Associate Director, IT Infrastructure Full Time

Position Summary

We’re seeking an Associate Director, IT Infrastructure to lead and transform our scientific computing environment in support of our cutting-edge gene therapy research. This senior leadership position will drive the strategy and execution of research computing initiatives, working in close partnership with our Bioinformatics, AI/ML, and Global IT Infrastructure teams. The role focuses specifically on advancing our scientific computing capabilities through operational excellence, while ensuring our research teams can maximize the value of our high-performance computing investments.

As a key member of the technology leadership team, this position will be responsible for the day-to-day operations and strategic evolution of our research computing environment. The successful candidate will combine deep technical expertise in scientific computing with strong business acumen to deliver innovative solutions that accelerate our research mission. While Global IT Infrastructure maintains our enterprise technology foundation, this role focuses exclusively on the specialized computing needs of our scientific teams, including high-performance computing, GPU-accelerated workflows, and research data management.

Job Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary local IT Infrastructure contact for Edinburgh’s Bioinformatics and AI/ML teams
• Manage and optimize scientific computing infrastructure, including GPU clusters, high-performance storage systems, and virtualized environments
• Collaborate with global IT teams to ensure infrastructure alignment with scientific computing needs
• Lead technical planning and implementation of infrastructure improvements
• Provide technical guidance on architecture decisions affecting scientific workflows
• Manage and optimize WEKA storage systems and VSphere virtual environments
• Support Linux-based scientific computing environments, leveraging managed services as appropriate
• Implement and maintain monitoring solutions for complex computing environments
• Participate in capacity planning and performance optimization initiatives
• Drive infrastructure automation and continuous improvement
• Manage relationships with vendors and technical partners

Vendor & Contract Management:

• Manage third-party Linux support contract and contractor relationships
• Define and monitor service level agreements
• Ensure contractor compliance with company security policies
• Review and approve contractor work
• Manage vendor performance and escalations

Security & Compliance:

• Act as primary point of contact for parent company security audits
• Develop and maintain security compliance documentation
• Coordinate and respond to penetration testing activities
• Implement security recommendations and remediation plans
• Ensure infrastructure meets corporate security standards
• Participate in security incident response planning

Business Continuity:

• Lead disaster recovery planning for scientific computing infrastructure
• Coordinate and execute DR testing
• Maintain DR documentation and procedures
• Develop and maintain business continuity plans
• Ensure RPO/RTO objectives are met

Financial Planning & Technical Debt:

• Develop long-term capital planning for infrastructure
• Manage infrastructure budget and forecasting for AskBio European locations
• Identify and track technical debt
• Create remediation plans for technical debt
• Provide cost-benefit analysis for infrastructure investments
• Manage infrastructure lifecycle planning
• Develop business cases for infrastructure improvements

Key Competencies:

Technical:

• Infrastructure architecture and design
• Performance optimization
• Problem-solving and troubleshooting
• Security best practices
• Technical documentation

Business & Management:

• Contract negotiation and management
• Budget planning and control
• Risk management
• Audit response and compliance
• Strategic planning
• Vendor management
• Cost-benefit analysis

Interpersonal:

• Strong communication skills
• Stakeholder management
• Team collaboration
• Conflict resolution
• Customer service orientation
• Ability to bridge technical and scientific domains

Leadership:

• Technical leadership
• Project management
• Mentoring and knowledge transfer
• Change management
• Strategic thinking

Impact Metrics: Success in this role will be measured by:

• Infrastructure stability and performance improvements
• Stakeholder satisfaction levels
• Project delivery effectiveness
• Technical problem resolution metrics
• Team collaboration effectiveness
• Innovation and process improvements

Note: This position requires occasional travel to other company locations and may require some out-of-hours support during critical maintenance windows or emergencies.

This role represents a critical position in our organization, bridging technical expertise with scientific computing needs while fostering strong working relationships between global teams.

​Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field
• 8+ years of experience in infrastructure engineering roles
• Experience with high-performance computing environments
• Proven experience supporting GPU-accelerated computing environments
• Strong understanding of storage systems and networking
• Experience with infrastructure monitoring and optimization tools
• Demonstrated ability to work with scientific computing workflows
• Experience managing vendor relationships and contracts
• Knowledge of IT security and compliance requirements
• Experience with disaster recovery planning and testing
• Understanding of IT financial planning and budgeting
• Experience with audit responses and compliance documentation
• Strong experience with Linux administration and engineering
• Extensive knowledge of virtualization technologies, particularly VSphere

Preferred Education, Experience and Skills

• Experience with WEKA storage systems
• Knowledge of AI/ML infrastructure requirements
• Experience supporting bioinformatics workflows
• Familiarity with container technologies (Docker, Kubernetes)
• Experience with infrastructure automation tools
• Understanding of scientific computing software and frameworks
• Previous experience in biotech or pharmaceutical industries
• Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure)
• ITIL certification
• Security certifications (CISSP, CISM, or similar)
• Experience with GxP compliance
• Experience with pharmaceutical industry regulations
• Previous experience managing technical debt in regulated environments