Director, Support (Bengaluru)

Graphcore Senior Principal AI SoC Validation (Bring-up lead) Graphcore is a globally recognised leader in Artificial Intelligence computing systems. The company designs advanced semiconductors and data centre hardware that provide the specialised processing power needed to drive AI innovation, while delivering the efficiency required to support its broader adoption.   As part of the SoftBank Group, Graphcore is a member of an elite family of companies responsible for some of the world’s most transformative technologies. We are opening a new AI Engineering Campus in Bengaluru which will play a central role in Graphcore's work building the future of AI computing.   We are developing the next generation of AI compute, a large-scale system-on-chip (SoC) designed to power future high-performance AI systems. As the SoC Validation Lead, you will be responsible for enabling pre-production software to run reliably on new silicon quickly and efficiently, before showing that the silicon meets the highest standards of quality, reliability and functionality, ready for production deployment. You will lead a team delivering post-silicon validation across the full AI SoC, working across silicon, firmware, and platform levels. The role requires a deep technical understanding, strong hands-on debug experience, and the ability to collaborate effectively with hardware, software, and systems engineering teams. Key responsibilities * Define and lead post-silicon validation strategy Develop and refine the overall post-silicon validation approach for our AI SoCs, ensuring reliable and timely delivery of validated silicon, architectural correctness, feature robustness, and at-scale system reliability. * Drive cross-domain debug and issue resolution Lead investigation and resolution of complex issues spanning silicon, firmware, operating systems, and platform interactions. Ensure that fixes are effective and sustainable. * Promote collaboration and shared understanding Work closely with design, software, and validation teams to align on quality objectives and debug priorities. Use data-driven insights and clear communication to maintain focus and alignment across teams. * Advance automation and scalable validation Encourage the use of emulation, prototyping, and large-scale validation infrastructure to improve coverage and reduce time to debug. * Support continuous improvement Foster a culture that values learning, transparency, and improvement in validation methods, automation, and analysis. * Engage with leadership and customers Provide clear and concise updates on validation progress, risks, and quality indicators to executive teams and key partners. Contribute to product readiness assessments and roadmap decisions. About you * A systems thinker comfortable working across hardware, software, and integration boundaries. * A collaborative leader who builds trust and alignment across diverse teams. * Skilled in technical problem solving and debugging complex post-silicon issues. * A clear communicator who can simplify complexity and support sound decision-making in fast-paced environments. * Committed to developing people and promoting an inclusive, high-performing team culture. Qualifications * Bachelor’s degree in Electronic Engineering or equivalent; Master’s preferred. * 15 - 20 years in silicon, system, or platform validation, including 5-10 years in technical leadership. * Proven experience leading post-silicon validation and bring-up for complex SoCs (AI, GPU, or CPU). * Strong understanding of SoC architecture, coherency protocols, power management, and interconnects. * Expertise in debug tools, DFT infrastructure, and validation automation frameworks. * Proficient in C/C++, Python, and Linux-based environments; experience with large-scale validation clusters is an advantage. * Excellent communication, collaboration, and stakeholder management skills. Why Join Us This is an opportunity to play a central role in developing an advanced AI compute platform that pushes the boundaries of performance and efficiency. You will be part of a highly skilled and motivated team, working on technology that will have a significant impact across future AI systems.

