Cloud Computing Developer

University of Chicago; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 95,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Benefits eligible

Job summary

The University of Chicago is seeking an experienced engineer to work at the intersection of development, research, and operations on cloud and AI-powered scientific platforms. You will design, build, deploy, and support solutions used by international scientific users, and help create communities around these tools.

You will collaborate with researchers and contribute to papers while advancing cloud, AI, and data-management capabilities on open platforms such as OpenStack and Jupyter

Qualifications

• Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.
• 2-5 years of work experience in a related job discipline.
• Experience with IaaS cloud systems and OpenStack or AWS is preferred.
• Strong Python programming experience and open source contributions.

Responsibilities

• Develop and operate AI-assisted tools and cloud- computing research infrastructure.
• Collaborate with scientific users to identify requirements and build solutions.
• Deploy and support systems, and interact with users to build communities.
• Participate in user studies, evaluation of AI-assisted tools, and security controls.
• Contribute to papers and disseminate findings in academic venues.

Skills

Python

AI/LLMs

Unix/Linux

Git

OpenStack

Distributed systems

Remote work practices

Education

Bachelor’s degree in computer science

College/University degree in related field

Tools

Docker

KVM/Xen virtualization

Ceph/MariaDB

Jenkins/Ansible

React/Vue

Jupyter notebooks

Job description

Department

PSD Computer Science: Keahey Group

About the Department

The Nimbus team (nimbusproject.org) is an academic leader in cloud computing research, development, and operations. We work closely with scientific communities to provide innovative solutions adapting cloud computing to the needs of science. Among others, we operate Chameleon (www.chameleoncloud.org), an experimental platform for Computer Science systems research where new solutions in cloud computing, machine learning, software defined networking (SDN), and Internet of Things (IoT) are proposed every day by an international research community. The Nimbus team provides a friendly, challenge-oriented environment.

Job Summary

The successful candidate will work on the intersection of development, research, and operations, discovering new requirements through working with scientific users, designing and building solutions that change the way science is done, deploying and operating them, and then supporting and interacting with their users to build communities around them.

Responsibilities

• Work with emergent technologies and user requirements in AI and cloud computing to build and evaluate innovative solutions changing the way we do science.
• Help develop an AI-based conversational assistant that helps computer science testbed users configure scientific computing environments in everyday language: build planning and provisioning agents with built-in checks on resource limits, timing, and hardware compatibility; integrate large language models (LLM) running on open academic hardware through standard tool interfaces; create validation benchmark suites and retrieval pipelines that organize documentation, logs, and help desk tickets into a searchable knowledge base.
• Build and operate research infrastructure for projects such as Chameleon (www.chameleoncloud.org): design and build new solutions based on state-of-the-art technologies such as AI agent frameworks, LLM-integrated tooling, or hardware accelerators; extend open source systems and tools such as OpenStack; develop new features; manage system upgrades and maintenance; and implement security controls.
• Work directly with users to identify new requirements, solve problems, and troubleshoot issues, including participating in user studies and iterative evaluation of AI-assisted tools.
• Collaborate with science researchers nationwide as part of a large supercomputing center and an outstanding academic institution.
• Share experiences with the wider community by contributing to papers as part of a research team that regularly publishes in academic venues.
• Investigates, analyzes and resolves day-to-day technical problems using standard procedures.
• Work with stakeholders to gather and analyze requirements for developmental programs. Receives a moderate level of guidance to design applications to meet University and business requirements.
• Performs code testing on components and works to ensure that appropriate implementation standards are met. Evaluates design alternatives for development cost and solutions using various methods.
• 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 2-5 years of work experience in a related job discipline.

Certifications:

—

Preferred Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science or another relevant computer-related field.

Experience:

• System experience with IaaS cloud systems, such as OpenStack or Amazon Web Services, and relevant technologies, whether through work, coursework, or projects.
• Programming experience with Python strongly.
• Demonstrated contributions to open source software.
• Experience with distributed systems, performance analysis, and resource and/or data management systems.
• Experience with remote working and associated practices.

Technical Skills or Knowledge:

• Knowledge of Unix/Linux.
• Familiarity with version control systems such as Git.
• Experience with virtualization technologies (e.g., Xen, KVM) and/or containers (Docker).
• Experience with system administration technologies (e.g., Ceph, MariaDB) and DevOps and CICD tools (e.g., Jenkins, Ansible) strongly preferred.
• Familiarity with front-end frameworks (e.g., React, Vue) and web portal development, including experience with Jupyter notebook environments and interactive scientific interfaces.
• Experience with LLMs, prompt engineering, RAG pipelines, or AI agent frameworks (e.g., LangChain, LlamaIndex).

Preferred Competencies

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to prioritize and manage workload to meet critical project milestones and deadlines.
• Ability to work in a collaborative team environment.
• Ability to work on a flexible schedule, which will include occasional late night and/or weekend hours.
• Ability to think independently and creatively to develop exceptional technical solutions.
• Ability to identify similar or complementary commercial or academic solutions and read scientific literature to fill in knowledge gaps as needed.
• Interest in research and working on challenges that don’t have obvious solutions.

Application Documents

• Resume/CV (required)
• Cover Letter (required)
• References Contact Information (3)(required)

The University of Chicago uses AI-assisted tools to streamline and augment some recruitment processes; however, AI is not used to make hiring decisions.

Job Family

Information Technology

Role Impact

Individual Contributor

Scheduled Weekly Hours

37.5

Drug Test Required

No

Health Screen Required

No

Motor Vehicle Record Inquiry Required

No

Pay Rate Type

Salary

FLSA Status

Exempt

Pay Range

$95,000.00 - $110,000.00

The 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

Yes

The 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.