HPC System Administrator: National Institute for Computational Sciences - UTK

University of Tennessee; Knoxville (TN); Hybride; USD 88 000 - 100 000; Plein temps

Résumé du poste

The National Institute for Computational Sciences (NICS) at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK) seeks a skilled System Administrator to join our research computing and enterprise infrastructure team in Knoxville, TN. You will help maintain enterprise Linux (RHEL) systems, automate operations, and support researchers and developers.

Hybrid work arrangement; must be able to respond to outages within a defined window.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, information technology, or related field.
• At least 3 years of professional Linux system administration experience.
• Experience with Ansible, Bash, Python for automation.
• Strong knowledge of core network services (DNS, DHCP, NFS, SSH, LDAP).
• Familiarity with virtualization (VMware) and containerization (Kubernetes).
• Strong information security practices in an enterprise.

Responsabilités

• System Administration & Maintenance: Install, configure, patch, and maintain enterprise Linux (RHEL) across physical and virtual environments.
• Performance & Monitoring: Use monitoring tools to track system performance, resources, and network health.
• Automation & Configuration Management: Develop and maintain automation scripts and CM frameworks (Ansible, Bash, Python).
• Security & Compliance: Enforce security controls, manage access, patch management, and compliance audits.
• Storage & Backup Management: Coordinate with storage teams for file systems and backups, disaster recovery planning.
• User Support & Collaboration: Provide Tier-2 and Tier-3 support for researchers and developers.
• Documentation: Maintain system docs, topologies, SOPs, and inventory logs.
• Knowledge Sharing: Present papers, talks, and posters at local, regional, and national meetings.

Connaissances

Linux system administration

Automation scripting

Networking fundamentals

Security best practices

Communication

Formation

Bachelor's degree in computer science / information technology

Master's degree (preferred)

Outils

Ansible

Bash

Python

VMware

Kubernetes

Description du poste

The National Institute for Computational Sciences (NICS) at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK) is seeking a skilled and motivated System Administrator to join our advanced research computing and enterprise infrastructure team. As a key component of the Min H. Kao Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science within the Tickle College of Engineering, NICS supports the University of Tennessee and national science and engineering communities. Our mission is to enhance capabilities to address computationally challenging research problems.

Key responsibilities include:

• System Administration & Maintenance: Install, configure, patch, and maintain enterprise Linux distributions (RHEL) across physical and virtual environments.
• Performance & Monitoring: Utilize professional monitoring tools to track systems performance, resource utilization, and network health, proactively identifying and resolving potential issues.
• Automation & Configuration Management: Develop, maintain, and enhance automation scripts and configuration management frameworks (e.g., Ansible, Bash, Python) to standardize operations.
• Security & Compliance: Implement and enforce robust security protocols, manage user access controls, apply security patches, and participate in vulnerability remediation and compliance audits.
• Storage & Backup Management : Coordinate with storage teams to manage file systems (local and remote), ensuring reliable data backup and disaster recovery procedures.
• User Support & Collaboration: Provide Tier-2 and Tier-3 technical support for researchers, faculty, and internal developers experiencing complex system issues.
• Documentation: Maintain accurate, up-to-date system documentation, network topologies, standard operating procedures, and inventory logs.
• Knowledge Sharing : Present papers, talks, posters, and similar content at local, regional, and national meetings.

Required Qualifications

• Education : Bachelor's degree in computer science, information technology, or a related technical field.
• Experience : At least 3 years of professional experience in Linux system administration.
• Knowledge, Skills, Abilities:3+ years of experience with the installation, configuration, tuning, and troubleshooting of modern Enterprise Linux operating systems.
• Strong working knowledge of core network services and protocols (e.g., DNS, DHCP, NFS, SSH, LDAP integration).
• Proven experience with automation and scripting languages (e.g., Ansible, Bash, Python).
• Familiarity with virtualization platforms and containerization technologies (e.g., VMware, Kubernetes).
• Strong understanding of information security best practices in an enterprise environment.
• Excellent problem-solving, time management, and communication skills with the ability to work effectively both independently and within a collaborative team environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Education : Master's degree in computer science, information technology, or a related technical field.
• Knowledge, Skills, Abilities:Experience with Ansible Automation Platform, OpenShift, Globus, Open OnDemand
• Experience working in a higher education, research computing, or High-Performance Computing (HPC) environment.
• Familiarity with parallel file systems (Lustre) and cluster resource managers (Slurm).
• Relevant professional certifications (e.g., RHCE).

Work Location

Location: Knoxville, TN

Hybrid - must be able to access machine room within 90 minutes of system outage during working hours

Compensation and Benefits

• UT market range: MR16
• Anticipated hiring range: $88,000 - $100,000
• Find more information on the UT Market Range structure here
• Find more information on UT Benefits here