Staff Manufacturing Product Engineer

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. 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  

As a Staff Manufacturing Product Engineer, you will be working closely with the Graphcore Design and Test Engineering teams, Quality and Supply Chain Management in support of NPI development and volume production. You will work with Design Engineering to ensure product is manufacturable and with Supply Chain to identify suitable suppliers. You will work closely with the contract manufacturers to provide day to day manufacturing support as well as continuous improvements in manufacturing capabilities, quality and yield. 

You will develop an understanding of Graphcore products and link the manufacturing processes to key product performance metrics. You will be expected to understand, analyse and develop relevant manufacturing KPIs and metrics and be comfortable with the use and development of leading-edge data analysis tools. 

The Team 

The role will be as part of the Manufacturing Technology team at Graphcore. This team is part of the Manufacturing Operations department and has members in Bristol, Cambridge and Taiwan. The team is responsible for developing and maintaining robust manufacturing processes at the wafer foundry, package assembly and PCBA subcontractors based in Taiwan.  

Key Responsibilities

• Provide input into the hardware design team to ensure optimum manufacturability and ensure timely and focussed DfM feedback to the PCB and system design teams.  
• Understand the capabilities of the contract manufacturer and ensure good alignment between their capabilities and the hardware design.  
• Work closely with the Contract Manufacturer to identify and drive improvement activities in L6 assembly 
• Investigate, research and develop new and novel technologies for next generation products with suppliers.  
• Work with the quality team to drive yield improvements and partake in activities internally and externally at L6 and L10 system assembly partner(s) 
• Manage external engineering relationships at our manufacturing partners during NPI and the early stages of volume manufacture 
• Expert in L6 and L10 manufacturing methods and able to provide expert support in volume manufacture to understand and resolve issues as and when they arise.  
• Drive data analysis methods and requirements for volume production data 
• Work closely with product engineering and quality to drive system quality improvements 
• Support customer engagements as required 
• This position will require travel to Taiwan. Other global travel may be necessary to sub suppliers and customers. 

Essential Skills: 

• Strong fault diagnosis, problem solving and failure analysis skills, eg ICT to SMT debug 
• Extensive experience and expertise in PCB assembly and test processes (L6)  
• Practical experience in the assembly and test of complex PCBAs either in-house or at a Contract Manufacturer 
• Working knowledge of L10 mechanical design, system build; ideally for HPC products 
• Understanding of manufacturing execution and engineering data collection systems 
• Ability to understand the interaction between silicon, package and PCB assembly in order to provide DfM feedback to design teams and optimise manufacturing yield 
• Experience and demonstrable knowledge of continuous improvement methodologies employing tools such as DMAIC, SPC and DoE, and with lean six sigma methods 
• Ability to work on own initiative as well as in cross functional and cross regional teams by employing strong interpersonal skills 
• Experience in working with leading edge suppliers in Semiconductor Manufacture, PCB Manufacturer and Contract Manufacturers 
• Degree level education in electronic or mechanical engineering, manufacturing, or related subject 

Desirable 

• Green Belt accreditation 
• Understanding of advanced node wafer fabrication technologies as well as package assembly processes 
• Knowledge of advanced packaging technologies such as 2.5D and 3D integration, large copper pillar flip chip packages, advanced thermal management solutions etc