Apprentice High Performance Computing Specialist in Cheltenham

Red Oak Consulting is a specialist High-Performance Computing (HPC) consultancy supporting organisations across academia, research, and industry. We help our clients design, build, optimise, and manage complex HPC and AI environments always with a focus on efficiency, sustainability, and long-term value. As a team, we are independent, vendor-neutral, and deeply collaborative. We work closely with clients to understand their goals, overcome challenges, and create solutions that genuinely make a difference. Joining Red Oak means being part of a supportive, friendly environment where learning, growth, and curiosity are part of everyday life.

The successful candidate will start in managed services and system administration, assisting the team support customers' HPC-AI solutions. On completion of the apprenticeship, there will be opportunities within the HPC-AI Managed Service Team or within the team of HPC-AI Consultants.

We are looking for a motivated and detail-oriented person with problem-solving skills. A keen interest in all aspects of High Performance Computing and AI technology (HPC-AI) or the computing technology used to solve complex problems is essential. You will receive a blend of structured learning and hands‐on experience to build your technical skills and knowledge of HPC‐AI.

• Working alongside HPC specialists to provide solutions for customer incidents and service requests, including system and software installations and maintenance.
• Working with the IT services team to solve internal incidents and service requests.
• Developing solutions that improve ITSM monitoring, service quality, data visualisation, etc.
• Deployment, maintenance, optimisation and support of HPC-AI clusters, including Linux servers (nodes), storage and networking.
• Assist with installation and optimisation of user applications and helping users with scheduling simulations.
• Documentation of systems design, configuration, user guides, procedures, etc.
• Working with Consultants on customer projects including proof of concepts, cost of ownership analysis, HPC-AI strategies, procurements and more.
• Installation, configuration and support of HPC‐AI on-premises and in the Cloud.

You will be working towards a Level 6 Digital and Technology Solutions Professional degree with Aston University in Birmingham. This apprenticeship is delivered through blended work‐based learning. You will begin with a seven‐week technical training block on campus, known as the ALE‐Advanced Learning Environment, where you will develop the core computing and business skills needed to become an effective team member in the workplace. Then you will spend the majority of your time in the workplace doing a real full‐time job while studying part‐time. Your learning will consist of online seminars outside of office hours and four days on campus every six months to meet face‐to‐face with peers and academics. Initially, the working week will be Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm. Hours may be flexible to accommodate customer working hours and required training time.