Senior Advanced Research Computing Systems Administrator

University of Victoria; Victoria; Hybrid; CAD 97,000 - 126,000; Full time

Job summary

University of Victoria is seeking a Senior Advanced Research Computing Systems Administrator to design, build, and maintain its on-premise cloud and HPC infrastructure. The role focuses on OpenStack, Kubernetes, Ceph, and related technologies to support researchers across Canada and internationally.

Reporting to the Manager and Architect of Advanced Research Computing Infrastructure, you will ensure 24/7 operation of critical research servers, collaborate with teams, and drive continuous

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science or a related discipline plus at least five years of system administration experience.
• Experience administering large-scale self-hosted cloud compute environments with OpenStack, Kubernetes, or Ceph.
• Strong scripting and revision control skills (Bash, Python, Git, Git or Subversion).
• Experience with provisioning and configuration management tools (Ansible, Terraform, xCAT, Cobbler).
• Experience supporting cloud computing and/or containerized environments.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and maintain university HPC, cloud infrastructure, and storage systems.
• Operate OpenStack, Kubernetes, and Ceph deployments at scale; ensure reliability and security.
• Collaborate with stakeholders and provide 24/7 on-call support as needed.
• Install, configure, monitor, and optimize servers and storage.

Skills

Red Hat Linux

OpenStack / Kubernetes / Ceph

Scripting: Bash / Python / Perl

Version control: Git / SVN

Config mgmt: Ansible / Terraform

Cloud/Container experience

Communication skills

Team collaboration

Project delivery

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science

Tools

OpenStack

Kubernetes

Ceph

Prometheus

Grafana

Elasticsearch

IBM Spectrum Protect

Job description

Senior Advanced Research Computing Systems Administrator - (990163.1)

Organizational Unit

University of Victoria -> VP Finance and Operations -> University Systems

Location

University of Victoria - Victoria, BC V8W 2Y2 CA (Primary)

Posting Close Date

Please note that positions will close at 4 p.m. on the closing date.

FTE

1

Salary Grade

$96,850.00 - $125,997.00

Additional Posting Information

N/A

Salary posted will be pro-rated based on FTE and achieved as per the collective agreement, if applicable.

Classification

SG15

Start Date

6/1/2026

End Date

6/1/2028

Employee Group:

PEA - Term

# of Hires Needed

1

Category

Computers, Hardware, Computers, Software, Information Technology, Science

About this Opportunity

Research Computing Services is currently looking to fill a vacancy on our team with a strong focus on supporting our on-premise cloud systems. We operate OpenStack as our IaaS cloud platform, with multiple deployments including the Arbutus Cloud - Canada's largest research cloud service, operated in partnership with the Digital Research Alliance of Canada. We also operate a number of Kubernetes clusters both within OpenStack and on bare metal, including large deployments serving national and international research projects in physics and astronomy.

RCS is looking for candidates with experience in administrating large scale self-hosted cloud compute environments, with particular focus on OpenStack, Kubernetes, and/or Ceph. This position will also have the opportunity to work on other exciting technologies like Prometheus, Grafana, Elasticsearch, IBM Spectrum Protect, and more.

We are looking for motivated individuals that want to be part of a collaborative team supporting Research Computing. From racking the bare metal all the way up to orchestrating complex distributed systems, from design and architecture through implementation and ongoing operations, our team does it all - providing UVic and Canadian researchers with the computing capabilities they need to stay at the leading edge of research.

Reporting to the Manager and Architect of Advanced Research Computing Infrastructure, the Senior Advanced Research Computing Systems Administrator works as part of a team to design, build, and ensure the operational effectiveness of the university's research servers and storage. Members of this team maintain systems critical to many research groups on-campus and beyond, including web servers and database servers, and large, high-performance research computing systems (HPC), cloud infrastructure and container orchestration used by researchers both at UVic, from institutions across the country, and with international collaborations.