GitLab is the intelligent orchestration platform for DevSecOps. GitLab enables organizations to increase developer productivity, improve operational efficiency, reduce security and compliance risk, and accelerate digital transformation. More than 50 million registered users and more than 50% of the Fortune 100* trust GitLab to ship better, more secure software faster. The same principles built into our products are reflected in how our team works: we embrace AI as a core productivity multiplier, with all team members expected to incorporate AI into their daily workflows to drive efficiency, innovation, and impact. GitLab is where careers accelerate, innovation flourishes, and every voice is valued. Our high-performance culture is driven by our values and continuous knowledge exchange, enabling our team members to reach their full potential while collaborating with industry leaders to solve complex problems. Co-create the future with us as we build technology that transforms how the world develops software. *Fortune 500® is a registered trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, used under license. Claim based on GitLab data. Fortune 100 refers to the top 20% ranked companies in the 2025 Fortune 500 list, published in June 2025. Fortune and Fortune Media IP Limited are not affiliated with, and do not endorse products or services of GitLab. AN OVERVIEW OF THIS ROLE As Director, Support Engineering for EMEA, you'll manage an experienced, distributed team serving enterprise customers across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Reporting to the Vice President of Support Engineering, you'll own the region's people strategy, operational delivery, and customer support outcomes while building a healthy team that delivers a strong customer experience. You'll bring deep experience managing multi-country teams, operating across time zones, and shaping enterprise technical support in an AI-first environment. As a member of the global Support Engineering management group, you'll work with peer managers across the Americas and Asia-Pacific to improve service delivery, regional coordination, and GitLab's global support strategy. WHAT YOU’LL DO * Manage the full people agenda for the EMEA Support Engineering team, including performance, career development, succession planning, retention, internal mobility, and team culture across multiple countries. * Manage managers and senior contributors across EMEA time zones, setting clear expectations and supporting consistent performance. * Partner with the EMEA People Business Partner on employment considerations across jurisdictions, including Works Council engagement where applicable. * Own regional service-level target performance, customer satisfaction, ticket quality, resolution outcomes, escalation workflows, and reporting against global key performance indicators. * Improve shift handoffs and Request for Help coordination with Product Engineering and Support Engineering hubs in the Americas, Asia-Pacific, and Bengaluru. * Oversee EMEA's adoption and ongoing improvement of GitLab's AI toolchain, working with Support Operations and Strategy on tooling, data insights, capacity planning, and staffing management. * Represent the needs of EMEA customers inside GitLab by identifying field patterns, escalating systemic product issues, influencing the product roadmap, and joining customer or partner conversations that require executive support. * Shape global Support Engineering strategy with peer managers, including geographic coverage, quality standards, knowledge exchange, the operating model, annual planning, headcount modeling, and the regional roadmap. WHAT YOU’LL BRING * Progressive experience in technical support engineering or a related customer-facing technical discipline. * Experience managing managers, senior contributors, and distributed teams through a manager-of-managers structure. * Experience managing multi-country teams in EMEA, with knowledge of employment considerations, cultural differences, and communication across time zones. * A track record of owning service delivery, including service-level target outcomes, escalations, and operational performance in a globally distributed environment. * Experience with or interest in AI-assisted support delivery, with the ability to guide adoption and improve workflows. * Clear written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to work with executives and work with others synchronously and asynchronously. * Proficiency with support platforms such as Zendesk, Salesforce, Decagon, or equivalent tools. * Knowledge of DevSecOps, continuous integration and continuous delivery, Kubernetes, cloud-native infrastructure, or GitLab gained through customer-facing work, platform use, administration, or support operations. ABOUT THE TEAM The GitLab Support Engineering team is distributed across the Americas, EMEA, and Asia-Pacific. The EMEA region represents some of our deepest and most complex enterprise customer relationships. Support Engineers and Managers work on tickets and help GitLab's customers, and they also dig into code and logs to find root causes. Collaboration here is extraordinary. We solve complex problems jointly, participate in pairing sessions and one-to-one meetings, and stay in contact across time zones through deliberate asynchronous habits. HOW GITLAB SUPPORTS FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES * Benefits to support your health, finances, and well-being * Flexible Paid Time Off  * Team Member Resource Groups * Equity Compensation & Employee Stock Purchase Plan * Growth and Development Fund * Parental Leave  Please note that we welcome interest from candidates with varying levels of experience; many successful candidates do not meet every single requirement. Additionally, studies have shown that people from underrepresented groups are less likely to apply to a job unless they meet every single qualification. If you're excited about this role, please apply and allow our recruiters to assess your application. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Country Hiring Guidelines: GitLab hires new team members in countries around the world. All of our roles are remote, however some roles may carry specific location-based eligibility requirements. Our Talent Acquisition team can help answer any questions about location after starting the recruiting process.   Privacy Policy: Please review our Recruitment Privacy Policy. Your privacy is important to us. GitLab is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. GitLab’s policies and practices relating to recruitment, employment, career development and advancement, promotion, and retirement are based solely on merit, regardless of race, color, religion, ancestry, sex (including pregnancy, lactation, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression), national origin, age, citizenship, marital status, mental or physical disability, genetic information (including family medical history), discharge status from the military, protected veteran status (which includes disabled veterans, recently separated veterans, active duty wartime or campaign badge veterans, and Armed Forces service medal veterans), or any other basis protected by law. GitLab will not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on any of these characteristics. See also GitLab’s EEO Policy and EEO is the Law. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know during the recruiting process.