Research Infrastructure Engineering Lead

Role: Research Infrastructure Engineering Lead Location: Birmingham (Hybrid) Salary: £58,000 – £67,000 Contract: Fixed Term until March 2031 Network IT are working with a leading research-intensive organisation to recruit a Research Infrastructure Engineering Lead. This is a rare opportunity to take on a senior technical leadership role within a world-class Research Computing environment, supporting cutting-edge research across multiple disciplines. You will play a key role in shaping the future of large-scale research infrastructure, supporting High Performance Computing (HPC), High Throughput Computing (HTC), cloud platforms, research storage, and next-generation networking technologies that underpin nationally significant research programmes. Role Overview As a Research Infrastructure Engineering Lead, you will act as one of the organisation's senior technical authorities for research infrastructure, combining strategic leadership, technical expertise, and team management responsibilities. You will lead the design, evolution, and operation of critical research computing platforms, including High Performance Computing (HPC), High Throughput Computing (HTC), storage, cloud, and networking services, ensuring they remain reliable, scalable, secure, and capable of meeting future research demands. Alongside your technical leadership responsibilities, you will manage and develop a team of Infrastructure Engineers, driving innovation, technical excellence, and the successful delivery of complex infrastructure projects. Key Responsibilities Lead the strategic development, enhancement, and lifecycle management of large-scale research infrastructure platformsOversee the operation and reliability of High Performance Computing (HPC), High Throughput Computing (HTC), cloud, storage, and networking servicesProvide technical leadership for infrastructure architecture, integration, and service designLine manage and develop a team of Infrastructure Engineers, fostering a high-performance and collaborative cultureLead complex infrastructure and research technology projects from design through to implementation and operational supportDevelop technical roadmaps and support long-term investment planning across research computing technologiesAct as a senior escalation point for infrastructure issues, technical challenges, and major incidentsBuild strong relationships with researchers, academic stakeholders, suppliers, and external partnersEvaluate emerging technologies and drive innovation across research computing servicesDevelop technical specifications, risk assessments, and implementation strategies for major infrastructure initiativesRepresent the organisation within national and international research and technology communitiesEssential Skills & Experience Degree-qualified or equivalent, with substantial experience in infrastructure engineering or research computing environmentsSignificant experience designing, implementing, and supporting large-scale research or enterprise infrastructureStrong expertise in one or more of: High Performance Computing (HPC)High Throughput Computing (HTC)Large-scale research storage platformsHigh-performance networkingPrivate cloud infrastructure (e.g. OpenStack)Extensive Linux systems administration experienceStrong understanding of compute, storage, networking, security, identity management, and research technology ecosystemsExperience with automation, DevOps, Infrastructure as Code, CI/CD, and configuration management toolsProven experience leading complex technical projects and delivering large-scale infrastructure initiativesExcellent stakeholder management and communication skills, with the ability to engage both technical and non-technical audiencesExperience mentoring, coaching, and leading technical teamsDesirable Skills & Experience Experience with public cloud platforms supporting research workloadsExperience supporting national research infrastructure or external research communitiesFamiliarity with Agile, ITIL, and structured service management practicesExperience contributing to funding bids, research programmes, or technical strategy developmentExperience working with GPU-accelerated computing environments