CoSTAR National Lab Systems Administrator; IT and Studio

About the Role

Full‑time, permanent. We are seeking an experienced systems administrator to join our CoSTAR National Labs studio team. This role is responsible for the configuration, maintenance and reliability of the studio’s core technical infrastructure, including compute, storage, networking and media systems. The post holder will ensure that all underlying systems are stable, secure and capable of supporting a wide range of production and R&D activity, including virtual production workflows.

The CoSTAR Stage at Pinewood Studios will be a state‑of‑the‑art Converged Media Production Stage, purpose‑built as a flexible and reconfigurable R&D environment at the heart of the UK’s globally recognised centre for screen production. The Stage is designed to be modular and adaptable, supporting a wide range of production formats and creative applications within a single collaborative space. Its infrastructure includes LED and projection display systems, motorised rigging, integrated spatial audio, camera and motion tracking, a next‑generation ST‑2110 IP media network and an advanced AI compute platform.

The stage will provide an industry‑leading environment for experimentation, prototyping and demonstration across film, television, live performance, immersive media and gaming.

CoSTAR (Convergent Screen Technologies and Performance in Realtime) is a £75.6 million investment from the UKRI Infrastructure Fund, delivered by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC). CoSTAR establishes the UK’s first national network of research and development Labs for the Creative Industries, forming part of the UK’s long‑term research infrastructure to support innovation‑led growth in some of the country’s most economically and culturally significant sectors.

We are building a team to operate and maintain the stage and its systems day‑to‑day, supporting users from the creative industries and academia to carry out groundbreaking research and development projects. We expect the team members to come with the skills and experience needed to work effectively with our core systems and to have the flexibility to thrive in a constantly changing R&D environment.

They’ll need the interpersonal skills to work closely with people from a wide range of industries, with varying levels of studio experience: supporting users new to the environment one day and learning from world‑leading experts the next.

• Work with CoSTAR staff and partners to configure, maintain and support studio compute, storage and server infrastructure.
• Manage operating systems, user access, permissions and system configurations.
• Maintain reliable file storage, backup and data management processes.
• Monitor system performance and ensure stability across all core infrastructure.
• Work with studio colleagues to maintain reliable connectivity between systems.

• Enjoy working in a fast‑moving, agile environment, both independently and as part of a team.
• Have significant experience and technical understanding of IT networks, compute, storage and server infrastructure.
• Have solid understanding of networking fundamentals and IP‑based systems.

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion is a priority for CoSTAR. As such, we actively welcome applicants from all backgrounds and are especially keen to recruit people from groups currently under‑represented in creative technology including women, non‑binary and disabled people and ethnic minority/ global majority candidates.