Principal Technical Program Manager, Hardware Engineering

About us 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 a diverse set of 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 enjoys a culture of continuous learning and constant innovation.    Job Summary  We are seeking an experienced Network Program Manager to lead cross-functional programs focused on next-generation AI networking infrastructure, optical connectivity, and hyperscale datacenter technologies.  This role combines technical depth in networking and optical interconnect technologies with strong program leadership across engineering, operations, suppliers, manufacturing, and deployment organizations. The ideal candidate will drive alignment between network architecture, hardware development, optical connectivity suppliers, and the state of being operation-ready to ensure scalable, high-performance AI infrastructure delivery.  The person selected for this position brings strong experience managing complex networking programs involving high-speed interconnects, optical transceivers, silicon photonics, and hyperscale datacenter ecosystems.   This role requires close collaboration with network architects, systems engineers, AI infrastructure teams, suppliers, and manufacturing partners throughout the product lifecycle.   The Team The System Engineering Program Management team is responsible for driving cross-functional execution and delivery of next-generation AI compute and networking systems across the full product lifecycle. The team partners closely with architecture, hardware, networking, software, operations, and supply chain organizations to coordinate complex engineering programs, align technical and business priorities, manage dependencies and risks, and ensure scalable, high-quality system deployment for Graphcore’s AI infrastructure platforms.    Responsibilities and Duties Lead cross-functional network infrastructure programs from concept through deployment and operational readiness  Coordinate engineering execution across networking, optical connectivity, systems hardware, operations, manufacturing, and supplier teams  Drive program schedules, technical milestones, dependency tracking, risk management, and executive reporting  Partner with network architecture and hardware engineering teams on development and deployment of high-speed network solutions  Lead supplier engagement and roadmap alignment for optical connectivity and networking infrastructure components  Coordinate qualification, validation, and production readiness activities for networking and optical technologies  Support deployment and scaling of AI datacenter networking infrastructure including high-bandwidth optical interconnect solutions  Align networking technology roadmaps with operational scalability, supply chain resilience, quality, and cost objectives  Collaborate with hyperscale datacenter customers, ecosystem partners, and industry standards organizations where required  Facilitate collaboration across geographically distributed engineering and operations teams  Drive issue escalation and cross-functional resolution for complex technical and operational challenges  Support continuous improvement initiatives for networking deployment processes and infrastructure program execution    Candidate Profile Essential: Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in Engineering, Physics, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related technical discipline  Proven experience in technical program management, product management, or engineering leadership within networking, optical connectivity, or datacenter infrastructure environments  Strong understanding of AI and hyperscale datacenter networking technologies  Experience with high-speed optical interconnect technologies   Experience leading cross-functional programs involving hardware, software, networking, operations, and supplier organizations  Proven ability to manage external supplier relationships and drive technical roadmap alignment  Experience coordinating product lifecycle activities from architecture and development through qualification and deployment  Strong communication and stakeholder leadership skills across executive, engineering, and external partner organizations  Experience operating within fast-paced, highly technical infrastructure environments    Desirable Knowledge of networking protocols and infrastructure technologies including Ethernet, PCIe, UCIe, RDMA, RoCEv2, or related high-performance interconnect technologies Experience with silicon photonics, optical compute interconnects, or co-packaged optics technologies Familiarity with AI networking architectures and large-scale GPU/accelerator cluster infrastructure Knowledge of hyperscale datacenter operations and network fabric deployment Experience collaborating with organizations that develop technical standards such as IEEE, OIF, PCI-SIG, or related consortiums Background in supplier sourcing strategy, manufacturing ramp, or operational scaling Experience supporting networking infrastructure for AI or HPC platforms Understanding of advanced networking telemetry, optical diagnostics, or infrastructure resiliency strategies This role sits at the intersection of AI infrastructure, networking innovation, and large-scale systems execution. The successful candidate wil