at University of Illinois in Urbana, Illinois, United States
Job Description
ASSISTANT RESEARCH SYSTEMS ENGINEERRESEARCH SYSTEMS ENGINEER
SENIOR RESEARCH SYSTEMS ENGINEER
National Supercomputing Applications
6 positions available
Since 1986, the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) has been home to pioneering partnerships that have not just moved the needle, but taken the computational research in bold, new directions. At NCSA, our advanced cyberinfrastructure and expertise provide a hub for transdisciplinary research that unites academic institutions and global companies in search of the answers to the world's most challenging problems and help us meet the needs of future generations. NCSA is supported by the state of Illinois, the University of Illinois, the National Science Foundation, and various federal agencies working together for the benefit of all those we serve. NCSA is seeking talented, enthusiastic partners to join our team! Be a part of our expanding and dynamic research endeavors!
PRIMARY POSITION FUNCTION/SUMMARY FOR ASSISTANT RESEARCH SYSTEMS ENGINEER: collaborate with scientific researchers in resolving computing issues and assist in designing novel solutions to new research challenges. contribute code and best practices to academic research communities. install, maintain, and troubleshoot hardware and software specialized for the needs of scientific research on high performance computing (hpc) systems.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Research Infrastructure and System Engineering
- Contribute to the research and design of novel, HPC hardware and software solutions to achieve an effective computational research platform.
- Enhance the quality and optimal use of NCSA's research computing environment with the seamless integration of various advanced computational systems, data systems and services.
- Install, update, and troubleshoot hardware and software on research HPC systems.
- Deploy and maintain HPC clusters using existing provisioning tools such as xCAT.
- Manage existing clusters using automated configuration management (CM) tools such as Puppet.
- Use and modify existing Continuous Integration (CI) tools (eg: Gitlab runners, Github actions.)
- Coordinate with divisional peers, direct manager, direct service team leads, and support vendors.
- Maintain and update existing scripts written in one or more programming languages.
Research Engineering
- Provide consulting expertise to researchers across a variety of domain sciences to leverage synergies across projects.
- Engage with service teams to perform routine tasks.
- Collaborate with researchers to diagnose and resolve their system usage issues.
- Maintain documentation on user issues, system use, and system capabilities for both internal management and engineering as well as external users.
- Train on new technologies.
Engagement and Outreach
- Obtain and apply knowledge in research system engineering best practices.
- Attend conferences and prepare reports on new ideas and technologies.
QUALIFICATIONS: BA/BS degree in engineering, computer science, or related field. Alternate degree fields will be considered if accompanied by equivalent experience as it relates to current NCSA projects and technologies. One year of experience in the following areas (a combination of training, internship, or professional experience allowed).
- Support of IT technologies, especially servers.
- Developing and utilizing scripting languages to accomplish tasks.
- Activities associated with the deployment, operation, and management of Linux systems or other enterprise IT services.
Six months of experience researching, presenting, and/or publishing technical projects or papers in a professional or academic setting.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities for all levels: Evidence of consistent use of good judgment, discretion, and tactful communication. Energy and enthusiasm for expressing the value of diverse cultures, fostering empathy, and improving organizations in the areas of access and representation. Knowledge and experience with office software and ability to learn custom systems. Ability to handle multiple priorities without direct supervision. Excellent oral and written communications skills with a record of publications in peer reviewed journals.
PRIMARY POSITION FUNCTION/SUMMARY FOR RESEARCH SYSTEM ENGINEER: Collaborate with scientific researchers in resolving computing issues and design novel solutions to new research challenges. Contribute code and best practices to academic research communities. Install, maintain, and troubleshoot hardware and software specialized for the needs of scientific research on high performance computing (HPC) systems.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Research Infrastructure and System Engineering
- Research and design novel, HPC hardware and software solutions to achieve an effective computational research platform.
- Enhance the quality and optimal use of NCSA's research computing environment with the seamless integration of various advanced computational systems, data systems and services.
- Install, update, and troubleshoot hardware and software on research HPC systems.
- Deploy and maintain HPC clusters using existing provisioning tools such as xCAT.
- Mentor Assistant Research System Engineers.
- Plan upgrades and outages for HPC systems and services.
- Research new hardware and software technologies.
- Create new solutions within existing cluster provisioning and configuration management workflows.
- Automate tasks using Continuous Integration (CI) tools (eg: Gitlab runners, Github actions.)
- Coordinate with divisional management and all division-level service teams.
- Create new scripts in one or more programming languages to improve the efficiency of routine tasks.
Research Engineering
- Provide consulting expertise to researchers across a variety of domain sciences to leverage synergies across projects.
- Engage with service teams to perform complex tasks and design novel solutions.
- Collaborate with researchers to diagnose and resolve their system usage issues.
- Maintain and create documentation on user issues, system use, and system capabilities.
- Test and document new technologies, present prepared materials to internal engineers.
Engagement and Outreach
- Create and present training materials for internal and external use.
- Participate in training junior staff on research system engineering best practices.
- Author white papers and/or posters for publication at conferences and user groups.
