Cost Engineer

About the job Build the product engineering capability that protects yield, quality and cost at manufacturing scale. As Director of Product Engineering, you will lead how Graphcore products move through launch and high volume production. You will recruit and develop a team focused on semiconductor and PCBA manufacturing performance. Your work will shape yield, quality and cost across chip manufacturing, test, PCBA and system level production. You will give teams the data, standards and direction needed to solve hard production problems. You will work with OSATs, test engineering, manufacturing, quality, data engineering and analytics teams. You will define best practice for data collection, correlation, dashboards and self-service manufacturing insight. This role suits a leader who combines technical depth with team building. You will set the standard for product engineering across Graphcore’s manufacturing lifecycle. The team and culture You will join the Product Test and Diagnosis team within Manufacturing Operations. The team spans Bristol, Cambridge, India, the US and Taiwan. Work happens through clear technical ownership, fast issue resolution and strong links to manufacturing partners. You will lead by setting direction, removing ambiguity and building capability across locations. Decisions are grounded in production data, engineering judgement and accountability for outcomes. The team values leaders who think big, act fast and speak up when quality or yield needs action. What we're looking for · Extensive semiconductor product engineering, test engineering or manufacturing engineering capability · Proven people leadership experience, including hiring and building teams across geographies · Strong understanding of semiconductor, PCBA and system level manufacturing and testing · Deep statistical analysis skills, including SPC, DOE, regression, hypothesis testing and six sigma methods · Proven ability to analyse large manufacturing datasets using Python, SQL, JMP or similar tools · Success driving yield, quality and cost improvements in high volume production While we have outlined a set of requirements, we value transferable skills and diverse experiences. If you meet most of our essential criteria, we encourage you to submit an application and showcase how your background makes you a strong candidate. Benefits · Flexible working: Balance your work and personal life with greater flexibility · Generous leave: Take time to rest, recharge and enjoy life outside of work · 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 · 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 have the legal right to work in the UK. Unfortunately, we are unable to provide visa sponsorship or support visa applications for this role. Join the Team at Graphcore Graphcore is one of the world’s leading innovators in Artificial Intelligence compute. It is developing hardware, software and systems infrastructure that will unlock the next generation of AI breakthroughs and power the widespread adoption of AI solutions across every industry. 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. Together, they share a bold vision: to enable Artificial Super Intelligence and ensure its benefits are accessible to everyone. Graphcore’s teams are drawn from diverse backgrounds and bring a broad range of skills and perspectives. A melting pot of AI research specialists, silicon designers, software engineers and systems architects, Graphcore brings together deep expertise to solve complex problems and deliver meaningful progress in AI compute. If you want to build the product engineering team behind manufacturing excellence, we’d love to hear from you. Apply now to help Graphcore improve product performance at scale.

About Us Axelera AI is not your regular deep-tech startup. We are creating the next-generation AI platform to support anyone who wants to help advancing humanity and improve the world around us. In just four years, we have raised a total of $370 million and have built a world-class team of 220+ employees (including 49+ PhDs with more than 40,000 citations), both remotely from 18 different countries and with offices in Belgium, France, Switzerland, Italy, the UK, headquartered at the High Tech Campus in Eindhoven, Netherlands. We have also launched our Metis™ AI Platform, which achieves a 3-5x increase in efficiency and performance, and have visibility into a strong business pipeline exceeding $100 million. Our unwavering commitment to innovation has firmly established us as a global industry pioneer. Are you up for the challenge?   Position Overview You’ll be a key contributor within the Silicon Product Engineering team, supporting new product introduction (NPI) and volume production lifecycle activities for Axelera AI’s advanced semiconductor products. Working closely with Test Engineering, Design, Operations, and Sales, you will help ensure our silicon reaches customers on schedule, to specification, and at competitive cost. This is a hands-on technical role, well suited to an engineer who thrives on data, is comfortable navigating both internal teams and external vendors, and wants to make a direct impact on product quality and production efficiency at a fast-growing AI hardware company.   Key responsibilities: NPI & Volume Production Support • Support Product Engineering throughout the NPI process and ongoing volume product lifecycle • Collect, analyse, and report test data to track product performance and manufacturing health • Provide regular yield monitoring reports and identify opportunities for test coverage improvement • Assist Test Engineering with test time reduction analysis and cost reduction initiatives   Product Qualification • Support Product Qualification planning and test scheduling in line with JEDEC and MIL standards • Manage external qualification service vendors, tracking progress and ensuring schedule adherence • Provide internal status reports on qualification activities to Product Engineering, Operations, and stakeholders • Work with DFT, Silicon Design, and Test Engineering teams to support qualification plans and define test requirements   Characterisation & Datasheet Support • Plan and execute silicon characterisation activities to validate performance across process, voltage, and temperature (PVT) corners • Provide product characterisation data and technical support for product datasheet content   Quality & RMA Management • Manage RMA investigations and produce structured 8D failure reports • Provide clear feedback on field failures and quality issues to Product Engineering, Operations, and Sales • Support understanding of Product Failure Analysis techniques to drive root cause resolution   Qualifications: Necessary • Minimum 3 years of direct experience in semiconductor IC manufacturing • Degree in Electronics, Electrical Engineering, or a related discipline (or equivalent industry experience) • Hands-on experience with data analysis, yield reporting, and production LOT status monitoring • Strong verbal and written communication skills with the ability to provide regular, structured updates to the Product Engineering Manager • Ability to work independently on defined objectives and manage time across concurrent activities • Willingness and ability to travel to vendor or supplier sites in the UK, USA, Europe, and Asia as required   Preferred • Familiarity with test data collection and statistical analysis tools such as JMP or YieldHUB • Experience supporting a semiconductor IC qualification programme (JEDEC/MIL) • Understanding of silicon and package qualification techniques • Experience with semiconductor IC test, including ATE environments • Understanding of product failure analysis techniques   Success in the First 12 Months: • Active and effective contributor to at least one NPI programme, with test data and yield reports delivered on schedule • External qualification vendors engaged and managed, with qualification activities progressing to plan • Silicon characterisation data collected and fed into product datasheets • RMA investigation and 8D reporting process established and running smoothly • Strong working relationships built with Test Engineering, Design, and Operations teams   Location: This role is an on-site / hybrid position at our Bristol (UK) office.   What we offer This is your chance to shape and be part of a dynamic, fast-growing, international organization. We offer an attractive compensation package, including a pension plan, extensive employee insurances and the option to get company shares. An open culture that supports creativity and continual innovation is awaiting you. Collaborative ownership and freedom with responsibility is characteristic for the way we act and work as a team.   At Axelera AI, we wholeheartedly embrace equal opportunity and hold diversity in the highest regard. Our steadfast commitment is to cultivate a warm and inclusive environment that empowers and celebrates every member of our team. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds to join us in shaping the future of AI.