Senior Systems Administrator

Riverlane; Cambridge; Hybrid; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A pioneering technology company based in Cambridge is seeking a motivated Senior Systems Administrator to manage and enhance their High-Performance Computing (HPC) systems. Candidates should have proven experience in Linux system administration and performance tuning within HPC environments. This role involves automating tasks, ensuring system reliability, and providing user support. The successful candidate will join a growing team and contribute to cutting-edge quantum computing technologies. A comprehensive benefits package is included.

Benefits

Annual bonus plan

Private medical insurance

Equity in the company

28 days annual leave

Qualifications

• Proven experience as a Systems Administrator managing Linux HPC clusters.
• Strong scripting and automation skills using Bash, Python, and Ansible.
• Experience in managing disaster recovery planning.

Responsibilities

• Administer and maintain HPC clusters and networking.
• Monitor system performance for high availability.
• Lead deployment and configuration of HPC tooling.

Skills

Linux HPC administration

Performance tuning

Scripting (Bash, Python, Ansible)

Networking concepts

Problem-solving

Tools

Slurm

Synopsys EDA tools

Docker

Prometheus

Job description

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Cambridge, UK Full-time Permanent Hybrid

Salary: £DOE + Bonus + Benefits

About us

Riverlane's mission is to master quantum error correction (QEC) and unlock a new age of human progress. From advances in material and climate science, to complex chemistry simulation for new drug design, quantum computers will help humanity solve some of its most important challenges. But without QEC, the industry's defining technical challenge, such breakthroughs can never be achieved. Riverlane is the world leader in QEC technology. QEC is a complex problem that requires a range of skills, talent and passion.

We recently raised $75 million to accelerate our cutting-edge R&D. We partner with many of the world's leading quantum computing companies and governments to accelerate their path to utility-scale quantum computers. We're making remarkable progress and growing fast. Join us!

About the role

We have an excellent opportunity for a proactive and technically proficient Systems Administrator to join our dedicated on-site IT team. Reporting to our IT Manager, you'll collaborate closely to maintain, enhance and scale our High-Performance Computing (HPC) environment.

This is an outstanding opportunity for an experienced Linux Systems Administrator to play a key role in ensuring the reliability and efficiency of our HPC systems. You'll be responsible for implementing optimisations, driving performance improvements, and supporting the scalability of our infrastructure. With a strong foundation in Linux systems, automation, and HPC environments, you'll bring a passion for infrastructure reliability and high performance to our growing team.

What you will do

As Senior Systems Administrator, you will:

• Be responsible for the administration and maintenance of HPC clusters, including compute nodes, storage systems, and networking

• Monitor system performance and ensure high availability of HPC resources

• Lead the deployment, configuration, and troubleshooting of HPC tooling (e.g. Slurm)

• Automate routine tasks using scripting languages (e.g. Bash, Python, Ansible)

• Collaborate with the IT Manager to plan and implement improvements to the HPC infrastructure

• Build and maintain documentation for systems, processes, and configurations

• Provide sound technical support to users of the HPC environment

• Ensure security and compliance across the HPC estate

• Maintain and develop the off-site backup strategy, ensuring data integrity, disaster recovery readiness, and compliance with data retention policies

• Maintain Synopsys EDA tooling, including license server management, environment configuration, and performance optimisation for electronic design automation workflows

Requirements

What we need

• Proven experience as a Systems Administrator (or similar role), managing Linux HPC clusters with Slurm, optimising performance, reliability, and resource utilisation for high-throughput computing workloads

• Solid experience in a Red Hat environment

• Previous hands‑on experience managing HPC systems and tooling (e.g. job schedulers (Slurm), containerisation (such as Singularity or Docker), and parallel file systems)

• Strong scripting and automation skills, including Bash, Python and Ansible

• Experience with monitoring tools and performance tuning (such as Prometheus)

• Excellent understanding of networking concepts and protocols

• Experience in managing back‑up solutions and disaster recovery planning

• Experience with Synopsys EDA tools, or similar electronic design automation environments

• Excellent problem‑solving and communication skills, with the ability to respond flexibly in a changing environment

• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a fast‑paced environment

• A strong commitment to delivering a stable, high‑performance service that operates reliably to support users and workloads

Even better if you have...

• Red Hat Certified Systems Administrator

• Knowledge of CI/CD pipelines and DevOps practices and Github integration

• Exposure to scientific computing or research environments

• Experience with cloud‑based HPC or hybrid environments

Benefits

What can you expect from us

• A comprehensive benefits package that includes an annual bonus plan, private medical insurance, life insurance, and a contributory pension scheme

• Equity, so that our team can share in the long‑term success of Riverlane

• 28 days annual leave, plus bank holidays and enhanced family leave

• A diverse work environment that brings together experts in many fields (including software and hardware development, quantum information theory, physics and maths) and over 20 different nationalities

• A learning environment that encourages individual, team and company growth and development, including a regular programme of learning events and training and conference budgets

How to apply

Please upload a CV and covering letter by clicking 'Apply Now'. Your covering letter should explain why you are applying for the job and what skills and experience you can bring to the role.

We review CVs as we receive them and interview as soon as we have applications that look like a good match. We do not use closing dates. So, please apply as soon as possible to avoid missing out on this role.

If you have any queries, please contact [e-mail].

Everyone is welcome at Riverlane. We are an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from eligible and suitably qualified candidates regardless of age, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender reassignment, religion or belief, sexual orientation, marital or civil partnership status, or pregnancy and maternity/paternity.

Women and other underrepresented groups may be less likely to apply for a role unless they meet all or nearly all of the requirements. If this applies to you, we still encourage you to apply - you may be a great fit, even if you don't meet every single qualification. We'd love to hear from you.

If you need any adjustments made to the application or selection process so you can do your best, please let us know. We will be happy to help.

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