HPC Operations Lead

  • Francis Crick Institute Ltd
  • 31/05/2026
Full time Information Technology Telecommunications Helpdesk

Job Description

Salary: From £73,000 - £82,000 with benefits, subject to skills and experience

Application closing date: 07/Jun/:59 GMT

What you will be doing
  • Understand the scientific and research requirements of the Crick's scientific programmes to advise and deliver platforms and services appropriate to their needs.
  • Take ownership of the operational effectiveness of the team, driving the smooth running and continual improvement of services.
  • Act as deputy for the Head of Research Computing Platforms, taking on wider managerial responsibilities as required.
  • Serve as incident manager for Research Computing Platforms in response to unplanned service outage.
  • Technical lead on the design, implementation and operation of research data storage services for access by researchers and instruments inside the Crick and for external collaborations.
  • Work with the Head of Research Computing Platforms and the wider Scientific Computing function to define a technology vision and roadmap for storage systems.
  • Ensure Research Computing Platforms is a user facing service through the delivery of an engaged and supportive HPC service desk.
  • Work collaboratively across ITO teams including Architecture, Security and Helpdesk in the delivery and operational management of research platforms and services.
About you
  • Experience leading the design, maintenance and optimisation of petabyte scale high performance storage systems.
  • Experience leading the operation and management of high performance compute clusters.
  • Ability to manage complex services and projects effectively and efficiently with minimal supervision, a finite pool of resources, and against deadlines.
  • Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, and demonstrable ability to work collaboratively and flexibly as part of a deeply technical engineering team, while still able to work directly with stakeholders to focus on research/business outcomes.
  • Previous experience working in a biomedical research environment (desirable).
  • Additional domain technology expertise such as automation and data centre networking (desirable).
What will you receive?
  • Visas: Applicants for this role will be eligible for sponsorship to work in the United Kingdom.
  • Generous Leave: 28 days of annual leave, plus three additional days over Christmas and bank holidays.
  • Pension Scheme: Defined contribution pension with employer contributions of up to 16%.
  • Health & Well being: 24/7 GP consultation services, occupational health services and mental health support programmes, eye care vouchers and discounted health care plans.
  • Work life Balance: Back up care for dependants, childcare support allowance, annual leave purchase options and Crick Networks offering diverse groups' support, community and inclusive social events.
  • Perks: Discounted gym memberships, bike to work scheme, shopping discounts, subsidised on site restaurant and social spaces for team interaction.