Lead Platform Engineer | Linux & HPC Infrastructure

The Project

We are currently implementing a new on-premises Linux cluster to support our rendering and production workloads across multiple European branches.

We are looking for an experienced Lead Platform Engineer to join us on a contract basis to design and deploy the foundational layer of this platform. We are also open to highly skilled students or recent graduates (e.g., from specialized IT/HPC labs) who can demonstrate the technical mastery required for this build. The primary objective is to establish a stable, stateless deployment architecture that will serve as the base for our future scaling.

Scope of Work

You will work closely with our R&D and IT teams to build the "lowest layer" of the infrastructure. Key responsibilities include:

• Stateless Cluster Deployment: Implementing an on-premise cluster using technologies like Warewulf.

• Workload Scheduling: Deploying and configuring SLURM as the primary scheduler.

• Virtualization & Containers: Managing the environment through Proxmox and designing container images via Singularity / Apptainer.

• System Tooling: Implementing Icinga for monitoring and health logging, and building a custom Conda repository for reproducible software deployment.

• Network & Automation: Collaborating on the network architecture and supporting CI workflows via GitLab CI.

Requirements

Must-Have:

• Proven Experience: Demonstrated ability in a lead role or as a high-level contributor on infrastructure/platform projects (industry or advanced research/lab projects).

• Linux Mastery: Strong background in Linux system administration (Red Hat/Rocky Linux preferred).

• Tech Proficiency: Hands-on experience with stateless deployments, virtualization, and containers.

• Scale: Experience building or operating HPC platforms or large-scale compute environments.

• Scripting: Proficiency in Python or Bash for automation.

Nice to Have:

• Familiarity with specific tools: SLURM, Warewulf, xCAT, or Proxmox.

• Experience with Infrastructure-as-Code (Ansible, Terraform, Puppet).

• Background in research computing, AI infrastructure, or specialized university labs.

Working Setup

• Type: Part-time Contractor (B2B/Freelance).

• Duration: Initial project phase is estimated at 4–8 weeks.

• Occupancy: We need someone who can dedicate significant and consistent time during this window.

• Location: Remote or On-Site at any of our branches.

• Time Zone: Flexible, though candidates should be able to coordinate with European working hours.