Research Assistant - Computing Team (PAYE Contractor) in Cambridge

About Huawei Research and Development UK Limited. Founded in 1987, Huawei is a leading global provider of information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure and smart devices. We have 207,000 employees and operate in over 170 countries and regions, serving more than three billion people around the world.

Our vision and mission is to bring digital to every person, home and organization for a fully connected, intelligent world. To this end, we will drive ubiquitous connectivity and promote equal access to networks; bring cloud and artificial intelligence to all four corners of the earth to provide superior computing power where you need it, when you need it; build digital platforms to help all industries and organizations become more agile, efficient, and dynamic; redefine user experience with AI, making it more personalized for people in all aspects of their life, whether they’re at home, in the office, or on the go.

This spirit of innovation has led Huawei to work in close partnership with leading academic institutions in the UK to develop and refine the latest technologies. With a shared commitment to innovation and progress, both parties have worked together to achieve common goals and establish a strong partnership. The partnership between UK and Huawei helps to develop the technologies of the future that will transform the way we all communicate, work and live.

For the past 30 years we have maintained an unwavering focus, rejecting shortcuts and easy opportunities that don't align with our core business. With a practical approach to everything we do, we concentrate our efforts and invest patiently to drive technological breakthroughs.

This strategic focus is a reflection of our core values:

• Staying customer-centric
• Inspiring dedication
• Persevering
• Growing by reflection

Job Summary: We are seeking a motivated and detail-oriented Research Assistant to join our Computing team. This role combines hands-on technical and research support with project coordination responsibilities, supporting the successful delivery of research and development activities within Huawei’s ICT and system research programs.

The Research Assistant will work closely with researchers, engineers, and Project Managers to support experimentation, tooling, system validation, and project execution. The role involves working in Linux-based environments, supporting development and build workflows, maintaining technical and research documentation, tracking project progress, and facilitating effective communication across technical teams and stakeholders.

The ideal candidate has a strong technical foundation, good organizational skills, and a proactive mindset. They are comfortable working across both technical and coordination tasks, take ownership of their work, and contribute positively to a fast-paced research environment.

Key Responsibilities:

• Support research and development activities in Linux-based environments, including command-line usage, basic system administration, and troubleshooting.
• Assist with research experiments, prototype systems, and performance evaluations related to ICT and computing systems.
• Write and maintain automation scripts (Bash, Python, or similar) to support experimentation, data processing, and development workflows.
• Support the use of version control and build systems (e.g. Git, Make, CMake), including branching, merging, resolving conflicts, and assisting with build or tooling issues.
• Collect, analyse, and summarise experimental data, logs, and system metrics to support research analysis and reporting.
• Assist in investigating new system architectures, tools, or optimisation techniques under the guidance of senior researchers.
• Support Project Managers in planning, scheduling, and monitoring research and development activities.
• Track project milestones, deliverables, dependencies, and risks, and assist in maintaining project plans and risk registers.
• Prepare and maintain technical and project documentation, including research proposals, schedules, status reports, and meeting records.
• Coordinate communication between internal technical teams and external partners or stakeholders.
• Organise and support project and research meetings, including agenda preparation and follow-up on action items.
• Provide coordination and logistical support to ensure smooth execution of research projects.

This job description is only an outline of the tasks, responsibilities and outcomes required of the role. The jobholder will carry out any other duties as may be reasonably required by his/her line manager. The job description and personal specification may be reviewed on an ongoing basis in accordance with the changing needs of Huawei Research and Development UK Limited.

Qualifications and skills:

• Education: Master’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Engineering, or related field. Background involving research projects, dissertations, or thesis work is highly desirable.
• Experience: 1–3 years of experience in a research support, project coordination, systems engineering, or technical support role. Experience supporting ICT, computing systems, or software development projects is preferred.
• Technical Skills: Solid experience working in Linux environments, including command-line usage, basic system administration, and troubleshooting. Ability to write and maintain automation scripts (Bash, Python or similar) to support automation, data processing, and development workflows. Practical knowledge of Git and build systems (e.g. Make, CMake), including branching, merging, resolving conflicts, and assisting with build or tooling issues. Strong problem-solving and debugging skills, using logs, documentation, and analytical thinking to identify root causes. Good understanding of ICT systems, with awareness of software and hardware interactions.
• Plus skills: Understanding of CPU architecture and micro-architecture concepts, including branch prediction, prefetching, and cache hierarchies. Proficiency in C/C++, with a solid understanding of Assembly Language. Experience related to compiler technologies, binary analysis, or performance tuning.