Director, Silicon Verification

Graphcore
Bristol, United Kingdom
3 weeks ago
Job Type
Permanent
Work Pattern
Full-time
Work Location
On-site
Seniority
Director
Education
Degree
Posted
6 May 2026 (3 weeks ago)

Benefits

25 days holiday Pension Private healthcare

About Graphcore

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.

The Team

The Verification team sits within the Silicon Design organisation. We ensure that the RTL delivered by Logical Design and used by Physical Design team implements Graphcore’s architectural needs and meets the company's quality standards. As a Director of Silicon Verification, you will help lead this multi-site organisation, define verification strategies across multiple silicon programs, and drive best in class execution to ensure high-quality, high-performance silicon delivery.

Role Summary

We are seeking a proven leader to help direct Graphcore’s verification strategy and methodologies. This role sets direction for the verification lifecycle including - planning, infrastructure, execution, coverage closure, debug strategy and sign-off for Graphcore’s complex, high performance AI accelerators.

Reporting to the Senior Director of Verification the Director will partner closely with other teams such as Architecture, Logical Design, Physical Design, DFT, Systems as well as Program Management teams to ensure accurate implementation, accelerated debug cycles, high coverage confidence and predictable silicon delivery.


Responsibilities

Leadership & Strategy

  • Define the long-term vision, roadmap and strategy for silicon functional verification across all Graphcore silicon programs.
  • Build, lead, and develop a high performing, globally distributed verification organisation.
  • Establish scalable methodologies, leading edge verification techniques, and best practice processes.
  • Drive automation, tooling and infrastructure evolution to improve productivity and verification quality.
  • Evaluate emerging tools and technologies and drive adoption to deliver competitive advantage.


Technical Ownership

  • Own verification planning, execution and sign off for all RTL blocks and top-level SoCs.
  • Oversee definition of test plans including functional coverage targets. Drive close through prioritisation of test content and coverage signoff. Iterate plans to close verification gaps.
  • Direct debugging strategies, triage processes and root-cause analysis workflows to enhance team productivity.

  • Steer integration of verification technologies including formal methods, simulation acceleration/emulation and system level validation.


Cross Functional Collaboration

  • Ensure high quality feedback to other functions within the Silicon Team.
  • Partner with Architecture to influence and refine specifications for verifiability and risk reduction.
  • Collaborate with Logical Design to align on design intent, architectural corner cases and test scenarios.
  • Work closely with Physical Design and DFT teams to ensure coherent verification of interfaces, timing assumptions and test structures.
  • Lead post-silicon debug alignment where needed, ensuring learning cycles feed back into RTL and verification methodology.


Execution & Delivery

  • Deliver verification sign off on schedule across multiple parallel projects.
  • Guide program risk management, resource planning, milestone creation, and verification budgeting.
  • Drive consistent metrics-based verification management (structural and functional coverage, bug funnels, simulation performance, CI health, etc.).
  • Provide scheduled reports into program management on progress with associated metrics based collaterol.

Essential Skills

  • Demonstrated ability to lead, scale and inspire high performing verification teams.
  • Extensive verification leadership experience within CPU, GPU, ASIC or SoC environments.
  • Deep understanding of modern verification methodologies, flows, and infrastructure.
  • Strong capability in SystemVerilog, Python, C++ and Linux-based workflows.
  • Expertise in diagnosing complex logic issues across RTL, testbench and system level domains.
  • Strong communication, collaboration and stakeholder management skills across global sites.

Desirable Skills

  • UVM and advanced SystemVerilog Assertions (SVA).
  • Experience with assembly languages and compiler toolchains (LLVM, GCC).

    Related Jobs

    View all jobs
    Spotlight

    Semiconductor Test Engineering Team Leader

    Fractile Bristol, United Kingdom
    On-site
    Spotlight

    Senior Processor Architect

    Fractile London, United Kingdom

    Senior Verification Engineer

    Fractile London, United Kingdom
    On-site Clearance Required

    Senior Verification Engineer

    Fractile Bristol, United Kingdom
    On-site Clearance Required

    Verification Engineer

    Fractile Bristol, United Kingdom
    On-site

    Verification Engineer

    Fractile London, United Kingdom
    On-site

    Director, Silicon Logical Design

    Graphcore United Kingdom
    On-site

    Staff SoC Architect

    Graphcore Bristol, United Kingdom
    On-site

    Industry Insights

    Discover insightful articles, industry insights, expert tips, and curated resources.

    Where to Advertise Semiconductor Jobs in the UK (2026 Guide)

    Where to advertise semiconductor jobs UK in 2026: the specialist boards, academic channels and community routes that actually reach IC, fab and EDA talent. The candidate pool is one of the smallest and most specialised in any engineering discipline — spanning IC design engineers, process engineers, fab technicians, EDA tool developers, compound semiconductor physicists and power electronics specialists. General job boards are largely ineffective for semiconductor hiring. The community is tight-knit, highly academic in its roots and concentrated around a small number of university groups, fab facilities and design centres. Specialist boards, academic channels and direct community engagement are the primary sourcing strategies that work. This guide, published by SemiconductorJobs.co.uk, covers where to advertise semiconductor roles in the UK in 2026, how the main platforms compare, what employers should expect to pay, and what the data says about hiring across different role types.

    Semiconductor Jobs UK 2026: What to Expect Over the Next 3 Years

    Semiconductor Jobs UK 2026: roles, salaries and the hiring trends shaping UK semiconductor recruitment over the next three years — what to expect now. Semiconductors are the foundational technology of the modern world. Every smartphone, electric vehicle, data centre, medical device, satellite, and AI accelerator depends on them. And yet for much of the past decade, the strategic importance of semiconductor design and manufacturing was something that governments, investors, and employers took largely for granted — until supply chain crises, geopolitical tensions, and the insatiable compute demands of artificial intelligence made the vulnerability of global semiconductor supply chains impossible to ignore. The response has been significant and sustained. The UK's National Semiconductor Strategy, the US CHIPS Act, the EU Chips Act, and parallel investment programmes across Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan have collectively committed hundreds of billions of pounds to semiconductor research, design, and manufacturing capability. In the UK specifically, that investment is beginning to translate into real hiring — across compound semiconductor manufacturing, chip design, semiconductor equipment, advanced packaging, and the growing ecosystem of fabless design companies that are choosing Britain as their base. For job seekers, the semiconductor jobs market of 2026 represents an opportunity that is more commercially urgent, more geographically distributed, and more technically diverse than at any previous point in the sector's UK history. The roles being created span the full semiconductor value chain — from fundamental materials research and process engineering through chip design, verification, and the software that makes silicon useful. The candidates who will thrive over the next three years are those who understand where that value chain is being built, which technical areas are attracting the most investment, and how to position their skills at the intersection of the sector's greatest needs. This article breaks down what the UK semiconductor jobs market is likely to look like through to 2028 — covering the titles emerging right now, the technologies driving employer demand, the skills that will matter most, and how to position your career at the leading edge of one of the most strategically important technology sectors in the UK economy.