Senior Service Delivery Manager / HPC-AI Application Specialist

The Italian Institute of Artificial Intelligence (AI4I) is seeking a senior technical professional to act as the technical lead and service delivery manager for the Peano HPC/AI infrastructure. This position requires deep technical understanding across HPC, AI, cloud, storage, and networking systems, combined with operational leadership in supporting AI workloads and applications.

You will oversee the operational lifecycle of applications running on Peano, bridging engineering teams, deployment units, and end users to ensure reliable, usable, and integrated services.

This is a highly execution-focused senior role combining technical expertise, service delivery, and operational coordination across multiple layers of the AI/HPC stack.

Hybrid work:

Flexible arrangements may be negotiated

Position status:

Open until filled; multiple candidates may be hired

You Will Work Closely With:

• Engineering and platform teams maintaining the infrastructure
• Deployment teams delivering AI solutions to internal and external stakeholders
• Data scientists and developers running workloads on Peano
• External partners using AI4I services

Key Responsibilities

• Act as technical owner of the Peano platform, covering HPC/AI, cloud, storage, and basic networking
• Oversee the operational lifecycle of AI and HPC applications, ensuring high service reliability
• Coordinate onboarding of new services and applications for internal and external users
• Monitor platform health and coordinate incident detection, resolution, and escalation
• Manage service documentation, operational procedures, and user guidance
• Support users in running workloads efficiently, addressing technical issues proactively
• Define service levels, operational best practices, and continuous improvement initiatives
• Facilitate communication between engineering teams, deployment units, and users
• Contribute to platform architectural decisions, roadmap planning, and strategic infrastructure evolution

Key Responsibilities

• Oversee the operational lifecycle of AI and HPC applications on the Peano
• Coordinate onboarding of new services and applications
• Monitor service health and coordinate incident resolution
• Manage service documentation, operational procedures, and user guidance
• Support users in running and operating workloads efficiently
• Define service levels and best operational practices
• Facilitate communication between engineering teams and service users
• Contribute to improving usability, reliability, and adoption of the platform

Required Qualifications

• Extensive experience operating or supporting complex technical platforms or services
• Strong Linux and command line proficiency
• Ability to troubleshoot distributed applications and workflows
• Experience interacting with technical users (developers, engineers, data scientists)
• Excellent organizational and communication skills

Additional Strengths

• Familiarity with HPC, cloud, and containerized environments
• Experience with storage systems (VAST) and networking fundamentals
• Exposure to service management, ticketing, or incident resolution processes
• Experience preparing operational documentation and training materials

Key Performance Metrics

• Platform and service availability and reliability
• Incident detection and resolution efficiency
• User onboarding and adoption speed
• Quality and completeness of operational documentation
• Overall operational impact on internal and partner workflows

What We Offer

• Leadership over the full Peano platform and critical AI/HPC services
• Direct operational impact on production AI/HPC workloads
• Access to advanced AI computing infrastructure
• Competitive compensation and flexible work arrangements
• Salary range: €50,000 – €70,000 gross/year (depending on experience)

About Us

The Italian Institute for Artificial Intelligence (AI4I) was founded as a research institute to perform transformative, application-oriented research in Artificial Intelligence, driving innovation and industrial progress. The Institute is designed to engage and empower gifted, entrepreneurial, and ambitious researchers who are committed to generating real-world impact at the intersection of science, technology, and industrial transformation.

Competitive salaries, performance-based incentives, access to dedicated high-performance computing resources, state-of-the‑art laboratories, and strong industrial collaborations are among the distinctive features that define AI4I. The Institute fosters a dynamic international environment and an ecosystem that supports the creation and growth of innovative startups.

AI4I’s mission is to advance scientific research, technology transfer, and, more broadly, Italy’s innovation capacity, promoting positive impact across industry, services, and public administration. To achieve this, the Institute contributes to building a research and innovation infrastructure that leverages AI methods, with a special focus on manufacturing processes and the broader Industry 4.0 value chain.

AI4I also maintains strategic relationships with leading organizations in Italy and abroad, including Competence Centers and European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs), positioning itself as an attractive destination for researchers, companies, and startups seeking collaboration and impact.