Sr. HPC System Administrator

uchicago; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 100,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Chicago seeks a Senior HPC System Administrator to lead design and deployment of scalable HPC infrastructure within RCC. The role covers cluster installation, maintenance, and security for Linux servers, with responsibility for procurement and management of HPC hardware and software.

This is a hybrid position with three days onsite. You will oversee production servers, job scheduling, storage, backups, and system monitoring, ensuring high reliability for researchers.

Qualifications

• Candidate has 5–7 years in HPC or large-scale Linux systems.
• Bachelor’s degree in CS or related field is required; Master’s preferred.
• Experience with HPC job schedulers and MPI/OpenMP is essential.
• Familiarity with distributed filesystems and network storage.

Responsibilities

• Install, configure, and maintain large HPC clusters and software stacks.
• Run day-to-day ops, monitor performance, and manage storage and network.
• Configure scheduling/queuing systems and troubleshoot queue issues.
• Diagnose system problems; coordinate with vendors on hardware/software.
• Automate tasks with scripting to improve reliability and security.
• Build and deploy open-source and vendor software for HPC use.
• Ensure backups, recovery procedures, and documentation are up to date.
• Maintain system security and apply patches/upgrades as needed.
• Track inventories and produce management reports.

Skills

Job management tools

MPI/OpenMP

Automation scripting

System monitoring

Security patching

Troubleshooting

Analytical skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/related field

Master’s degree in CS or related field

Tools

XCAT

ROCKS

Spectrum Scale

Lustre

BeeGFS

PVFS

Ansible

Puppet

Job description

Department

Provost Research Computing Center

About the Department

The University of Chicago Research Computing Center (RCC), a unit in the Office of Research, provides high-end research computing resources to researchers at the University of Chicago. It is dedicated to enabling research by providing access to centrally managed High-Performance Computing (HPC), storage, and visualization resources. These resources include hardware, software, high-level scientific and technical user support, and the education and training required to help researchers make full use of modern HPC technology and local and national supercomputing resources. The Office of Research oversees the conduct of sponsored research, research program development, and contract management functions.

Job Summary

The job uses specialized knowledge and breadth of expertise to design automated, scalable, and rapidly deployable solutions to infrastructure development and server configuration. Leads installation, configuration, and maintenance of operating systems. Uses best practices and systems knowledge to monitor and alert systems, utility software, and firewalls. Guides maintenance for production servers as well as Windows and Linux servers. The University of Chicago is seeking a highly qualified Senior HPC System Administrator to join the system and operation team that builds and manages RCC HPC systems and facility operations. The individual in this position will be involved in the procurement and management of HPC hardware and software. This is a hybrid position requiring 3 days onsite.

Responsibilities

• Installing, configuring, and maintaining large computer clusters/servers and software.
• Day-to-day operations of the systems including systems administration, monitoring and storage performance up to and including network components. Management of the system’s network switch, parallel file system and HPC software stack and tools.
• Configuration of the scheduling and queuing system.
• Diagnosing and resolving system operational problems quickly and effectively. Coordinating with vendors to resolve hardware and software problems. Assist users with access and other help desk ticket requests or issues.
• Use scripting/programming skills to enable system-level automation, problem detection, security maintenance and patch management.
• Building and deploying open-source software and software from vendors/partners.
• Providing reliable and efficient backups/restores for all managed systems.
• Documenting system administration procedures for routine and complex tasks.
• Maintaining and monitoring the security of the HPC systems and servers.
• Plans and installs necessary patches and upgrades for servers and their associated storage, network, communications, and peripheral sub-systems. Installs and maintains an appropriate level of intrusion detection, monitoring, and auditing software as required.
• Tracks compliance and maintains documentation for hardware, software, and service inventories for management reports.
• 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 5-7 years of work experience in a related job discipline.

Certifications:

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Preferred Qualifications

Education:

• Master’s degree in Computer Science or closely related field.

Experience:

• Full time Linux system administration experience in a large distributed computing environment.
• Previous experience in providing support for Linux HPC cluster used for scientific research.

Technical Skills or Knowledge:

• Experience with installing, configuring, and maintaining job management tools (such as SLURM, Moab, TORQUE, PBS, etc.).
• Experience configuring, installing and troubleshooting MPI and OpenMP.
• Experience with operating system deployment tools (e.g. XCAT, ROCKS).
• Experience configuring, administering, and supporting network storage subsystems (e.g. IBM, NetAppl DataDirect Network, LSI, etc.).
• Hands‑on experience of at least one distributed file system (Spectrum Scale‑GPFS, Lustre, BeeGFS, Gluster, IMRIX, PVFS, etc.).
• Direct experience working with Infiniband (must at least be able to demonstrate a working knowledge of Infiniband concepts, OFED layers, sub‑net managers).
• Experience configuring, installing, tuning and maintaining scientific application software on large-scale systems.
• Experience supporting HPC compilers and libraries.
• Experience with systems automation tools such as Ansible or Puppet.
• Experience configuring, installing, maintaining and/or using performance monitoring and optimization tools.

Preferred Competencies

• Ability to work well with faculty and researchers.
• Ability to identify and gain expertise in appropriate new technologies and/or software tools.
• Ability to function as part of an interactive team while demonstrating self‑initiative to achieve project's goals and Research Computing Center's mission.
• Strong analytical skills and problem‑solving ability.

Application Documents

• Cover letter (preferred)
• Resume (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

$100,300.00 - $125,000.00

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 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.