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.