At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead the development of a secure secrets-management platform and unify existing systems.
- Company: Join Graphcore, a pioneering AI compute company backed by SoftBank.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, inclusive culture, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Other info: Dynamic team environment with a focus on collaboration and innovation.
- Why this job: Make a real impact in AI while solving exciting technical challenges.
- Qualifications: 4+ years in DevOps or security engineering with experience in HashiCorp Vault.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 80000 € per year.
At Graphcore, we’re building the future of AI compute. We’re a team of semiconductor, software and AI experts, with deep experience in creating the complete AI compute stack - from silicon and software to infrastructure at datacentre scale. As part of the SoftBank Group, backed by significant long-term investment, we are delivering key technology into the fast-growing SoftBank AI ecosystem.
To meet the vast and exciting AI opportunity, Graphcore is expanding its teams around the world. We are bringing together the brightest minds to solve the toughest problems, in a place where everyone has the opportunity to make an impact on the company, our products and the future of artificial intelligence.
Job Summary
We are seeking a Secrets Engineer to lead the development, deployment, and ownership of a secure, scalable secrets-management platform for the entire organization. You will build a new enterprise-grade HashiCorp Vault or OpenBao environment from scratch. It must be highly available, resilient, and suited for long-term use. This is a strategic role: you will deliver and operate the central platform. You will also collaborate with engineering, security, and operations teams that manage localized or ad-hoc secrets systems. A key part of your mission is to unify and standardize these methods across Graphcore, ensuring consistent guidelines, smooth migration, and organization-wide support.
The Team
You’ll be joining a multidisciplinary team with strong technical skills and a very encouraging culture. We work closely together and regularly share knowledge, and your skills will make a direct impact on our business. It’s an exciting and pivotal moment for us right now, with plenty of new projects ahead. If you’re looking to solve interesting problems and see your work deliver real-world results, this is the team for you.
Responsibilities and Duties
- Platform Ownership & Implementation: Build, deploy, and operate an organization-wide HashiCorp Vault or OpenBao platform from scratch, ensuring high availability, scalability, and strong security posture. Define architecture for clustering, storage backends, auto-unseal, disaster recovery, and performance replication. Develop migration strategies and reference frameworks that allow other teams to move from their current secrets tools to the central platform. Collaborate with groups from engineering, security, and operations to merge various secrets stores into one unified system. Develop organizational standards, policies, access models, and workflows to ensure consistent, secure usage of the platform. Advocate for guidelines in secret lifecycle management, authentication methods, and identity federation.
- Integrations, Enablement, and Developer Experience: Build tooling, automation, onboarding guides, and libraries to help teams adopt Vault/OpenBao easily and accurately. Integrate Vault/OpenBao with CI/CD systems, cloud platforms, and internal services. Deliver workshops, training, and direct technical support to accelerate adoption.
- Research & Advanced Security Capabilities: Evaluate approaches for secure password storage for individual users—either within Vault/OpenBao or by assessing alternatives such as BitLocker or other credential-management systems. Conduct an initial study on the feasibility of implementing SPIFFE/SPIRE for workload identity, attestation, and zero-trust authentication, outlining future pathways and recommendations. Partner with HPC, Networking, Storage, Security, and Cloud Engineering teams to ensure seamless integration of secrets workflows into broader infrastructure systems. Find opportunities to improve security posture and operational efficiency through automation and standardized secrets management.
Candidate Profile
- 4+ years in DevOps, SRE, security engineering, or platform engineering roles.
- Direct experience deploying and operating HashiCorp Vault, OpenBao, or a similar enterprise secrets-management system.
- Strong understanding of authentication backends (OIDC, LDAP, cloud IAM), secret engines, PKI, encryption, and token/credential lifecycle.
- Solid Linux administration and shell scripting experience.
- Experience with Infrastructure-as-Code (Terraform preferred) and CI/CD automation.
- Strong communication skills with the ability to collaborate across multiple engineering and security fields.
- Experience crafting HA/DR architectures for Vault/OpenBao.
- Experience connecting Vault with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) and CI/CD pipelines.
- Knowledge of SPIFFE/SPIRE, workload identity, or zero-trust architectures.
- Understanding of modern security tooling, certificate management, or identity platforms.
- Python programming experience for automation and tooling.
We welcome people of different backgrounds and experiences; we’re committed to building an inclusive work environment that makes Graphcore a great home for everyone. We offer an equal opportunity process and understand that there are visible and invisible differences in all of us. We can provide a flexible approach to interview and encourage you to chat to us if you require any reasonable adjustments.
Secrets Engineer Bristol, UK employer: graphcore
At Graphcore, we pride ourselves on being an exceptional employer, fostering a collaborative and innovative work culture in the heart of Bristol. Our commitment to employee growth is evident through our multidisciplinary teams that encourage knowledge sharing and provide opportunities to tackle exciting challenges in AI technology. With strong backing from the SoftBank Group, we offer a dynamic environment where your contributions directly impact the future of artificial intelligence, making it a truly rewarding place to work.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Secrets Engineer Bristol, UK
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to folks in the industry, attend meetups, and connect with people on LinkedIn. You never know who might have the inside scoop on job openings or can refer you directly.
✨Tip Number 2
Show off your skills! Create a portfolio or GitHub repository showcasing your projects, especially those related to secrets management or security engineering. This gives potential employers a taste of what you can do.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare for interviews by practising common technical questions and scenarios related to HashiCorp Vault or OpenBao. Mock interviews with friends or using online platforms can help you feel more confident.
✨Tip Number 4
Apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen by the right people. Plus, it shows you’re genuinely interested in joining our team at Graphcore.
We think you need these skills to ace Secrets Engineer Bristol, UK
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV:Make sure your CV is tailored to the Secrets Engineer role. Highlight your experience with HashiCorp Vault or OpenBao, and any relevant DevOps or security engineering skills. We want to see how your background aligns with what we're looking for!
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter:Your cover letter is your chance to shine! Use it to explain why you're passionate about AI compute and how you can contribute to our team. Be sure to mention specific projects or experiences that relate to the responsibilities outlined in the job description.
Showcase Your Technical Skills:Don’t forget to highlight your technical skills in your application. Mention your experience with Linux, Infrastructure-as-Code, and any programming languages like Python. We love seeing candidates who can demonstrate their technical prowess!
Apply Through Our Website:We encourage you to apply through our website for the best chance of getting noticed. It’s super easy, and you’ll be able to keep track of your application status. Plus, we love seeing applications come directly from our site!
How to prepare for a job interview at graphcore
✨Know Your Tech Inside Out
Make sure you’re well-versed in HashiCorp Vault, OpenBao, and any other relevant secrets-management systems. Brush up on your knowledge of authentication backends, PKI, and encryption methods. Being able to discuss these topics confidently will show that you’re the right fit for the role.
✨Showcase Your Collaboration Skills
Since this role involves working with various teams, be prepared to share examples of how you've successfully collaborated in the past. Highlight your communication skills and how you’ve merged different systems or processes to achieve a common goal. This will demonstrate your ability to work within a multidisciplinary team.
✨Prepare for Scenario-Based Questions
Expect questions that ask how you would handle specific challenges related to secrets management. Think about potential migration strategies or disaster recovery plans you might implement. Practising these scenarios will help you articulate your thought process during the interview.
✨Ask Insightful Questions
Prepare some thoughtful questions about Graphcore’s current secrets management practices and future projects. This shows your genuine interest in the company and the role. It also gives you a chance to assess if the company culture aligns with your values and work style.