QUALIFICATIONS: BA/BS degree in engineering, computer science, or related field. Alternate degree fields will be considered if accompanied by equivalent experience as it relates to current NCSA projects and technologies. Three years of training or experience in a combination of the following areas:
-Support of IT technologies, especially servers;
-Developing and utilizing scripting languages to accomplish tasks;
-and / or activities associated with the deployment, operation, and management of Linux systems or other enterprise IT services.
Six months of experience researching, presenting, and/or publishing technical projects or papers in a professional or academic setting.
PRIMARY POSITION FUNCTION/SUMMARY FOR SENIOR SYSTEM ENGINEER: The Senior System Engineer leads a team, providing key hardware and software support functions for advanced computational and data systems, known as research cyberinfrastructure operations. This position may be assigned to work on research systems such as the Illinois Campus Cluster Program, and the NCSA Industry Program systems. Designs, installs, configures, tests, analyzes, maintains and updates high performance computing, storage and communication hardware and services within the NCSA advanced cyberinfrastructure (ACI) in support of academia and industrial research. Partner in NCSA's vision of being a home for addressing complex research problems in science and society, powered by the development of advanced and comprehensive digital research environments. Collaborate with research teams and partners by providing effective access to the ACI, addressing current and future system requirements.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Research Infrastructure and System Engineering in Support of Research
- Lead a team of associate systems engineers as the primary administrator for assigned high performance computing (HPC) systems.
- Diagnose, analyze and design solutions for complex system implementations, capabilities & issues.
- Make independent decisions to keep optimal system performance and availability in line with production standards.
- Proactively ensure that the project offices have up-to-date information about their HPC systems
- Make technical recommendations on hardware configuration, user policies and security procedures.
- Provide technical assistance to users and convey user feedback and concerns to project staff.
- Coordinate and provide on-call and off-hours support as assigned.
- Monitor status and use of resources (systems, networks, disk memory, as applicable).
- Create and maintain documentation on system capabilities and services.
- Establish, update and maintain system and administrative logs for current and future research opportunities.
Research Engineering
- Coordinate the deployment of new solutions for high-performance computing (HPC) use cases.
- Direct testing of systems and software before and after system changes or upgrades for performance and functionality.
- Make technical decisions on system software configuration and administration procedures per group policy.
- Keep up to date on current trends in system engineering research and utilize this knowledge in recommending and implementing system solutions.
- Track research activity of relevant vendors and NCSA partners.
- Contribute to publications, technical reports, and public conferences.
- Coordinate with users and project offices on the research efforts of those groups.
- Coordinate logs collection and analysis for information about recurrent issues, performance or usage.
- Document work accomplished and provide analysis/feedback on HPC systems.
- Develop and present technical training material via tutorials and seminars documentation as a result of research experiences in NCSA's ACI.
- Train other staff and consultants in support of new capabilities and services.
QUALIFICATIONS: BA/BS degree in engineering, computer science, or related field. Alternate degree fields will be considered if accompanied by equivalent experience (depending on nature and depth of experience as it relates to current NCSA projects and technologies)
• 3 years of experience in the support of IT technologies and servers
• 3 years of experience developing and utilizing scripting to accomplish complex
tasks
• 3 years of experience in activities associated with the deployment, operation and management of HPC clusters or data-intensive systems or other enterprise IT services as may be applicable
• Knowledge of Linux/Unix operating systems and services
• Knowledge of HPC hardware
• Knowledge of HPC-specific services and applications
• Knowledge of HPC programming languages and middleware
• Programming experience with one or more languages
Appointment Information
These are 100% full-time Academic Professional positions, appointed on a 12-month basis. The expected start date is as soon as possible. The salary is commensurate with experience and level of appointment. Assistant level starting salary is $60,000 with full benefits for qualified individuals. Other levels are commensurate with experience and skills up to $120,000 per year.
Please visit : https://www.hr.uillinois.edu/UserFiles/Servers/Server_4208/File/Benefits/EmployeeBenefits.pdf to view our outstanding benefits package.
Application Procedures & Deadline Information
For full consideration, please apply by 6:00PM, on January 15, 2024 (extended closing date), however, this search will remain open until all positions are filled. Apply for this position using the Apply Now button at the top or bottom of this posting. Applications not submitted through https://jobs.illinois.edu will not be considered. For further information about this specific position, please contact Devin Scheidemantel, NCSA HR Associate, at wds@illinois.edu. For questions regarding the application process, please contact 217-333-2137.
The University of Illinois System is an equal opportunity employer, including but not limited to disability and/or veteran status, and complies with all applicable state and federal employment mandates. Please visit Required Employment Notices and Posters to view our non-discrimination statement and find additional information about required background checks, sexual harassment/misconduct disclosures, COVID-19 vaccination requirement, and employment eligibility review through E-Verify .
Applicants with disabilities are encouraged to apply and may request a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (2008) to complete the application and/or interview process. Requests may be submitted through the reasonable accommodations portal , or by contacting the Accessibility & Accommodations Division of the Office for Access and Equity at 217-333-0885, or by emailing accessibility@illinois.edu .
Requisition ID: 1020330
Job Category: Research
Apply at: https://jobs.illinois.edu
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