Graphcore’s Bristol office has been home to the company since it was founded in 2016. Today, many of the teams developing Graphcore’s core technology sit here, working across disciplines to support the next generation of AI computing.
As the company has grown, so have the people within it. Career paths here don’t always follow a straight line – they evolve through curiosity, conversations, and the confidence to explore new opportunities as they emerge.
We spoke to Frankie, People Operations Coordinator in Bristol, about her journey from front of house into the People Team, what helped her make that transition, and what she’s learned along the way.
Where it all started
I started working at Graphcore in 2019 as a front of house barista. I was so excited to join the team - it was the perfect role for me: a hospitality job but with office hours and great benefits. What a win!
I loved working in front of house, it was a great place to get to know people from all over the business and not be intimidated by hierarchy, because I rarely knew what anyone’s role was (other than our founders Nigel and Simon!).
A change in direction
After returning from maternity leave, although I loved the role and the team (and some flexibility was possible), I felt I needed to change something to fit better with my new life as a parent.
I knew I wanted to stay at Graphcore, and I knew I still wanted to be involved with lots of people across the business - that’s when the idea of HR started to come into my mind.
Whilst working at front of house, I’d made friends with some of the People Team, the early morning coffee drinkers (they know who they are) and started discussing what the best first steps would be to make this kind of move possible. At the time there was a learning budget available to me, which I gladly used to complete my CIPD level 3 course, alongside working (and parenting!).
Why I’ve stayed
When I first started, I felt Graphcore was a great place to work. I’ve always been supported and encouraged. The flexibility, the community, the various committees and career development have all been huge reasons why I’ve stayed so long (the longest I’d stayed in a job before was only a year!) - and the people, of course.
While I can’t speak to the technology Graphcore innovates, the people that do the innovating have all been wonderful to be around, I’ve made some excellent friendships whilst working here. Graphcore is part of my life, rather than it just being my place of work.
What I’ve learned along the way
I’ve learned that good companies do exist, and that you can feel valued somewhere!
As I mostly deal with onboarding, I’ve also learnt so much about the early days and experiences of new joiners - some things that we do really well at Graphcore and some things that can always be improved. I’ve learned about collaboration and communication with hiring managers and the wider People Team. It’s not something that I always get right, but it’s something that I am enjoying being part of and learning from the people around me who have lots more experience than I do. I’m also trying to understand the bigger picture when sometimes I can get stuck in my zoomed-in world.
Looking ahead
Hopefully, what’s next is more of the same, to a certain extent, as this role in this company perfectly suits my life. I enjoy meeting all the new faces coming into Graphcore and being a part of their first experience of the company.
Graphcore continues to grow, and behind every team advancing our technology are the people who make that work possible - from People Operations and finance to facilities, workplace experience and many others across the business.
If you’re interested in contributing to the environment that helps teams tackle difficult problems and do their best work, take a look at our current opportunities and see where you might fit.
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