Senior Test Tool Developer

Graphcore•Austin, TX

About The Position

Reporting into the Hardware Platform organization, the Senior Test Tool Developer is responsible for designing, developing, and maintaining the software tools and automation that enable validation of next-generation AI hardware platforms. The role partners closely with hardware, firmware, diagnostics, and validation engineers to transform hardware specifications into reliable automated test solutions that improve product quality, accelerate debugging, and increase engineering productivity throughout silicon bring-up, validation, and system integration. The Hardware Platform team develops the software infrastructure, automation frameworks, and validation solutions that enable efficient testing of Graphcore's silicon and platform technologies. Working across multiple engineering disciplines, the team supports hardware bring-up, functional validation, characterization, and regression testing while continually improving automation, tooling, and engineering workflows.

Requirements

Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related technical discipline.
Experience developing software in Python, C++, or similar programming languages.
Strong Linux software development experience.
Experience creating automated test frameworks or validation tooling for hardware or embedded systems.
Ability to interpret hardware specifications and convert technical requirements into automated validation solutions.
Experience debugging hardware and software interactions.
Familiarity with Git and modern software development practices.
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to collaborate effectively across multidisciplinary engineering teams.
Ability to work independently while contributing effectively within collaborative engineering environments.

Nice To Haves

Experience validating SoCs or silicon IP.
Familiarity with PCIe, DDR, Ethernet, I2C, SPI, UART, or similar hardware interfaces.
Experience with FPGA validation, silicon bring-up, or hardware emulation environments.
Experience developing automated stress testing and regression infrastructure.
Familiarity with CI/CD systems supporting hardware validation.
Experience working alongside hardware architects and RTL design teams.
Knowledge of hardware diagnostics, telemetry collection, or failure analysis techniques.
Experience working with AI accelerator or high-performance computing hardware platforms.

Responsibilities

Design, develop, and maintain automated test software used to validate silicon, IP blocks, and complete hardware platforms.
Develop low-level hardware tests from architecture specifications, hardware documentation, and design requirements.
Build scalable functional, stress, and regression test suites covering subsystem and system-level validation.
Create reusable software libraries, utilities, and automation frameworks that improve validation efficiency and engineering productivity.
Develop automated workflows supporting silicon bring-up, characterization, regression execution, and manufacturing validation.
Collaborate closely with hardware design, firmware, diagnostics, and validation engineers to convert technical requirements into automated test solutions.
Analyze test results, hardware telemetry, and debug data to identify issues and support root cause analysis.
Investigate and resolve automation failures while continuously improving tool robustness, maintainability, and usability.
Contribute to continuous integration environments and automated validation infrastructure.
Produce clear technical documentation covering tooling, automation frameworks, validation methodologies, and best practices.