Overview
In this role you will own and evolve a dedicated research infrastructure that supports high-impact academic work in the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences, focusing on the UK Rail Research and Innovation Network. You will lead a virtualisation and storage platform enabling research projects, while keeping systems secure, reliable and scalable. The position combines hands-on delivery with collaboration across academic colleagues, guiding upgrades and documentation. You will shape future directions of the platform and contribute to a sustainable, high-performance research environment.
Pay / Benefits
- 40 days paid holiday a year
- one paid day for volunteering
- occupational sick pay
- pension scheme
- three subsidised day nurseries
- flexible working arrangements
Responsibilities
- Own and lead the development of the virtualisation and storage platform supporting academic research
- Ensure security, stability and fit-for-purpose operation for live research activities
- Plan and execute upgrades, lifecycle activities and service improvements with minimal disruption
- Manage day-to-day operations including performance, capacity, resilience, availability and incident resolution
- Document architecture, procedures, issues, and support arrangements clearly
- Collaborate with academic users to understand requirements and translate them into practical solutions
- Coordinate procurement and replacement of infrastructure hardware for continuity and value
- Identify and mitigate security risks, vulnerabilities and service weaknesses
- Contribute to service planning and decision-making for future platform direction and sustainability
- Work independently with sound judgement on production changes and escalate as needed
- Coordinate with IT and research support teams to align with University standards and policies
- Ensure backup, recovery and disaster recovery arrangements are reviewed regularly
- Act as technical authority for platform changes and manage risks
- Engage with external suppliers for support, escalation, and roadmaps
- Improve operational efficiency through automation and standardisation
- Ensure compliance with data protection and governance requirements
- Participate in incident reviews and continuous service improvement
- Take ownership of VM/OS layer (Ubuntu Server) including build standards, patching and lifecycle
- Maintain research services in VMs (databases, containers, middleware) and support application-level operational needs
- Support secure cloud integration with Azure and AWS where appropriate
- Handle sensitive or confidential data in line with GDPR and governance requirements
- Identify opportunities to improve reliability through standard builds and automation
- Promote equality, diversity and inclusion in line with university policies
- Other duties as commensurate with the grade
Key requirements
- Degree level education or equivalent plus substantial relevant experience
- Extensive experience with enterprise virtualised infrastructure in production
- Strong practical understanding of virtualization platforms, storage, lifecycle management, patching and hardware replacement
- End-to-end service ownership including operational support, security risk management and continuous improvement
- Ability to plan and deliver change safely in live research environments
- Strong understanding of infrastructure security principles and risk mitigation
- Experience gathering requirements from users and delivering practical solutions
- Strong communication skills to explain technical matters to non-specialists
- Proven ability to work independently and make sound technical decisions
- Ability to identify issues impacting protected groups and take appropriate action
- Equality, diversity and inclusion awareness per university policies
- clear communication
- independence
- problem solving
- Enterprise virtualization (VMware, vSphere, vCenter, vSAN)
- Backup and recovery platforms (Veeam)
- Converged or integrated infrastructure (Dell VxRail)
Senior Infrastructure Engineer - Professional Services - 108069 - Grade 8 employer: University of Birmingham
The University of Birmingham is an exceptional employer, offering a vibrant academic environment that fosters innovation and collaboration. With a strong commitment to employee development, the School of Chemistry provides ample opportunities for career advancement and leadership roles, all while being situated in a dynamic city known for its rich cultural heritage and supportive community.
