Research Computing Facilitator (HPC & Cloud)

Columbia University Irving Medical Center; New York (NY); On-site; USD 90,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

Columbia University Irving Medical Center in New York, NY is seeking an experienced IT professional to understand researchers' HPC and cloud computing requirements and provide essential technical support. The role blends systems expertise with strong interpersonal collaboration to maximize researchers' access to computing resources.

The successful candidate will work with the HPC Director to allocate compute and storage, guide researchers to best-fit on-premises or cloud options, and train teams

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience in a related field.
• 4 years related experience.
• Unix skills and scripting/automation experience.
• Experience with HPC environments and cloud resources.
• Ability to troubleshoot and communicate effectively.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with the Director of HPC resources to manage compute & storage budgets.
• Understand researchers' computing and data needs and propose solutions.
• Orient researchers on on-premises HPC clusters and cloud services.
• Manage access and configuration of resources for users and projects.
• Troubleshoot account, scripting, and memory allocation issues.
• Serve as liaison for vendor interventions when needed.
• Help develop training on HPC & cloud best practices.
• Refer researchers with special data needs to appropriate resources.

Skills

Unix skills

Scripting & automation

Problem solving

Communication

Teamwork

Learning mindset

Education

Bachelor's degree in computer science / IT or related field

Tools

AWS / Google / Azure

Command line tools

R (packages)

FTP clients & data transfer tools (Snowball, Globus)

Job description

Grade 105

• Job Type: Officer of Administration
• Regular/Temporary: Regular
• Hours Per Week: 35
• Salary Range: $90,000 - $100,000

The salary of the finalist selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to departmental budgets, qualifications, experience, education, licenses, specialty, and training. The above hiring range represents the University's good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting.

Position Summary

The successful candidate will be responsible for understanding and addressing users’ research computing requirements and providing essential technical support. The role requires a blend of technical expertise, strong interpersonal skills, and the ability to troubleshoot research computing issues. A key goal is to help foster a collaborative environment, allowing researchers to maximize the benefits of computing resources for groundbreaking research across diverse fields.

Responsibilities

• Work closely with the Director of HPC resources to ensure the school’s computing resources are used efficiently. This entails tracking and review of compute and storage allocation to ensure fair, efficient allocation of budget.
• Collaborate with researchers to understand their computing and research requirements, identify computing and data challenges, and share options/identify resources to address them whenever possible.
• Orient researchers on the computing resources supported by the school, both on-premises HPC clusters and cloud computing services; provide guidance on the best fit, based on their specific research demands.
• Manage access to School research computing resources -- set up user accounts, configure access controls, assist with software installations, and advise on resource allocation/utilization.
• Troubleshoot account issues, scripting errors, memory allocation errors, etc.
• Serve as an escalation point and liaison for researchers whose issues require vendor intervention.
• Assist the Director of HPC resources to develop and conduct training sessions and workshops on resource availability and best practices in HPC and cloud computing.
• Refer researchers with special data needs (ie HIPAA data, restrictive data use agreements, etc.) to appropriate resources.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, information technology, or a related field (or equivalent experience).
• 4 years related experience.
• Unix skills.
• Experience with scripting and automation (e.g., R, Bash, Python)
• Understanding of the principles of computer clusters - parallel computing, resource allocation, multiple threads, etc.
• Proficiency in configuring jobs for a parallel environment, specifically allocating adequate memory and nodes to meet specific time/budget.
• In-depth knowledge of virtual HPC environments, such as AWS, Google, Azure; AWS experience a strong plus
• Hands-on experience working with various software and tools: Command line, multiple R versions and packages, FTP clients, data transfer tools, such as Snowball and Globus
• Strong problem-solving and troubleshooting abilities.
• Excellent communication and teamwork skills.
• Eagerness to learn and adapt to new technologies.

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

Columbia University is committed to the hiring of qualified local residents.