HPC Containerisation - HPC Expert (Principal Consultant)

HPC Containerisation - HPC Expert (Principal Consultant)

Location: Hybrid working

• Onsite location: Derby, DE24 8PU

Duration: Monday 19th January 2026 - Friday 13th February 2026 Inside IR35

Security Requirements (Mandatory):

• SC Cleared

• UK Nationals only

Role Overview

We are seeking an HPC Containerisation Expert to provide specialist consultancy around high-performance computing (HPC) environments, with a strong focus on containerisation for HPC and ML workloads.

The consultant will assess existing HPC infrastructure, advise on best-practice container strategies, and engage with technical teams to shape future containerisation approaches for HPC use cases.

This role is urgent and requires immediate availability.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide expert consultancy on HPC containerisation strategies

• Review and assess current HPC infrastructure and workloads

• Advise on best practices for MPI-optimised container images

• Support and guide container tooling and runtime decisions for HPC environments

• Conduct workshops and structured discussions with technical teams covering:

  • HPC infrastructure and use cases

  • Containerisation capabilities for HPC and ML workloads

  • Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) considerations

• Contribute to written outputs and findings for stakeholder review

Essential Skills & Experience (Must Have)

• Active SC Clearance

• UK National only (no dual nationality/no OCI)

• Proven HPC background

• Experience using Beowulf clusters

• Strong knowledge of Slurm Job Scheduling

  • Excellent knowledge preferred

  • Good working knowledge acceptable

  • No Slurm knowledge = not HPC trained

• Experience with MPI-optimised container images, including:

  • OpenMPI with Apptainer (SIF)

  • Podman/Buildah tooling

  • Comparable container build and runtime technologies

• Candidates with strong CFD or scientific computing backgrounds (eg modelling) may compensate for less Slurm depth

Desirable Experience

• Ability to conduct technical interviews with engineering or research staff

• Leading or contributing to containerisation capability workshops

• Experience supporting typical HPC and ML workloads

• Familiarity with:

  • MPI-based workflows

  • Jupyter ecosystem (JupyterHub, JupyterLab, Notebooks) for data science workflows

Nice to Have

• Experience producing written reports and technical findings, including:

  • Market view of container technologies for HPC use cases

• Knowledge of:

  • Singularity

  • SIF format

  • HPC workflows

  • CFD software such as OpenFOAM

  • Docker

  • Kubernetes as an HPC runtime environment

  • Run:AI and GPU slicing