HPC Engineer - SC Cleared

HPC Container Platform Consultant (SC Cleared) - Principal Consultant (Contract)

An SC-cleared HPC specialist is required to support a high-profile engineering programme within a globally recognised UK manufacturer operating across aerospace, defence, and mission-critical power systems.

The focus is modernising how HPC and HPC/ML workloads are built, packaged, and run using MPI-optimised container approaches - with pragmatic, implementable outcomes.

What you'll deliver:

Rapid review of current HPC estate, workflows, and priority use cases (workshops + technical deep dives)
Containerisation capability sessions focused on real HPC and HPC/ML workloads (not generic platform advice)
Guidance on MPI-ready container images, build tooling, and repeatable operational patterns
Scheduler/runtime alignment and deployment approach (batch, interactive, data science workflows)
Clear recommendations and next steps; produce a short written report where required
Core technology focus
Slurm job scheduling
MPI and performance-aware containerisation (HPC-first constraints)
Apptainer / SIF images with OpenMPI (plus viable alternatives)
Podman / Buildah tooling and secure build practices

Essential criteria (must have)

Active SC Clearance
Must meet programme nationality/eligibility requirements (sole nationality required; no dual nationality; no OCI)
Hands-on experience operating in Beowulf-style cluster environments
Excellent practical knowledge of Slurm and job execution patterns
Strong understanding of best practices for MPI-optimised container images (build, run, troubleshoot, performance)
Desirable experience
Ability to run structured interviews/workshops with customer engineering teams
Awareness of SDLC considerations in research/HPC environments
Familiarity with Jupyter (Hub/Lab/Notebooks) supporting data science workflows on shared compute
Strong working knowledge of MPI patterns and real-world operational constraints

Contract Details:

£600 - £700 Per Day Inside IR35
Hybrid Working
Contract Initially 3-Months with Lengthy Extensions Nice to have:

Singularity / SIF format and common HPC workflow patterns
CFD tooling exposure (e.g., OpenFOAM)
Docker and image lifecycle governance
Kubernetes used as an HPC runtime environment (where appropriate)
Run:

AI and GPU slicing concepts