmware, mechanical and thermal engineering, manufacturing and system teams. Together, they turn requirements into buildable hardware and investigate how it behaves in practice.

Staff Hardware Engineers and Team Leads will support you through design reviews, laboratory work and day-to-day collaboration. You’ll learn how the team identifies risks before boards are built and resolves issues during development.

Bring your questions and ideas, explain your reasoning and use evidence to challenge assumptions constructively. Take responsibility for your work and speak up when you spot a problem or need support.

How you’ll learn and grow

During the two-year programme, you’ll develop the judgement to connect circuit design and interconnect behaviour with the performance of a complete board.

You’ll gain experience with tools such as Mentor Expedition for hardware design, and Ansys HFSS and Keysight ADS for electromagnetic and circuit simulation. Comparing models with measurements will help you test hypotheses, understand trade-offs and investigate faults methodically.

Following work through review, implementation, validation and release will help you build confidence in your decisions, document your reasoning and see where you’d like to deepen your expertise.

What we're looking for

• A recently completed degree, or one you’re due to complete, in Electronic Engineering, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Computer Engineering, Physics or a closely related technical discipline
• Strong analogue and digital electronics foundations, with an interest in hardware design or signal integrity and how complete systems and interconnects behave
• A logical, first-principles approach to unfamiliar problems and structured debugging, demonstrated through practical engineering work
• The ability to use measurements or technical data to test a hypothesis and explain your conclusions, with clear communication, curiosity and willingness to take ownership and learn from feedback

You can demonstrate these skills through a final-year project, laboratory work, placements, internships, personal or team projects, Formula Student, robotics, engineering societies or other relevant experience. Tell us what you built or investigated, how you approached it and what you learned.

Your interests might include schematics, PCBs, component selection, bring-up, validation, test or fault finding; or transmission lines, impedance, reflections, crosstalk, simulation and electronic measurement. Previous professional experience with the named tools is not required.

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 Hardware Engineer role, with two years of hands-on learning through the Graphcore Graduate Programme. Apply now and help shape what comes next.