Linux / HPC Administrator - Initila 3-Month Contract with Possible Extension

NCS Group Australia; Canberra; On-site; AUD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

NCS Australia is seeking an experienced Linux/HPC Administrator to join a high-performing team supporting critical HPC environments. You will administer and optimize large-scale Linux-based HPC systems, ensure high availability, and collaborate with engineers, researchers and stakeholders.

You will manage workload scheduling with Slurm, configure and maintain HPC infrastructure with BCM, and contribute to automation, monitoring, patching, and security.

Qualifications

• Strong experience administering Linux environments (RHEL/CentOS/Rocky)
• Proven experience supporting High Performance Computing (HPC) platforms
• Hands-on experience with Slurm Workload Manager for job scheduling and resource management
• Experience with BCM (Bright Cluster Manager) or equivalent HPC cluster management solutions
• Strong understanding of compute, storage, and networking concepts within HPC environments
• Experience with Bash, Python, or other scripting languages for automation
• Knowledge of system monitoring, troubleshooting, and performance optimisation
• Experience with infrastructure automation and configuration management tools is highly regarded

Responsibilities

• Administer and support Linux-based HPC environments.
• Manage and optimise HPC clusters and associated infrastructure.
• Configure, maintain, and troubleshoot Slurm Workload Manager.
• Perform system monitoring, performance tuning, and capacity planning.
• Support system patching, upgrades, automation, and configuration management.
• Ensure system availability, security, and compliance with operational standards.
• Collaborate with infrastructure, networking, storage, and application teams.
• Support backup, recovery, and business continuity processes.
• Investigate and resolve complex operational incidents and performance issues.
• Contribute to automation and continuous improvement initiatives.

Skills

Linux administration

HPC experience

Scripting (Bash/Python)

Monitoring & performance tuning

Automation / configuration management

Compute/storage/networking concepts

Tools

Slurm Workload Manager

BCM (Bright Cluster Manager)

Job description

At NCS Australia, we believe in doing technology services better. Our commitment to quality, focus on people, and willingness to challenge traditional thinking set us apart. Our team brings this belief to life by partnering with our clients and communities to make tomorrow together.

We are committed to creating an environment that prioritises innovation, collaboration, and purposeful work. Our diverse team is empowered to make a meaningful impact with curiosity, creativity and resilience to shape better outcomes. Join us and accept the challenge of creating a better tomorrow.

At NCS Australia, we believe in doing technology services better. Our commitment to quality, focus on people, and willingness to challenge traditional thinking set us apart. Our team brings this belief to life by partnering with our clients and communities to make tomorrow together.

We are committed to creating an environment that prioritises innovation, collaboration, and purposeful work. Our diverse team is empowered to make a meaningful impact with curiosity, creativity and resilience to shape better outcomes. Join us and accept the challenge of creating a better tomorrow.

Job Description

We are seeking an experienced Linux / HPC Administrator to join a high-performing team supporting critical High Performance Computing (HPC) environments. This role will be responsible for the administration, optimisation, and support of large-scale Linux-based HPC infrastructure, ensuring high availability, performance, and operational excellence.

Working closely with engineers, researchers, and stakeholders, you will play a key role in maintaining and enhancing HPC platforms while supporting workload scheduling, capacity management, and system resilience.

Key Responsibilities

• Administer and support Linux-based HPC environments.
• Manage and optimise HPC clusters and associated infrastructure.
• Configure, maintain, and troubleshoot Slurm Workload Manager.
• Perform system monitoring, performance tuning, and capacity planning.
• Support system patching, upgrades, automation, and configuration management.
• Ensure system availability, security, and compliance with operational standards.
• Collaborate with infrastructure, networking, storage, and application teams.
• Support backup, recovery, and business continuity processes.
• Investigate and resolve complex operational incidents and performance issues.
• Contribute to automation and continuous improvement initiatives.

Qualifications

Required Skills & Experience

• Strong experience administering Linux (Red Hat Enterprise Linux/CentOS/Rocky Linux) environments.
• Proven experience supporting High Performance Computing (HPC) platforms.
• Hands-on experience with Slurm Workload Manager for job scheduling and resource management.
• Experience with BCM (Bright Cluster Manager) or equivalent HPC cluster management solutions.
• Strong understanding of compute, storage, and networking concepts within HPC environments.
• Experience with Bash, Python, or other scripting languages for automation.
• Knowledge of system monitoring, troubleshooting, and performance optimisation.
• Experience with infrastructure automation and configuration management tools is highly regarded.

Desirable

• Experience with GPU-enabled HPC environments.
• Exposure to cloud-based HPC solutions.
• Knowledge of container technologies such as Singularity, Apptainer, or Docker.
• Experience supporting scientific, engineering, research, or data-intensive computing environments.

Additional Information

Why join us:

At NCS Australia, you'll be part of a team that values your growth and development. Our comprehensive global learning and development program will equip you with the skills and knowledge needed to succeed. Plus, you'll be mentored by some of the industry's best, and have access to a worldwide network of career opportunities. Join us now and discover just how far your career can go!

We are in the process of refreshing our employee benefits, so don’t forget to ask our Talent Acquisition Team about what’s on offer.

We take pride in our commitment to valuing and supporting our people and the communities we serve. Diversity, inclusivity, and being different are not just buzzwords for us - they are integral to our culture. We are dedicated to upholding Equal Employment Opportunity Principles and providing reasonable accommodations to all our applicants. If you require any assistance or modifications to navigate our careers site or complete your application, please don't hesitate to reach out to us at [e-mail].

Other important stuff:

To be eligible for a position with us, applicants will need to have valid work rights for Australia and be willing to undergo a comprehensive background checking process, including probity and police checks.

As we navigate through our business integration process, we will continue to issue contracts under our existing entities of ARQ, Dialog, CatapultBI, ICEMEDIA, Eighty20, Riley or AccessHQ.

Visit our website https://www.ncs.co/en-au/ for more information.

Important information

Applicants will need valid Australian work rights and may be required to undergo relevant background, probity and police checks.