Systems Architect

Operational Systems Architect

Permanent - Hybrid (Reading)

About the Role

We're partnering with an innovative technology business delivering mission-critical operational systems to customers across the UK and internationally. They are looking for an experienced Operational Systems Architect to take ownership of the design, resilience and ongoing performance of complex IT infrastructure supporting live operational environments.

This is a hands-on senior engineering position where you'll be responsible for ensuring systems remain secure, highly available and fully recoverable. Working across infrastructure, databases, networking and systems integration, you'll play a key role in maintaining business-critical platforms while driving continuous improvements to reliability, monitoring and operational standards.

The role offers a mix of office-based and customer-facing work, with regular travel to client sites and opportunities to contribute to the delivery of large-scale, high-availability technology solutions.

Key Responsibilities

* Design and maintain scalable, secure and resilient system architectures across internal platforms and customer deployments.

* Develop, implement and regularly test backup, restore and disaster recovery strategies to ensure business continuity.

* Support and optimise operational databases, data pipelines and storage platforms, maintaining data integrity and system performance.

* Deploy, configure and manage Windows and Linux server environments alongside networking and storage infrastructure.

* Implement proactive monitoring, alerting and performance management to minimise downtime and improve operational visibility.

* Provide technical support for live customer environments, including deployments, upgrades, fault resolution and ongoing maintenance.

* Lead complex troubleshooting and root cause analysis across infrastructure, networking, applications and integrated systems.

* Maintain strong security controls, access management and governance processes while supporting industry best practice.

* Produce clear technical documentation including architecture diagrams, operational procedures and disaster recovery plans.

* Drive continuous improvement initiatives to enhance system resilience, operational efficiency and deployment standards.

Key Skills & Experience

* Proven experience in a senior Infrastructure Engineer, Systems Engineer, Systems Architect or Operational Technology role.

* Strong knowledge of Windows and/or Linux server administration.

* Solid networking expertise including TCP/IP, VLANs, routing and firewall technologies.

* Experience designing and supporting backup, recovery and disaster recovery solutions.

* Strong understanding of high-availability environments and business-critical operational systems.

* Experience managing databases, storage platforms and data reliability.

* Excellent troubleshooting skills across complex, integrated technical environments.

* Experience with infrastructure monitoring, alerting and performance management tools.

* Understanding of security best practices, access control and secure infrastructure design.

* Excellent communication skills with the ability to work independently and collaborate across technical teams.

Desirable Experience

* Experience within operational technology (OT), industrial or critical infrastructure environments.

* Exposure to cloud platforms such as Azure or AWS.

* Familiarity with Microsoft 365 and Entra ID.

* Knowledge of cybersecurity frameworks and secure system architecture.

* Eligibility to obtain UK Security Clearance (SC).

This is an excellent opportunity to join a growing technology organisation where you'll have genuine ownership of critical systems, influence technical strategy and work on complex engineering challenges in a collaborative environment