HPC DC Lead Solution Architect at Viridien in Houston, TX

HPC DC Lead Solution Architect
Location: Houston, United States of America
Viridien (www.viridiengroup.com) is an advanced technology, digital and Earth data company that pushes the boundaries of science for a more prosperous and sustainable future. With our ingenuity, drive and deep curiosity we discover new insights, innovations, and solutions that efficiently and responsibly resolve complex natural resource, digital, energy transition and infrastructure challenges.
Job Summary
We are seeking a highly experienced HPC Solution Architect Team Lead to join our Technical Projects Group. This role will lead the architecture, design, and technical delivery of initiatives across our global HPC and Digital Platform landscape, ensuring scalable, secure, and high-performing HPC and Cloud infrastructure solutions. The successful candidate will combine deep Linux/HPC expertise with strong stakeholder engagement, requirements-to-design translation, and project execution capabilities, while supporting operational excellence. Recognized as a subject matter expert (SME) for HPC/Linux platform architecture within the region/department; regularly advises HPC senior management and engages directly with clients on solution decisions within area of expertise.
Key Responsibilities:
Own the end-to-end architecture and delivery of HPC and Cloud infrastructure solutions, including requirements gathering, solution design, technology selection, implementation planning, and architecture documentation (HLDs, LLDs, diagrams, BOMs, build guides, and operational handover).
Translate business and research requirements into scalable, secure, and cost-effective technical architectures and implementation roadmaps aligned with enterprise standards.
Lead architecture governance, design reviews, and technical decision-making to ensure solutions meet performance, availability, security, scalability, and operational requirements.
Collaborate with infrastructure, networking, storage, security, and application teams to deliver integrated HPC and Cloud solutions while guiding implementation, managing risks, and resolving technical issues.
Drive automation, Infrastructure-as-Code, standardization, and Linux platform optimization to improve reliability, operational excellence, and delivery efficiency.
Contribute to the HPC and Cloud technology roadmap by evaluating emerging technologies, developing reference architectures, and recommending innovations that improve performance, cost, and scalability.
Support operational readiness through monitoring, logging, backup, disaster recovery, patching strategies, runbooks, and participation in change management and architecture review boards.
Mentor technical teams, share best practices, contribute to the architecture community, balance project delivery with operational support, and participate in a 24/7 on-call rotation as needed.
Team Lead Responsibilities:
Provide technical guidance and expertise to the team, ensuring best practices are followed and knowledge is shared.
Assist in the development and implementation of team goals, objectives, and strategies.
Collaborate with the team to identify and prioritize tasks and ensure that projects are completed efficiently and effectively.
Act as a point of escalation for technical issues, providing expert troubleshooting and problem-solving skills.
Represent the team in meetings and discussions, providing technical input and expertise.
Fill in for the manager as needed, providing leadership and guidance to the team.
Serve as the primary technical reference for HPC solution architecture within the department/region, including review/approval of designs and coaching of engineers/architects.
Coach, review, and delegate work to engineers and junior architects (design reviews, implementation approach, documentation quality), ensuring outcomes meet standards.
Skills & Competencies:
Essential:
5+ years of experience in Linux administration, preferably in an HPC environment, with demonstrated progression into solution design and technical leadership.
Strong understanding of systems architecture, troubleshooting, and IT service management concepts.
Ability to design and deliver solutions using automation/configuration management and IaC approaches.
Ability to work with a wide variety of open-source technologies and cloud services and select appropriate solutions based on requirements and constraints.
Experience with container orchestration in design and/or delivery contexts.
Familiarity with scripting and engineering practices (Bash, Python, Perl).
Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to lead technical resolution across teams and vendors.
Strong project and time management skills; able to work in a dynamic environment and prioritize effectively.
Desirable:
Experience with DevOps methodologies and platforms (OpenStack, Kubernetes, CI/CD, etc.).
Experience in cloud administration, virtualization, and hardware/platform design considerations (Storage/CPU/GPU).
ITIL Foundation level certification.
Certifications like CCNA or CompTIA Network+ are a plus.
Knowledge of datacenter GPUs and GPU-enabled platform design.
Experience with HPC and clustering technologies (object storage, parallel file systems, RAID storage).
Understanding of networks, RAID, and tape subsystems.
Experience designing/operating in high-volume critical production service environments.
Virtualization knowledge and experience.
What You Bring - Qualifications and Experience:
Bachelor's degree in IT, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a related field (or equivalent work experience).
5+ years of extensive experience in Linux administration, preferably in an HPC environment.
Experience in scripting, automation, cloud technologies, and DevOps practices is preferred.
Knowledge of internet security and data privacy principles.
Excellent communications, presentation, and customer service skills, and must have an outstanding track record of meeting customer expectations.
Must be detail-oriented and work well in a team environment.
Must have legal right to live and work in the United States.
Our Hiring Process
At Viridien, we are committed to delivering a respectful, inclusive, and transparent recruitment experience.
Due to the high volume of applications we receive, we may not be able to provide individual feedback to every applicant. Only candidates whose qualifications closely match the role criteria will be contacted for an interview. We do, however, aim to share personalized feedback with those who progress to the first round of interviews and beyond.
We are also dedicated to ensuring that our hiring process accessible to all. If you require any reasonable adjustments to fully participate in the application or interview stages, please don’t hesitate to contact your recruiter directly.
We see things differently. Diversity fuels our innovation, we value the unique ways in which we differ, and we are committed to equal employment opportunities for all professionals.