Principal Electrical Engineer

Graphcore is one of the world’s leading innovators in artificial intelligence compute, developing hardware, software, and systems infrastructure to unlock the next generation of AI breakthroughs and support widespread adoption across industries. As part of the SoftBank Group, we share a bold vision to enable advanced artificial intelligence and ensure its benefits are accessible to everyone.

About the role

The Principal Electrical Engineer will be a technical authority within Data Center Engineering, leading the architecture and delivery of safe, resilient, and scalable electrical infrastructure for high-density AI computing environments. This role involves collaborating with internal teams, data center developers, utilities, consultants, and equipment partners to guide projects from early technical studies through design, construction, commissioning, operation, and lifecycle improvement. The successful candidate must reside in, or be willing to relocate to, Austin, Texas. Approximately 10% travel may be required.

The Team

The Data Center Engineering team defines and enables the infrastructure needed to deploy and operate Graphcore’s computing systems at scale. Working across electrical, mechanical, thermal, controls, systems, and operational disciplines, the team collaborates with external engineering and construction partners to deliver reliable, efficient, and maintainable data center environments.

Responsibilities

• Act as the technical authority for electrical engineering across data center infrastructure projects, from the utility or on-site power source through to the IT rack.
• Lead electrical architecture development through conceptual studies, detailed design, construction, commissioning, operation, and lifecycle improvement.
• Develop electrical standards, specifications, reference designs, qualification plans, and acceptance criteria for power distribution and conversion systems.
• Define electrical protection and safety approaches for AC and DC systems, including fault detection, interruption, isolation, grounding, stored energy, insulation monitoring, lockout, and safe maintenance.
• Develop resilient power solutions for highly dynamic AI and high-performance computing loads, including ride-through, short-duration energy buffering, backup generation, energy storage, and utility interconnection.
• Evaluate established and emerging power conversion, protection, control, and energy-storage technologies, making clear recommendations based on safety, reliability, efficiency, and maintainability.
• Lead technical due diligence, design reviews, failure-mode assessments, factory and site acceptance testing, site inspections, and commissioning activities.
• Direct engineering consultants and technology partners, ensuring that designs, calculations, specifications, and construction documentation meet project requirements.
• Develop and manage owner’s project requirements and review consultant deliverables, submittals, requests for information, and proposed technical changes.
• Collaborate with construction partners during the delivery of laboratory and data hall spaces, supporting site reviews, technical issue resolution, and project risk management.
• Partner with teams across IT, silicon, mechanical, thermal, controls, operations, and sustainability to resolve cross-disciplinary design challenges.
• Support operational readiness, incident investigation, and root-cause analysis, identifying practical improvements to reliability, safety, and system performance.
• Engage effectively with authorities, utilities, and relevant industry bodies to support compliant project delivery.
• Maintain current knowledge of developments in AI and high-performance computing infrastructure, electrical equipment, engineering standards, codes, and regional utility requirements.
• Mentor engineers and provide technical guidance across projects without direct people-management responsibility.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, a closely related discipline, or equivalent relevant experience.
• Substantial experience delivering mission-critical electrical infrastructure in hyperscale data centers, colocation facilities, semiconductor facilities, utilities, or comparable high-availability environments.
• Demonstrated ability to lead a significant technical area, make independent engineering decisions, and influence outcomes across multiple disciplines and external partners.
• Deep knowledge of medium- and low-voltage AC systems and high-power DC distribution systems.
• Strong understanding of power electronics and conversion technologies, including rectifiers, inverters, isolated and non-isolated DC/DC conversion, controls, and galvanic isolation.
• Strong knowledge of electrical fault behavior and protection, including grounding, insulation monitoring, selective coordination, interruption, arc hazards, stored energy, and safe maintenance.
• Broad technical knowledge of utility and medium-voltage systems, transformers, switchgear, uninterruptible power supplies, generators, battery energy storage, power distribution units, busway, monitoring, and controls.
• Experience designing electrical interfaces for high-density computing or other highly dynamic mission-critical loads.
• Proficiency with ETAP or SKM PowerTools, together with experience using an electromagnetic-transient or power-electronics simulation environment such as PSCAD, EMTP-RV, PLECS, PSIM, or MATLAB/Simulink.
• Strong familiarity with applicable North American and international electrical requirements, including relevant NFPA, IEEE, IEC, UL, CSA, and local standards.
• Experience directing consultants, reviewing technical deliverables, and supporting construction, testing, and commissioning activities.
• Excellent communication and influencing skills, with the ability to explain complex engineering decisions clearly to technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Sound engineering judgment and the ability to lead cross-functional work in a fast-moving environment with competing priorities.
• Willingness to travel approximately 10% as required.

Preferred Qualifications

• Professional Engineer license or equivalent international professional certification.
• Experience with behind-the-meter generation, microgrids, or other on-site energy systems.
• Experience developing, testing, or deploying high-power DC data center architectures.
• Hands-on experience with emerging transformer, converter, or electrical-protection technologies.
• Experience integrating battery energy storage, supercapacitors, fuel cells, renewable generation, or demand-response capabilities.
• Experience designing Tier III or Tier IV data centers, or infrastructure with comparable availability requirements.
• Participation in relevant industry standards groups or technical forums.
• Experience with reliability engineering, FMEA or FMECA, functional safety, controls, telemetry, or operational-technology cybersecurity.
• Familiarity with engineering and design tools such as Visio, Bluebeam, AutoCAD, or Revit.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision coverage.
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) and Health Savings Accounts (HSAs).
• Disability and life insurance.
• 401(k) retirement plan.
• Commuter benefits.
• Wellness services and an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP).