HPC Cluster Architect

THE ROLE: HPC Cluster Architect

This role exists because NexGen Cloud is winning large-scale dedicated GPU cluster contracts and needs someone who can own the full architecture cycle - from first customer conversation to production deployment. You’ll have direct ownership over cluster architecture across compute, networking, storage, and physical design - translating customer requirements into production-ready, commercially optimised GPU deployments.

This is a senior hands-on role for someone who has lived and breathed HPC cluster design and wants to be the technical authority, not one voice in a committee. You’ll own designs end-to-end and see them go live. WHAT YOU’LL BE DOING:

Rather than a long checklist, here’s what success in this role looks like:

• Own end-to-end cluster architecture for large-scale NVIDIA GPU deployments - from customer requirement through rack layouts, BOM, power and cooling design, to production handover
• Design high-performance network fabrics across compute (InfiniBand, RDMA, NVLink/NVSwitch), storage, and WAN - defining topology, oversubscription models, and scaling strategies
• Engage directly with OEMs and vendors - validating hardware configurations, reviewing quotes, and ensuring designs are both technically sound and commercially optimised
• Provide technical oversight during deployment and bring-up - supporting hardware validation, performance testing, and acting as escalation point for complex integration issues
• Act as a senior technical leader across Solutions Architecture, Cloud Engineering, and data centre partners - contributing to standardised reference designs and building out the HPC engineering function

We’re more interested in how you think and work than in a perfect CV. You’ll likely bring a combination of the following:

• Proven experience in HPC or AI software stack design and delivery at scale - including workload profiling, scheduler configuration (SLURM, PBS, or equivalent), MPI/NCCL tuning, and distributed training frameworks such as PyTorch, JAX, or DeepSpeed.
• Deep understanding of GPU software environments: CUDA, cuDNN, NCCL, driver stacks, and the tooling required to run large-scale AI training and inference workloads reliably in production.
• Hands-on experience optimising AI and HPC workloads across multi-GPU and multi-node configurations - including profiling, bottleneck identification, and performance tuning at both the application and infrastructure layer.
• Strong working knowledge of containerisation and orchestration in HPC/AI contexts: Docker, Kubernetes, NVIDIA GPU Operator, and container-native workload management.
• Background in an OEM, hyperscaler, neo-cloud, or enterprise/research HPC environment, with demonstrable exposure to the full design-to-deployment lifecycle for GPU-accelerated workloads.
• Ability to produce clear, professional technical documentation and architecture diagrams suitable for both engineering and board-level audiences.
• Confident engaging with customers, vendors, and internal engineering teams as a technical authority - able to translate complex software and performance trade-offs into clear, actionable decisions.

Nice to Have

• Experience with large-scale cluster performance benchmarking - NCCL tests, MLPerf, or equivalent - and familiarity with what good looks like across different GPU generations and topologies.
• Exposure to MLOps tooling and AI platform layers: experiment tracking (MLflow, W&B), model serving frameworks (Triton, vLLM), and pipeline orchestration (Kubeflow, Airflow).
• Familiarity with InfiniBand and high-performance networking as it relates to distributed training performance - sufficient to engage credibly with network and infrastructure teams on topology and tuning decisions.

• Competitive salary and annual discretionary bonus scheme
• Employee wellbeing benefits
• 25 days of holiday, plus public holidays
• Flexible working arrangements (remote or hybrid, depending on role and location)
• Real ownership and autonomy, with the trust to take initiative and experiment
• The opportunity to make a visible, meaningful impact as we scale
• Clear career progression and growth opportunities in a fast-growing company
• A collaborative, international culture built on trust, transparency, and ownership
• The chance to help shape NexGen Cloud’s team, culture, and future alongside ambitious, mission-driven colleagues