Requirements
Proven experience in a senior IT leadership role, ideally within a technology-driven, engineering or research-intensive organisation
Strong hands‑on technical background in Linux systems administration, networking, and cloud/on‑prem infrastructure
Demonstrable experience managing or supporting HPC environments, including job scheduling systems, storage architectures (e.g. GPFS, Lustre, NFS), and cluster management
Experience owning DevOps tooling and practices: CI/CD, containerisation (Docker, Kubernetes), infrastructure‑as‑code (Terraform, Ansible), and version control systems
Solid understanding of information security principles and experience implementing or managing security frameworks
Excellent stakeholder management skills – comfortable engaging with scientists, engineers, executives, and external vendors alike
A proactive, ownership‑oriented mindset with the ability to both set strategy and roll up your sleeves
(Desirable) Experience working in a quantum computing, semiconductor, HPC centre, or national laboratory environment
(Desirable) Familiarity with FPGA-based systems or real‑time processing infrastructure
(Desirable) Experience scaling IT operations in a high‑growth startup or scale‑up
(Desirable) Knowledge of relevant compliance frameworks (ISO 27001, NIST, Cyber Essentials Plus)
(Desirable) Experience with GPU cluster management or similar specialist compute environments
What the job involves
As Head of IT, you will own and lead everything that keeps Riverlane's technology estate running — from corporate IT operations to the development and management of our on‑premises high‑performance computing (HPC) infrastructure. This is a senior, hands‑on leadership role that sits at the intersection of enterprise IT and deep technical infrastructure, making it uniquely exciting for someone who thrives in fast‑moving, engineering‑led organisations
You will be Riverlane's most senior IT leader, setting strategy, owning delivery, and working closely with engineering, operations, security, and finance stakeholders to ensure our infrastructure is world‑class, secure, and ready to scale
Own and evolve the company‑wide IT strategy, policies, and roadmap, ensuring alignment with Riverlane's growth trajectory and security requirements
Manage and continuously improve all corporate IT systems, including endpoint management, identity and access management (IAM), collaboration tools, SaaS platforms, and networking
Lead IT procurement, vendor management, and licence optimisation across all tools and platforms
Ensure robust IT support processes are in place, maintaining high availability and responsiveness for a technically demanding workforce of scientists and engineers
Own and develop Riverlane's information security posture, including policies, risk management, access controls, and compliance with relevant standards (e.g. ISO 27001, Cyber Essentials)
Lead the IT aspects of any audits, due diligence processes, or regulatory requirements
Manage and mentor any IT support staff, building out the team as the company grows
Take ownership of Riverlane's on‑premises high‑performance computer, serving as the primary technical authority for its architecture, performance, reliability, and availability
Lead the DevOps strategy for the HPC environment, including CI/CD pipelines, containerisation, workload scheduling (e.g. Slurm, Kubernetes), and infrastructure‑as‑code practices
Collaborate closely with quantum scientists and hardware engineers to understand their compute requirements and translate them into robust, scalable infrastructure solutions
Learn to ensure the HPC environment is optimised for the unique demands of quantum error correction research and development
Define and enforce best practices around HPC system security, backup, disaster recovery, and capacity planning
Evaluate and integrate new technologies to extend the HPC capability as Riverlane's research scales toward MegaQuOp and beyond
Act as the bridge between the engineering/science teams and the IT function, translating complex research infrastructure requirements into well‑managed, reliable systems
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