diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yml b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
index 7ab02fc..2ab7596 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -7,6 +7,33 @@ name: CI
       - master
 
 jobs:
+  build:
+    name: Build Rocky9 container image
+    # Upstream rockylinux:9.3 images don't contain systemd, which means /sbin/init fails.
+    # A workaround of using "/bin/bash -c 'dnf -y install systemd && /sbin/init'"
+    # as the container command is flaky.
+    # This job builds an image using the upstream rockylinux:9.3 image which ensures
+    # that the image used for the molecule workflow is always updated.
+    runs-on: ubuntu-22.04
+    defaults:
+      run:
+        working-directory: molecule/images
+    steps:
+      - name: Check out the codebase.
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+      - name: Build image
+        run: podman build -t rocky93systemd:latest .
+
+      - name: Save image
+        run: podman save --output rocky93systemd.docker rocky93systemd:latest
+
+      - name: Upload rocky9 image
+        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
+        with:
+          name: rocky93systemd
+          path: molecule/images/rocky93systemd.docker
+    
   molecule:
     name: Molecule
     # Workaround: systemd/kernel compatibility issue:
@@ -18,13 +45,14 @@ jobs:
     # See:
     #   - https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=190144
     #   - https://github.com/systemd/systemd/pull/16424
-    runs-on: ubuntu-20.04
+    runs-on: ubuntu-22.04
+    needs: build
     strategy:
       fail-fast: false
       matrix:
         image:
           - 'rockylinux:8.9'
-          - 'rockylinux:9.3'
+          - 'localhost/rocky93systemd'
         scenario:
           - test1
           - test1b
@@ -42,13 +70,24 @@ jobs:
           - test12
           - test13
           - test14
-
         exclude: []
 
     steps:
       - name: Check out the codebase.
         uses: actions/checkout@v4
 
+      - name: Download rocky9 container image
+        uses: actions/download-artifact@v4
+        with:
+          name: rocky93systemd
+          path: molecule/images/rocky93systemd.docker
+        if: matrix.image == 'localhost/rocky93systemd'
+
+      - name: Load rocky9 container image
+        run: podman load --input rocky93systemd.docker/rocky93systemd.docker
+        working-directory: molecule/images
+        if: matrix.image == 'localhost/rocky93systemd'
+
       - name: Set up Python 3.
         uses: actions/setup-python@v4
         with:
diff --git a/molecule/README.md b/molecule/README.md
index 9fed9a6..16126cb 100644
--- a/molecule/README.md
+++ b/molecule/README.md
@@ -39,17 +39,18 @@ Local installation on a RockyLinux 8.x machine looks like:
     pip install -r molecule/requirements.txt
     ansible-galaxy collection install containers.podman:>=1.10.1
 
-Then to run tests, e.g.::
+Build a RockyLinux 9.3 image with systemd included:
 
-    cd ansible-role-openhpc/
-    MOLECULE_IMAGE=rockylinux:8.9 molecule test --all
-
-During development you may want to:
+    cd ansible-role-openhpc/molecule/images
+    podman build -t rocky93systemd:latest .
 
-- See some debugging information by prepending:
+Run tests, e.g.:
 
-        MOLECULE_NO_LOG="false" ...
+    cd ansible-role-openhpc/
+    MOLECULE_NO_LOG="false" MOLECULE_IMAGE=rockylinux:8.9 molecule test --all
 
-- Prevent destroying insstances using:
+where the image may be `rockylinux:8.9` or `localhost/rocky93systemd`.
 
-        molecule test --destroy never
+Other useful options during development:
+- Prevent destroying instances by using `molecule test --destroy never`
+- Run only a single test using e.g. `molecule test --scenario test5`
diff --git a/molecule/images/Dockerfile b/molecule/images/Dockerfile
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ba6f78b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/molecule/images/Dockerfile
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+FROM rockylinux:9.3
+RUN dnf install -y systemd && dnf clean all
diff --git a/molecule/test4/molecule.yml b/molecule/test4/molecule.yml
index 838d009..29d30ca 100644
--- a/molecule/test4/molecule.yml
+++ b/molecule/test4/molecule.yml
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ platforms:
     pre_build_image: true
     groups:
       - testohpc_login
-    command: "/bin/bash -c 'dnf -y install systemd && /sbin/init'" # not in RL9 image
+    command: /sbin/init
     tmpfs:
       - /run
       - /tmp
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ platforms:
     pre_build_image: true
     groups:
       - testohpc_compute
-    command: "/bin/bash -c 'dnf -y install systemd && /sbin/init'" # not in RL9 image
+    command: /sbin/init
     tmpfs:
       - /run
       - /tmp
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ platforms:
     pre_build_image: true
     groups:
       - testohpc_compute
-    command: "/bin/bash -c 'dnf -y install systemd && /sbin/init'" # not in RL9 image
+    command: /sbin/init
     tmpfs:
       - /run
       - /tmp