Director of CyberInfrastructure & Research Technologies

Director of CyberInfrastructure & Research Technologies

 

Hiring Range

$110,000 – $130,000 Commensurate with Education and Experience

 

Job Closing Date

Applicant Review will begin on or around May 24th. Posting may close any time after review without notice.

 

About UC Merced

The University of California, Merced, is the newest of the University of California system’s 10 campuses and the first American research university built in the 21st century. With over 9,000 undergraduate and graduate students, UC Merced offers an environment that combines a commitment to diversity, inclusion, collaboration and professional development. With bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs, strong research and academic partnerships, and community involvement, the UC Merced campus is continually evolving and requires talented, knowledgeable and dynamic educators, researchers, management and staff.

 

Ranked among the best public universities in the nation by U.S. News and World Report, UC Merced is uniquely equipped to provide educational opportunities highly qualified students from the San Joaquin Valley and throughout California. The campus enjoys a special connection with nearby Yosemite National Park, is on the cutting edge of sustainability in construction and design and supports the economic development of Merced and the region.

 

The University of California, Merced, is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity employer, and has a strong institutional commitment to the principles of equity, diversity, and inclusion in all areas. In that spirit, we are particularly interested in receiving applications from a broad spectrum of qualified people who would assist the University in demonstrating the University of California’s Principles of Community. Be a part of history through our staff position opportunities where you can help build a legacy in Central California.

 

About the Department

UC Merced’s Cyber Infrastructure and Research Technologies (CIRT) team strives to bring research computing, high-speed networking, and advanced visualization to campus researchers across all disciplines. We can help you use supercomputers to work faster, visualize the complexity of your data to work smarter, and collaborate across campus or around the world for broader impacts. We utilize approaches that are flexible enough to accommodate your needs, while still adhering to best-practices which are proven to be effective. We can help you manage the complex relationship between you and the computing technology you use to advance your work.

 

About the Job

The Director of CyberInfrastructure & Research Technologies (CIRT) provides leadership to identify, engage and support the needs of faculty, postdoctoral researchers and graduate students that ensure the successful use of cyberinfratructure services and facilities for academic research and scholarship.  Through participatory and collaborative decision-making with the Faculty Committee on Research Computing, s/he is responsible for managing the design, development, and delivery of a cost-effective mix of services that support research computing, including shared high-performance computing resources, data-analysis platforms, storage systems, visualization tools and platforms, and a sDMZ network across the UCM campus. The incumbent will be expected to work closely with the Academic Deans, the Vice Chancellor for Research and the OIT leadership team to increase services to support research that will span across virtually every academic discipline with important applications in fields such as mathematics, science and engineering, genomics, meteorology, remote sensing, molecular modeling, and artificial intelligence. In general, this work will include providing strategic direction and assuring operational excellence in the development of tools, techniques, services, and facilities and the management of day-to-day operations.

 

The Director is responsible for unit oversight and the direction, mentoring, coaching, and professional development of a cross-functional team of research computing systems professionals, and will assist with systems administration tasks as necessary and appropriate. The incumbent will also be responsible for supporting grant proposals and funded grants, as well as providing educational workshops and training for the UCM community. UCM has access to both the San Diego Supercomputing Center (SDSC), the UCSD Nautilus Cluster, and the national-level computing resources known as XSEDE. UC Merced has four Fast Input/Output Network Appliances (FIONAs) allow UC Merced researchers to stage data for external collaboration and quickly access data hosted remotely. UCM also has close partnerships with the Calit2 institute and collaborations with UC Santa Cruz, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and UC Berkeley. Please refer to the OIT website for more information on the available research computing resources at UC Merced (https://it.ucmerced.edu/research-computing/).

 

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

1. Works closely with researchers, research units and schools across UCM to identify research computing needs and ensure that they are being met in the most cost-effective manner. Delivers and designs research facilitation services that support researchers to develop their own computational coding methodologies, to help them deploy and use third party software (commercial and/or open source), and to adopt existing and planned campus resources as well as cloud-based solutions where appropriate. Direct and manage technical personnel responsible for providing quality service and support for the campus’ research computing activities. Develops and report metrics that measure workload and performance of systems and services.

 

2. Engages in strategic planning, tactical design, and operational management of infrastructure, applications, and facilities. Maintains a robust infrastructure for research computing and data management. Leads in the design and adopting of a sDMZ network architecture in response to data-intensive research needs. Responsible for unit level budget planning and institutional funds received through recharge services.

 

3. Teaches research computing topics to individuals, small and/or large groups and build capacity for research computing competency. Develops and/or collaborates on research projects and/or grant proposals that further the UCM CyberInfrastructure vision and strategy and using common scientific, mathematical, and statistical applications and scripting languages including, but not limited to Matlab, LabView, Mathematica, MathCad, SPSS, SAS, R, Python, Jupyter or other common research programming tools.

 

4. Works with academic leadership to help identify business strategy, requirements, trends, and desired business and research outcomes for Research Computing. Stays abreast of trends and new advances in the high-performance computing industry by reading, researching, and participating in forums or communities of HPC professionals. Establishes, maintains, and/or participates in research computing consortia locally, regionally, and nationally. Establish effective relationships with relevant external research computing organizations and ensure that UCM is effectively utilizing national research infrastructure and collaborates extensively with other UC Campuses

 

*LI-RM1

 

Qualifications

Educational and Experiential Qualifications:

 

• Master’s degree in any STEM discipline, including but not limited to physical sciences, biosciences, geosciences, mathematics, computer science, engineering. (Preferred)

 

• and/or social sciences and 6 years of related experience. (Preferred)

 

• 2+ years of software programming experience; Ph.D. in a related field will substitute for three years of experience. (Preferred)

 

• Bachelor’s degree and 8 years of related experience or 12 years equivalent related experience/training. (Required)

 

• 2+ years of experience managing an information technology organization. (Required)

 

• Experience in higher education workplace environment

 

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND CRITICAL COMPETENCIES:

 

• Knowledge and experience of one or more of the following (and be prepared and able to develop skills in other areas): 1. Parallel programming (primarily with MPI); 2. Grid computing, programming frameworks; 3. Numerical methods and algorithms; 4. Software debugging, profiling and optimization in an HPC environment; 5. Scientific visualization; 6. Experience with a variety of HPC applications.

 

• In-depth understanding of research cyberinfrastructure landscape and demonstrated experience with processes for procurement, deployment, and operation.

 

• Strong data analysis skills and ability to identify process problems and correct them through policy, procedures and software checking.

 

• Strong program-development skills in order to develop innovative services and tools. Ability to analyze and assess needs in research computing administration.

 

• An established record of accomplishments demonstrated by engagement with researchers and users as well as extensive experience with managing, operating and delivering research cyberinfrastructure services.

 

• Demonstrated knowledge of how to implement and manage the operational aspects of a Research Computing Infrastructure, including the development of standards and expectations.

 

• Demonstrated experience supporting computational science and engineering or as a user with experience with computational science and engineering applications.

 

• Demonstrated expertise in specifying, designing and implementing computing infrastructure, clustered and parallel file systems, large scale storage, backup and archiving, and high-bandwidth networking, software defined networks and sDMZ.

 

• Background and familiarity with cluster management, batch-job schedulers, and workflow-management tools.

 

• Highly developed written, oral, listening and presentation skills

 

• Excellent customer service skills as demonstrated by the ability to work directly with constituents and vendors to understand and resolve function and/or technical issues to deliver an exceptional customer experience.

 

• Demonstrated experience leading complex discussions by seeking input, identifying obstacles, being transparent, and driving to results.

 

Background Check

Background check and fingerprinting may be required.

 

How to Apply:

An online application is required for each position to apply.

 

https://apptrkr.com/2241292

 

Equal Employment Opportunity:

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, age or protected veteran status.

 

For the complete University of California nondiscrimination and affirmative action policy see: http://policy.ucop.edu/doc/4000376/NondiscrimAffirmAct.

 

Smoke and Tobacco Free Policy:

The University of California, Merced is a smoke and tobacco free workplace. Information and the Smoke and Tobacco Free policy is available at http://smokefree.ucmerced.edu.

 

E-Verify:

All employers who receive Federal contracts and grants are required to comply with E-Verify, an  Internet-based system operated by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in partnership with the Social Security Administration (SSA). E-Verify electronically verifies employment eligibility by comparing information provided on the I-9 form to records in the DHS and SSA databases. Certain positions funded by federal contracts/subcontracts requires UC Merced to notify job applicants that an E-Verify check will be conducted and the successful candidate must pass the E-Verify check.

 

Pay, Benefits & Work Schedule:

For information on the comprehensive benefits package offered by the University of California visit: http://ucnet.universityofcalifornia.edu/compensation-and-benefits/