System Programmer
The University of Chicago

Department

Provost Research Computing Center

About the Department

The University of Chicago Research Computing Center (RCC), a unit in the Office of Research, provides high-end research computing resources to researchers at the University of Chicago. It is dedicated to enabling research by providing access to centrally managed High-Performance Computing (HPC), storage, and visualization resources. These resources include hardware, software, high-level scientific and technical user support, and the education and training required to help researchers make full use of modern HPC technology and local and national supercomputing resources. The Office of Research oversees the conduct of sponsored research, research program development, and contract management functions.

Job Summary

The job participates in the design of automated, scalable, and rapidly deployable solutions to systems infrastructure and server configuration. Installs, configures, and maintains operating systems, monitoring and alerting systems, utility software, and firewalls. Plans and executes hands-on maintenance for production servers as well as Windows and Linux servers.

The University of Chicago Research Computing Center (RCC) is seeking a highly qualified System Programmer to join its system and operation team that manages and supports an ecosystem of HPC systems and services. The individual in this position will contribute to the ongoing efforts to streamline RCC processes, develop automation tools and improve the ways in which RCC enables transformational computational research at the University of Chicago. The Job duties will primarily include development and maintenance of software and deployment on systems in the RCC environment. The System Programmer will also work with the application development team in integrating continuous integration and continuous deployment approaches (CI/CD) and supporting faculty projects. The ideal candidate will possess a strong technical background, an analytical mind, and be comfortable working as part of a team.

This is a hybrid position requiring 3 days per week onsite.

Responsibilities

• Install, design, configure and maintain scripts that are used for systems provisioning and configuration management.
  
• Develop and maintain system software to automate operations of user accounts and resources allocations (i.e., computing cycles and storage quotas).
  
• Develop a database and software for monitoring hardware inventories (specifications, locations, warranty status and renewals, health status, etc.).
  
• Design and develop software to automate tasks.
  
• Monitoring of hardware inventories (including servers, storages and network devices).
  
• Monitoring of the HPC job scheduler and queuing system (SLURM).
  
• Monitoring and daily backup of research data and critical files from RCC servers.
  
• Monitoring and detection of improper user behaviors and security risks.
  
• Running the suite of applications benchmarks to monitor the performance of RCC HPC systems.
  
• Design and develop tools to assist RCC leadership with analyzing and reporting RCC usages information and other system statistics.
  
• Ensures integrity by implementing appropriate routine software and hardware solutions. Customize and maintain system software tools, such as XDmoD, Open OnDemand, Coldfront, etc.
  
• Proactively troubleshoot issues.
  
• Document system administration procedures for routine and complex tasks.
  
• Contribute to developing software, tools and/or platform for the reproducibility of scientific research.
  
• Maintains complex system and network administration functions. Works with moderate guidance to administer simple systems and assists in the administration of larger systems.
  
• Installs, configures, and maintains operating system workstations and servers. Performs software installations and upgrades to operating systems and layered software packages. Monitors and tunes the system to achieve optimum performance levels, acquiring high-level skills in the process.
  
• Performs other related work as needed.
  

Minimum Qualifications

Education:
Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.
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Work Experience:
Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 2-5 years of work experience in a related job discipline.
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Certifications:

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Preferred Qualifications

Experience:

• A minimum of two years using Linux systems, including basic system configurations, use of command line interface, software installation, packages and network managements, etc.
  
• Experience with Python programming, including various packages for data processing (i.e., Numpy, Scipy, Pandas, Matplotlib).
  
• Experience with bash shell scripting.
  
• Experience with MySQL database techniques.
  
• Experience with Linux build automation tools such as Ansible, GIT, Docker.
  
• Experience implementing automation and monitoring using scripting language and other related tools.
  
• Experience reading and modifying Perl script.
  
• Experience configuring, installing, tuning and maintaining scientific application software.
  
• Experience documenting implementations and system related tasks.
  

Preferred Competencies

• Excellent interpersonal, verbal, written, and presentation skills.
  
• Ability to understand and translate researchers' scientific goals into technical requirements.
  
• Ability to identify and gain expertise in appropriate new technologies and/or software tools.
  
• Ability to function as part of an interactive team while demonstrating self-initiative to achieve project's goals and Research Computing Center's mission.
  
• Strong analytical skills, problem-solving ability, attention to detail.
  
• Ability to work well with faculty and researchers.
  
• Versatile, enthusiastic, and eager to learn new skills.
  
• Possess a willingness and ability to support a diverse and inclusive environment.
  

Application Documents

• Resume (required)
  
• Cover Letter (preferred)
  

When applying, the document(s) MUSTbe uploaded via the My Experience page, in the section titled Application Documents of the application.

Job Family

Information Technology

Role Impact

Individual Contributor

FLSA Status

Exempt

Pay Frequency

Monthly

Scheduled Weekly Hours

37.5

Benefits Eligible

Yes

Drug Test Required

No

Health Screen Required

No

Motor Vehicle Record Inquiry Required

No

Posting Statement

The University of Chicago is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity/Disabled/Veterans and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, age, status as an individual with a disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University's Notice of Nondiscrimination.

Staff Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call 773-702-5800 or submit a request via Applicant Inquiry Form.

We seek a diverse pool of applicants who wish to join an academic community that places the highest value on rigorous inquiry and encourages a diversity of perspectives, experiences, groups of individuals, and ideas to inform and stimulate intellectual challenge, engagement, and exchange.

All offers of employment are contingent upon a background check that includes a review of conviction history. A conviction does not automatically preclude University employment. Rather, the University considers conviction information on a case-by-case basis and assesses the nature of the offense, the circumstances surrounding it, the proximity in time of the conviction, and its relevance to the position.

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