*This position is eligible for a hybrid flex arrangement*

The salary range for this position is: Recruitment range: $96,850 to $106,796. Starting salary is determined in accordance with the PEA Collective Agreement. Performance range: Up to $125,997. Progression beyond the recruitment range is available through annual performance increases, in accordance with the PEA Collective Agreement.

Job Summary

Mandate: Reporting to the Manager and Architect of Advanced Research Computing Infrastructure, the Senior Advanced Research Computing System Administrator works as part of a team to design, build, and ensure the operational effectiveness of the university’s research servers and storage. Members of this team maintain systems critical to many research groups on-campus and beyond, including web servers and database servers, and large, high-performance research computing systems (HPC), cloud infrastructure and container orchestration used by researchers both at UVic, from institutions across the country, and with international collaborations. These systems are required to be in operation 24 hours per day, 365 days of the year and decisions regarding these systems can impact UVic’s obligations to other parties beyond the institution.

Objectives: The Senior Advanced Research Computing System Administrator’s work includes the design, installation, configuration, and maintenance of hardware and software, problem determination/resolution, resource allocation, performance and security monitoring, and usage reporting.

This position requires a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science or other relevant discipline plus at least five years of experience in system administration in a large enterprise or academic/research environment. An equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered.

System maintenance is usually required to be performed off-hours and major issues are responded to on a 24/7 basis.

This role may need to work outside of normal work hours on an emergency or pre-scheduled basis. The role may need to travel out of town/country.

• Expert knowledge of RedHat Enterprise Linux and/or derivatives (eg AlmaLinux, Rocky Linux, etc)
• In-depth experience installing and operating of at least one of OpenStack, Kubernetes, or Ceph
• In-depth experience with scripting and revision control (e.g. Bash, PERL and Python, Git or Subversion)
• Working knowledge of provisioning and configuration management tools (e.g. Ansible, Terraform, xCAT, Cobbler)
• Experience supporting cloud computing and/or containerized environments
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal
• Ability to build and maintain productive working relationships with all stakeholders
• Ability to work collaboratively in a team environment
• Proven track record achieving project goals on time and produce deliverables of a high quality
• High degree of attention to detail is required, as is the ability to understand complex technical concepts and the need to maintain broad and in-depth technical knowledge of all aspects of servers and server operating systems.
• High level of problem solving abilities; must be able to effectively identify and resolve unusual and highly complex technical problems.
• Ability to effectively manage multiple tasks and priorities and work under pressure to meet time sensitive and mission critical deadlines in a complex environment.
• Ability to take initiative and work with limited direction.
• Ability to mentor and coach technical staff and teams, and act as a resource.
• Ability to successfully contribute to complex projects: developing project work plans; monitoring and directing the activities of a project team.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Ability to collaborate, build and maintain positive relationships with diverse individuals and work effectively in a team environment.
• Commitment to valuing diversity and contributing to an inclusive and respectful working and learning environment.

Assets or Preferences:

• Working knowledge of Load Balancers and HA environments
• Experience supporting HPC environments
• Experience supporting compute and/or storage systems in a research or academic setting
• Experience participating with and contributing to open-source software projects
• Working knowledge of GPU acceleration of computational workloads, preferably in a virtualized environment
• Working knowledge of KVM/QEMU virtualization, ContainerD or Docker container runtimes, and Calico, Linuxbridge, or OpenVSwitch virtual networking

Territory Acknowledgement: We acknowledge and respect the Lək̓ʷəŋən (Songhees and Xʷsepsəm/Esquimalt) Peoples on whose territory the university stands, and the Lək̓ʷəŋən and WSÁNEĆ Peoples whose historical relationships with the land continue to this day.

Equity Statement: UVic is committed to upholding the values of equity, diversity, inclusion and human rights in our living, learning and work environments. In pursuit of our values, we seek members who are eager to actively participate in that shared responsibility. We actively encourage applications from members of historically and systemically marginalized groups .

Accessibility Statement: If you anticipate needing accommodations for any part of the application and hiring process contact: [e-mail] Any personal information provided will be maintained in confidence.

What UVic Offers: