System Engineer II, Scientific Systems

Allen Institute; Washington (District of Columbia); Hybrid; USD 113,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

The Allen Institute is seeking a System Engineer II, Scientific Systems, to manage a Linux-based research environment with hundreds of servers and significant storage. You will participate in the design, deployment, and upgrade of IT infrastructure supporting scientific computing, security monitoring, and patch management.

The role emphasizes automation, collaboration, and on-call readiness, with hybrid work options and a Washington State work location.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of degree and experience.
• At least one year of professional UNIX/Linux system administration experience.
• History of supporting highly available IT services in a 100+ server environment.
• Operational automation skills using shell or Python.
• Associate-level AWS certification (CloudOps Engineer or Solutions Architect)

Responsibilities

• Manage a Linux-based research environment with over 350 servers and workstations and 20 PB of storage.
• Help design, deploy, and upgrade IT infrastructure products and services supporting scientific computing.
• Engage in hardware and software lifecycle management.
• Manage patch deployment and troubleshooting on workstations and servers.
• Participate in the development of system standards, policies, and procedures.
• Manage scientific systems cybersecurity software agents and monitoring systems.
• Monitor system performance and plan for future scaling.
• Manage infrastructure resources in public cloud.

Skills

UNIX/Linux admin

Automation (Shell/Python)

Communication

Collaboration

On-call readiness

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Associate AWS certification (CloudOps Engineer or Solutions Architect)

Tools

OpenStack

VMware

Docker

Kubernetes

Salt

Ansible

Slurm

Isilon

Job description

System Engineer II, Scientific Systems

The Allen Institute accelerates science for a healthier world through large-scale research designed to answer some of the most complex questions in biology. Our multi-disciplinary teams generate foundational knowledge, tools, and data to understand how our brain, cells, and immune system work. We share our work openly so others can build on it, move faster, and ask bigger questions. We drive discovery forward and create new possibilities for improving human health.

The mission of the Administration team is to enable the people and science of the Allen Institute. We connect teams, steward resources, and build strong systems that give our accelerators the stability and flexibility to pursue ambitious questions, collaborate across disciplines, and share their work openly.

As a key member of the IT Infrastructure Team, you are an experienced Linux System Engineer who enjoys solving problems and building systems using a combination of creativity and technical rigor. This role will be involved with cloud-based integrations, server patching, cybersecurity management and designing and deploying IT infrastructure. You don't have to know everything (that's why you're on a team), but we do expect good judgement and a desire to learn.

The Allen Institute believes that team science significantly benefits from the participation of diverse voices, experiences and backgrounds. High-quality science can only be produced when it includes different perspectives. We are committed to increasing diversity across every team and encourage people from all backgrounds to apply for this role.

Essential Functions

• Manage a Linux-based research environment with over 350 servers and workstations and 20 PB of storage
• Help design, deploy, and upgrade IT infrastructure products and services supporting scientific computing
• Engage in hardware and software lifecycle management
• Manage patch deployment and troubleshooting on workstations and servers
• Participate in the development of system standards, policies, and procedures
• Manage scientific systems cybersecurity software agents and monitoring systems
• Monitor system performance and plan for future scaling
• Manage infrastructure resources in public cloud

Note: Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. This description reflects management's assignment of essential functions; it does not proscribe or restrict the tasks that may be assigned.

Required Education and Experience

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of degree and experience required
• At least one year of professional UNIX/Linux system administration experience
• History of supporting highly available IT services in a 100+ server environment
• Operational automation skills using shell or Python
• Associate-level AWS certification (CloudOps Engineer or Solutions Architect)

Preferred Education and Experience

• Four or more years of professional system administration experience preferred
• Experience managing centralized storage systems such as Isilon, VAST Data, or NetApp
• Familiarity with virtualization frameworks such as OpenStack and VMware
• Experience using and managing Docker containers in a Kubernetes environment
• Understanding of TCP/IP networking fundamentals
• Familiarity with configuration management systems such as Salt and Ansible
• Knowledge of high-performance computing (HPC) schedulers such as Slurm
• Customer-focused mindset
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills
• Ability to balance competing priorities

Work Environment

Data Center

Physical Demands

• Occasional lifting to 30 pounds
• Fine motor movements in fingers/hands to operate computers and other office equipment;
• Push/pull up to 50 lbs
• Stooping, bending, crouching, reaching

Position Type/Expected Hours of Work

This is an essential job and expected to report for work regardless of weather and/or other conditions Rotating evening and weekend on-call coverage Occasional evening and weekend hours required This role is currently able to work both remotely and onsite in a hybrid work environment. We are a Washington State employer, and the primary work location for all Allen Institute employees is 615 Westlake Ave N.; any remote work must be performed in Washington State.

Travel

Occasional local travel to alternate locations such as warehouse or data center or other Allen Institute locations

Annualized Salary Range

$112,950- $139,750*

Benefits

Employees (and their families) are eligible to enroll in benefits per eligibility rules outline in the Allen Institute's Benefits Guide. These benefits include medical, dental, vision, and basic life insurance. Employees are also eligible to enroll in the Allen Institute's 401k plan. Paid time off is also available as outlined in the Allen Institute's Benefits Guide. Details on the Allen Institute's benefits offering are located at the following link to the Benefits Guide:

It is the policy of the Allen Institute to provide equal employment opportunity (EEO) to all persons regardless of age, color, national origin, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, genetic information, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law. In addition, the Allen Institute will provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities.