High Performance Computing Systems Administrator

University of Plymouth - IT Product Development and Delivery

Enable cutting-edge research at the University of Plymouth through reliable, high performance computing.

About the role

The HPC Systems Administrator reports to the Infrastructure Services Team Manager and the University's HPC lead and plays a vital role in managing and enhancing the University’s High Performance Computing environment. Working at the intersection of IT and research, the postholder will ensure the HPC system operates securely and efficiently, empowering researchers to tackle complex computational challenges and drive discovery.

The HPC Systems Administrator will take a leading role in maintaining, optimising, and developing the University’s High Performance Computing (HPC) environment. This position ensures the system remains reliable, secure, and high performing, enabling researchers and academic staff to make the most of advanced computing capabilities.

Key responsibilities and deliverables include:

• System optimisation and performance management – ensure the continued efficiency, scalability, and reliability of the University’s multi-node Linux-based HPC environment through proactive monitoring, tuning, and enhancement.
• Operational management and automation – oversee daily operations, develop scripts and tools to streamline workflows, and introduce automation that improves system reliability and reduces administrative overhead.
• Security and compliance – maintain robust security measures, monitor for vulnerabilities, and ensure compliance with institutional and regulatory requirements for data protection and system integrity.
• User engagement and research support – collaborate with researchers to understand computational requirements, provide expert guidance, and support users in effectively utilising HPC resources.
• Continuous improvement and documentation – maintain detailed documentation, contribute to best-practice standards, and identify opportunities for system enhancement or integration with emerging technologies.

For this role, you will need to be on site 3 days a week. Although we can accommodate working from home for this role, flexibility to be on-site will be expected due to business needs.

This is a full-time position working 37 hours per week on a permanent basis.

For an informal discussion to find out more about the role then please contact Vincent Drach: by email at vincent.drach@plymouth.ac.uk

What we’re looking for

You will be a skilled HPC professional with a strong technical background, excellent problem-solving abilities, and a collaborative approach. They will have the expertise and experience to maintain, optimise, and support high performance computing systems in a research-focused environment.

Essential qualifications and attributes:

• Proven experience administering multi-node Linux systems, ideally in a High Performance Computing environment.
• Strong scripting skills (e.g., Bash, Python) to automate tasks, develop tools, and streamline workflows.
• Comprehensive understanding of HPC infrastructure, cluster management, parallel computing, and performance optimisation.
• Robust knowledge of system security and best practices, with the ability to safeguard systems and data.
• Familiarity with any of the following technologies or their equivalents is preferred: OpenLDAP, Slurm, IBM Spectrum Scale, Ansible, Podman, Singularity/Apptainer, MPI, Jupyter, JupyterHub, NVIDIA CUDA, Infiniband, Spack, Sphinx, and Jenkins, though comprehensive expertise is not expected and training will be provided for the successful candidate.
• Ability to work collaboratively and communicate effectively, supporting researchers and IT colleagues while managing complex workloads independently.

Anticipated Interview Date: Week commencing Monday 8 December 2025

Closing date: 12 midnight, Sunday 23 November 2025