Principal or Senior Principal GPU Hardware Architect – £150,000 – £200,000 + Bonus + Benefits – London/Cambridge

The Opportunity

Bring specialist GPU architecture expertise to demanding modelling and hardware design questions. The work suits a Principal or Senior Principal engineer who enjoys hands-on investigation and can explain the tradeoffs behind a design recommendation.

The technical scope spans three equally important areas: shader core architecture, fixed-function graphics pipeline architecture and ray-tracing hardware. Mobile and desktop graphics are the central workloads; relevant console, automotive and other graphics hardware experience is welcome.

Key Responsibilities

• Contribute to GPU architecture and modelling within an established technical team.
• Build, extend or use architectural models to evaluate hardware ideas, investigate performance and test design assumptions.
• Analyse behaviour and bottlenecks across relevant GPU execution, pipeline or ray-tracing structures.
• Work with architecture and implementation colleagues to refine concepts against engineering results.
• Explain the evidence and tradeoffs behind technical recommendations, collaborating across international engineering teams.

Essential Skills & Experience

You will likely possess:

• Deep understanding of GPU hardware internals, supported by personal architecture, microarchitecture or hardware modelling contributions.
• Strong relevant experience in shader cores, fixed-function graphics pipelines or ray-tracing hardware, with an understanding of ray-tracing operation and its hardware implications.
• Practical architectural or performance modelling experience and the ability to connect model behaviour with hardware design.
• Experience investigating performance and implementation tradeoffs, with clear attribution of your own contribution.
• Strong programming and analytical ability; C++ experience is particularly relevant. Understanding of Vulkan/OpenGL behaviour in relation to GPU hardware is valuable.
• Ability and willingness to work five days each week on site in London or Cambridge.

Desirable Experience

• Low-level GPU design or RTL experience.
• Ray/path tracing algorithms, graphics performance investigation or backend compiler/scheduling work close to hardware.
• Experience across mobile, desktop, console or automotive GPU products.
• Relevant research, patents or publications, alongside practical engineering evidence.

Who This Could Suit

Deep block or pipeline expertise, sound modelling judgement and evidence of resolving difficult architectural tradeoffs; remains an individual contributor. Architectural direction and decisions sit with the existing technical leadership. The emphasis is on direct technical contribution and collaboration with implementation teams.

Package & Benefits

• Base Salary: £150,000 – £200,000
• Annual bonus 
• 33 days annual leave per year INCLUDING UK public holidays
• Group Personal Pension
• Life insurance
• Private medical insurance
• Medical expense claim scheme
• Employee Assistance Program
• Cycle-to-work scheme
• Company sports club and social events
• Additional time off for learning and development
• Octopus EV car/charging scheme; exact arrangement to confirm

Application Process

My client offers a streamlined 3-stage interview process:

• Stage 1: Technical Screening (45 minutes)
• Stage 2: Technical Panel Interview (2 hours 10 minutes)
• Stage 3: HR / Final Discussion

The process can typically be completed within 2-4 weeks, depending on candidate availability.