Head of HPC Systems Engineering

We are seeking an experienced Head of HPC Systems Engineering to lead the strategy, architecture, deployment, and operational excellence of a global High-Performance Computing (HPC) platform supporting some of the world's largest AI training and inference workloads.

This is a senior technical leadership role responsible for the engineering vision, technical roadmap and operational maturity of large-scale GPU infrastructure across multiple regions. You will lead a team of highly skilled HPC engineers, driving the design, automation, scalability and reliability of next-generation AI infrastructure while partnering closely with Platform Engineering, Network Engineering, Storage, Data Centre Operations, Software Engineering and Integrated Operations teams.

You will combine deep expertise in HPC, Kubernetes and GPU infrastructure with strong people leadership to build a world-class engineering function capable of supporting rapid global growth.

• Own the technical strategy and roadmap for the global HPC Systems Engineering function.
• Define engineering standards, architecture principles and best practices across HPC infrastructure.
• Lead the design, deployment and continual evolution of large-scale GPU clusters supporting AI training and inference workloads.
• Drive innovation across Kubernetes, Slurm, cluster management platforms and emerging HPC technologies.
• Ensure HPC environments are highly available, scalable, secure and operationally efficient.
• Guide engineering decisions around networking, storage, scheduling, observability and automation.
• Build, mentor and lead a high-performing team of HPC Systems Engineers.
• Develop technical capability across the engineering organisation through coaching, mentoring and knowledge sharing.
• Establish engineering processes, documentation standards and operational excellence practices.
• Foster a culture focused on reliability, ownership, innovation and continuous improvement.
• Partner with recruitment to attract and retain world-class engineering talent.

• Lead the deployment and lifecycle management of HPC clusters across multiple global regions.
• Oversee integration of Kubernetes, Slurm, cluster management software and supporting infrastructure.
• Drive automation across provisioning, configuration management, monitoring and maintenance activities.
• Improve platform performance through optimisation of compute, networking and storage architectures.
• Ensure engineering practices support rapid customer deployment while maintaining platform stability.

• Work closely with Platform Engineering, Software Engineering, Infrastructure, Networking, Storage and Data Centre Operations teams to deliver integrated solutions.
• Partner with Reliability & Observability teams to improve monitoring, telemetry and operational insights.
• Support Product and Customer Engineering teams with technical guidance for new platform capabilities.
• Collaborate with Operations teams to improve incident response, root cause analysis and system resilience.

• Establish engineering standards, design documentation and operational procedures.
• Drive adoption of Infrastructure as Code, automation and repeatable engineering practices.
• Evaluate emerging HPC technologies and incorporate innovations into future platform designs.
• Champion operational excellence through post-incident reviews, performance analysis and continuous optimisation.
• Ensure engineering solutions align with security, compliance and organisational standards.

• 10+ years of experience designing, deploying and operating enterprise or hyperscale HPC environments.
• Proven experience leading engineering teams responsible for large-scale Linux-based HPC infrastructure.
• Deep expertise in Kubernetes, including deploying and operating Kubernetes within HPC environments.
• Extensive hands‑on experience with Slurm workload management.
• Strong understanding of GPU infrastructure supporting AI and machine learning workloads.
• Experience designing highly available HPC clusters with enterprise‑grade operational maturity.
• Strong understanding of distributed systems, Linux operating systems and automation frameworks.
• Experience with HPC management platforms, monitoring systems and operational tooling.
• Strong knowledge of high-performance networking technologies including Infini Band and high-speed Ethernet.
• Experience designing scalable storage solutions for HPC workloads.
• Familiarity with cloud platforms and hybrid HPC architectures.
• Experience with Infrastructure as Code, configuration management and engineering automation.