Principal Test Framework Software Engineer

Graphcore • Austin, TX

8d • Hybrid

About The Position

As Principal Test Framework Software Engineer, you will define and evolve the software architecture used to qualify and validate Graphcore's AI hardware platforms. The role combines hands-on software development with Principal-level technical leadership, creating common frameworks that help engineering teams run reliable, repeatable tests across development, system validation, and production environments.

Working within Test Software and Automation, you will translate hardware requirements into maintainable test solutions, improve the speed and quality of validation, and provide technical direction across hardware, firmware, systems, product, and manufacturing teams.

Requirements

• A bachelor's or master's degree in computer science, electrical engineering, computer engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• Substantial professional experience building software for test automation, validation infrastructure, developer tooling, or related systems, including technical leadership at Principal, Staff, or Lead Engineer scope.
• Strong software development skills in Python and proficiency with Bash or comparable scripting languages.
• Demonstrated success designing modular, scalable, and maintainable frameworks, including stable interfaces, reusable components, configuration management, and automated verification.
• Experience with Linux or Unix environments, Git-based development, continuous integration and delivery pipelines, and software engineering practices for production-quality tools.
• Experience working at the boundary between software and hardware, including hardware test, system validation, or embedded platform environments.
• Strong debugging and systems-thinking skills, with the ability to isolate problems across software, firmware, hardware, networks, and lab infrastructure.
• Ability to turn technical specifications and quality goals into measurable coverage, repeatable tests, and actionable results.
• Proven ability to influence cross-functional technical decisions, mentor engineers, and communicate clearly with technical teams and engineering leadership.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with test orchestration, lab management, hardware farms, scheduling systems, or distributed automation infrastructure.
• Background in AI hardware, server platforms, embedded systems, baseboard management controllers, or related low-level environments.
• Experience integrating automated tests with manufacturing, deployment, or product-release workflows.
• Experience developing test-data pipelines, dashboards, or visualization tools for engineering analysis and quality reporting.
• Familiarity with containerized environments, remote execution, or infrastructure-as-code practices used to manage test systems.

Responsibilities

• Own the architecture and technical roadmap for shared test automation frameworks used in hardware bring-up, qualification, regression testing, and production validation.
• Design and implement framework components, interfaces, configuration models, and reusable libraries that support multiple hardware platforms and test environments.
• Translate hardware specifications, validation plans, and quality requirements into scalable automated test suites with clear coverage and traceability.
• Establish engineering standards for framework reliability, maintainability, versioning, documentation, observability, and test-result integrity.
• Integrate automated testing with continuous integration and delivery pipelines, source control, lab infrastructure, and test orchestration systems.
• Develop tools and data pipelines to collect, process, analyze, and visualize test results so teams can identify failures, trends, and quality risks.
• Lead complex debugging across test software, operating systems, firmware, hardware, and lab environments, and drive issues to technical resolution.
• Improve test execution time, reproducibility, resource use, and validation methods across development and production workflows.
• Partner with hardware, firmware, systems, product, quality, and manufacturing teams to align test coverage with product and business requirements.
• Provide technical guidance, conduct design and code reviews, mentor engineers, and communicate status, risks, tradeoffs, and recommendations to engineering leaders.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision coverage, with options that may extend to eligible dependents.
• Mental health, wellness, and employee assistance resources.
• Retirement savings benefits and company contributions where applicable.
• Paid vacation, sick time, company holidays, and parental or family leave in accordance with applicable plans and policies.
• Life insurance and short-term or long-term disability coverage.
• Flexible working hours and hybrid working arrangements where compatible with the role and team requirements.
• Professional development resources, learning programs, office amenities, and team-led activities.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Principal