Graphcore logo

Project Manager

Graphcore·Bristol·Hybrid·Posted 5 days ago

Graphcore is a Bristol-based AI semiconductor company building Intelligence Processing Units, with a UK engineering footprint focused on silicon, software, and post-silicon validation. They're hiring a Project Manager based in Bristol (hybrid). This programme management role sits within the UK's semiconductor sector.

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 diverse backgrounds and bring a broad range of skills and perspectives. We bring together specialists across AI research, silicon design, software engineering and systems to solve complex problems and deliver meaningful impact. 

Job Summary 

Reporting into the Data & Transformation function, the Project Manager is responsible for delivering cross-functional transformation programmes that improve how Graphcoreoperates day to day. The role owns end-to-end delivery of initiatives that shape business processes, ways of working and change around enterprise platforms and operational activities, partnering closely with teams across IT, Finance, People, Operations and external partners to ensure outcomes are delivered in a structured, effective and sustainable way. 

The Team 

The Data & Transformation team delivers programmes that improve business processes, tooling and ways of working across Graphcore. The team focuses on shaping and landing transformation around systems and operational processes, rather than owning the systems themselves. It works across multiple functions to deliver change successfully, balancing operational needs, governance, user adoption and long-term sustainability. The team partners closely with subject matter experts, Business Analysts, technical teams and external vendors to turn business requirements into well-executed delivery. 

Responsibilities and Duties 

  • Own end-to-end delivery of cross-functional projects, including scope, plans, milestones, dependencies, risks, assumptions, issues and decisions. 
  • Establish and run effective project governance, including delivery cadences, status reporting, change control, clear ownership and decision tracking. 
  • Coordinate delivery from initiation through go-live and stabilisation, covering planning, execution, testing, user acceptance, cutover and hypercare. 
  • Partner with Business Analysts and subject matter experts to translate agreed requirements and process designs into executable delivery plans. 
  • Drive alignment across internal teams and third-party partners, resolving blockers, managing dependencies and maintaining momentum against agreed outcomes. 
  • Define delivery milestones, acceptance criteria and readiness checkpoints to support high-quality implementation and controlled release. 
  • Ensure change is landed effectively through communication planning, training coordination, operational readiness and adoption tracking. 
  • Support post-go-live follow-through, including defect triage, prioritisation, lessons learned and continuous improvement activity. 
  • Ensure changes are landed in a supportable way, with clear ownership, operating processes, documentation and service expectations agreed with the relevant teams where appropriate. 
  • Work with stakeholders to ensure delivery plans appropriately consider access controls, security, auditability and policy or compliance requirements. 
  • Manage vendor and partner deliverables where required, ensuring expectations, responsibilities, timelines and dependencies are clearly understood. 
  • Produce clear project artefacts and updates that enable informed decision-making and transparent communication across stakeholders. 

Candidate Profile 

Essential 

  • Proven experience delivering cross-functional business systems and operational change initiatives, including implementations, migrations, integrations or significant process change. 
  • Strong project management fundamentals, including planning, dependency management, risk and issue management, governance and stakeholder communication. 
  • Experience coordinating delivery across technical and non-technical teams through testing, go-live and stabilisation. 
  • Ability to work effectively in a delivery model that includes Business Analysts or equivalent partners responsible for detailed requirements and process analysis. 
  • Strong written communication skills, with the ability to produce clear and effective plans, status updates, RAID logs and decision records. 
  • Experience using modern delivery tools such as Jira and Confluence, or comparable platforms. 
  • Strong organisational skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities and keep delivery on track in a fast-moving environment. 
  • Strong collaboration and relationship-building skills, with the confidence to work across multiple functions and with external partners. 

Desirable 

  • Experience delivering change across enterprise domains such as Finance, People systems, IT service management, procurement, workplace systems or identity and access management. 
  • Experience planning and coordinating data migration, cutover activity and operational transition for enterprise systems. 
  • Familiarity with security and access control concepts, including role-based access, least privilege and joiner, mover, leaver processes. 
  • Experience working in environments with policy, audit or regulatory considerations. 
  • Experience working on multi-vendor delivery programmesorganisational integration initiatives or large-scale business change. 
  • Interest in, or experience with, AI-enabled workflow improvements and business system integrations. 
Graphcore logo

About Graphcore

Graphcore is a Bristol-based AI semiconductor company founded in 2016 by serial semiconductor entrepreneurs Nigel Toon and Simon Knowles. Toon previously led XMOS and Picochip, while Knowles co-founded Element14 (acquired by Broadcom) and Icera (acquired by NVIDIA for $435M). The company developed Intelligence Processing Units (IPUs), novel AI accelerators designed from the ground up for machine learning workloads, alongside the proprietary Poplar graph programming framework. Graphcore raised $767M in total funding, reaching a $2.77B valuation, with backing from Sequoia Capital, Atomico, Amadeus, Microsoft, and others. In July 2024, SoftBank Group acquired Graphcore for approximately $500M to $600M. The company continues to operate from Bristol with plans to expand its UK headcount to 750.

Stage: AcquiredBristol
View Graphcore profile →