Technical Architect (Research IT) - Contract

📍 Leeds (Hybrid) / £480 pd (Outside IR35) / 12-month day rate contract / ASAP Start

Harvey Nash are delighted to be working with one of the UK's largest universities on a ground breaking transformation programme focused on modernising research infrastructure, which could change the way research is delivered across the UK.

This is a high-impact opportunity for a Technical Architect to take ownership of real-world infrastructure design and delivery, bridging the gap between enterprise-level vision and hands-on implementation.

You'll play a key role in replacing a core research platform while helping to design and deliver a next-generation, cloud-enabled and HPC-capable research environment.

The Opportunity

This role sits at the heart of a major strategic programme to:

  • Replace and modernise an existing Azure-based research platform

  • Build scalable, cost-effective High Performance Computing (HPC) capabilities

  • Establish a long-term foundation for research IT across the university

What You'll Be Doing

  • Lead the design and delivery of infrastructure-focused technical architecture for research systems

  • Translate business and research requirements into scalable, secure technical solutions

  • Design across:

    • Cloud platforms (Azure primarily)

    • HPC environments (existing + new systems)

    • Storage, compute, and networking

  • Contribute to the replacement of the current research platform and broader research modernisation

  • Support procurement and technical evaluation of new HPC systems (including off-site infrastructure)

  • Develop reusable architecture assets:

    • Infrastructure-as-Code patterns

    • Non-functional requirements

    • Design blueprints

What We're Looking For

  • Strong background as a Technical Architect or Infrastructure Design Lead

  • Deep expertise in Linux systems administration

  • Experience designing solutions across:

    • Cloud (Azure, AWS, or GCP)

    • Compute, storage, and networking

  • Proven ability to translate requirements into practical, deliverable architectures

  • Exposure to HPC environments (or strong interest in moving into this space)

  • Knowledge of:

    • HPC schedulers (e.g. SLURM)

    • Containerisation (Docker, Kubernetes, orchestration)

  • Experience with Infrastructure as Code and DevSecOps practices

  • Understanding of both cloud and on-prem / physical infrastructure

Apply