Associate Director, Research, Operations, and Infrastructure

The University of Chicago; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 135,000 - 165,000; Full time

Job summary

The Associate Director of Research Operations and Infrastructure for Chicago Booth Information Technology oversees daily operations, project management, and maintenance of reliable network, server, storage infrastructures, including HPC clusters, to ensure high availability in a 24/7 environment.

Working with faculty and researchers across departments, the role develops tailored technical solutions to advance cutting-edge scientific research, manages research support staff, and leads succession

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a related field is required.
• 7+ years of work experience in IT operations for research/computing.
• Experience with HPC clusters, storage, and high-availability environments.

Responsibilities

• Leads day-to-day operations and project management for systems and network infrastructure, including hosted Windows and Linux servers and core services.
• Manages a team of system administrators and research support staff, including workload assignment and development opportunities.
• Maintains enterprise storage and SAN, with capacity and continuity planning.
• Collaborates with Booth Information Security to maintain risk assessments and policy documentation.
• Develops tailored technical solutions for faculty and researchers to support computational needs.

Skills

HPC systems

System administration

Networking

Leadership

Project management

Security governance

Python

Jupyter

Education

Bachelor's degree in related field

Master's degree

Higher education experience

Tools

Windows Server

Linux

Active Directory

DNS/DHCP

HPC tooling (Slurm)

Python

MATLAB

Jupyter

Job description

Department Booth IT: Systems and Security

About the Department

The University of Chicago Booth School of Business is the second-oldest business school in the U.S. and second to none when it comes to influencing business education and business practices. Since 1898, the school has produced ideas and leaders that shape the world of business. Their rigorous, discipline-based approach to business education transforms students into confident, effective, respected business leaders prepared to face the toughest challenges. Chicago Booth has the finest set of facilities of any business school in the world. Each of the four campuses (two in Chicago, one in London, and one in Hong Kong) reflects the architectural traditions of its environs while offering a state-of-the-art learning environment.

• an unmatched faculty.
• degree and open enrollment programs offered on three continents.
• a global body of nearly 56,000 accomplished alumni.
• strong and growing corporate relationships that provide a wealth of lifelong career opportunities.

As part of the world-renowned University of Chicago, Chicago Booth shares the University's core values that shape the distinctive intellectual culture. At Booth, they constantly question and test ideas, and seek proof. This extraordinarily effective approach to business leads to new ideas and innovative solutions. Seven of the Booth faculty members have won Nobel Prizes for these ideas - the first business school to achieve this accomplishment. For more information about the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, please visit: http://www.chicagobooth.edu/.

Job Summary

The Associate Director of Research Operations and Infrastructure for Chicago Booth Information Technology oversee daily operations, project management, and maintenance of reliable network, server, storage infrastructures, including high performance computing (HPC) clusters. This role supports data center services and email to ensure high availability in a 24/7 environment. Working collaboratively with faculty and researchers across various departments, the Associate Director develops tailored technical solutions to support and advance cutting‑edge scientific research. The position manages research support staff, develops team capabilities, and leads succession planning for IT operations.

Responsibilities

• Leads day-to-day operations and project management for systems and network infrastructure, including hosted Windows and Linux departmental servers; application, database, email, file, and backup services; and core infrastructure services such as DNS, DHCP, and Active Directory.
• Leads and manages a team of system administrators and research support staff, taking responsibility for assigning work, managing workflow, and creating professional development opportunities.
• Manages and maintains the enterprise storage and storage area network (SAN) environment including troubleshooting, performance planning, capacity, and continuity planning.
• Enhances the focus on security administration by working closely with the Booth Information Security team to maintain continuous risk assessments, review critical systems and identified threats, and produce operational policies/procedures documentation.
• Collaborates directly with faculty, research teams, and leadership to understand their unique computational needs and develop tailored technological solutions.
• Assists in the planning, design, and implementation of new systems, storage, automation and virtualization technology.
• Develops and implements strategies to advance research computing capabilities, while assessing and evaluating existing infrastructure to recommend necessary improvements.
• Develops project plans, forecasts budget needs, and manages financial resources effectively to optimize operations and cost-effectiveness.
• Represents the University's research computing interests by fostering partnerships with external organizations, national HPC centers, and other internal IT departments to enhance overall capabilities.
• Maintains Booth's Disaster Recovery infrastructure and documentation, ensuring systems and applications are adequately protected according to their SLAs, and run bi-annual Disaster Recovery tests.
• Ensures the implementation of approved best practices and information technology policies that result in the highest quality systems administration.
• Manages the creation of standards and procedures to maintain production servers that run the operating system.
• Manages the installation, configuration, and maintenance of operating systems and utility software.
• Performs other related work as needed.

Minimum Qualifications

Education: Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.

Work Experience: Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 7+ years of work experience in a related job discipline.

Certifications:

Preferred Qualifications

Education: Bachelor's degree in technical fields such as computer science, engineering, or data science. Master's degree.

Experience: At least ten years of relevant experience. Supervisory or team management experience. Higher education industry experience.

Technical Skills or Knowledge

Proficient managing networked servers with knowledge of switches and firewalls, network services, system utilities, hardware installation, and operating/application system installation. Proficient managing high-performance computing (HPC) systems, clusters, and advanced research computing infrastructure. Strong understanding of research computing needs, including large-scale data management, analysis, and scientific workflow and job scheduling architectures. Familiarity with various programming languages and tools commonly used in research, such as Python, R, MATLAB, Jupyter, and Slurm.

Preferred Competencies

Demonstrated project management skills to achieve results for multiple, simultaneous projects with competing demands. Work independently, identify opportunities for innovation, and recommend effective technological changes. Outstanding leadership and collaboration skills to work effectively with researchers, students, and IT professionals across multiple disciplines. Deal with confidential and sensitive research data with tact, discretion, and strict adherence to security protocols.

Working Conditions

This position is currently expected to work a hybrid schedule.

Job Family

Information TechnologyRole ImpactPeople ManagerScheduled Weekly Hours37.5Drug Test RequiredNoHealth Screen RequiredNoMotor Vehicle Record Inquiry Required

Pay Rate Type

SalaryFLSA StatusExemptPay Range$135,000.00 - $165,000.00The included pay rate or range represents the University's good faith estimate of the possible compensation offer for this role at the time of posting.

Benefits Eligible

YesThe University of Chicago offers a wide range of benefits programs and resources for eligible employees, including health, retirement, and paid time off. Information about the benefit offerings can be found in the Benefits Guidebook.

Posting Statement

The University of Chicago is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or expression, national or ethnic origin, shared ancestry, 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. 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. 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.

The University of Chicago's Annual Security & Fire Safety Report (Report) provides information about University offices and programs that provide safety support, crime and fire statistics, emergency response and communications plans, and other policies and information. The Report can be accessed online at: http://securityreport.uchicago.edu. Paper copies of the Report are available, upon request, from the University of Chicago Police Department, 850 E. 61st Street, Chicago, IL 60637.