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Senior Advanced Research Computing Systems Engineer

Employer
Global Academy Jobs
Location
United Kingdom
Closing date
Mar 20, 2019

Job Details

Job Purpose

The Senior Research Software Engineer (sRSE) will provide a technical software development and support service to a wide range of disciplines at the University of Birmingham. This is the first such post within the University in an area that is expected to expand over the coming years. As such there is the opportunity to help shape Birmingham's delivery of RSE services.

The postholder will collaborate closely with research colleagues from across the University and will provide expert level knowledge and skills to develop, improve, maintain and support high quality software solutions fulfilling the requirements of research projects. The postholder will contribute to developing the knowledge and skills within the research community at all stages of the research software development cycle (e.g. by providing hands-on technical training, coaching sessions and promoting the adoption of best practices).

The postholder will be part of the Research Computing Team in IT Services, a well-respected and highly performant team with a national and international profile and which is enjoying a period of significant investment by the University, both in staff positions and infrastructure investment. Whilst a large majority of our services to research are based on campus, the postholder will also contribute to a pool of regional RSE expertise to support activities for the HPC Midlands Plus Tier2 HPC Centre

As the postholder develops in this role, they will be expected to collaboratively work with academic colleagues to secure external funding for future software development projects, to meet the growing demand for support in this area and ensuring sustainability of software created for research.

The Senior Research Software Engineer will have a varied and interesting workload that changes with the requirements that arrive from world-class researchers.

 

Work context

Central IT services at the University use complex, large-scale architectures based on Unix, Linux, Windows and cloud technologies, coupled with advanced storage solutions. These need to be configured and maintained to the highest possible standards of reliability, performance and quality. Business continuity and high service levels are demanded equally for mission-critical research services as well as for those relied on for teaching, learning and administration.

The Research Computing Team build and run (or buy-in) a range of advanced computing services for researchers, collectively known as BEAR (Birmingham Environment for Academic Research). Aimed at all disciplines, BEAR covers an increasingly broad spectrum of needs, ranging from the traditional HPC for engineers through storage and archiving solutions to collaboration and analytics tools and new ‘on premises' cloud HTC offerings.

The post holder will occupy a key, front-line position, interfacing between the Research Computing Team and researchers and will need a broad range of genuine technical expertise to understand the needs, and deliver support and solutions. This will be both directly through user support, and through the provision of training or advice as well as, indirectly through influencing the design of new services, built by others.

 

Person Specification

  • Formal education to degree level or equivalent.
  • A postgraduate qualification in a C&IT related discipline would be an advantage.
  • Relevant experience in C&IT including a substantial period supporting software and software development environments, ideally in a science environment.
  • Supporting researchers with complex requirements.
  • Specific, in-depth knowledge of software development and analysis tools and techniques.
  • Specific, in-depth knowledge of programming and programming languages.
  • Specific, in-depth knowledge and significant experience of one Linux and associated software applications.
  • Expert user of High Performance Computing.
  • Experience of workflow management tools and web based portals such as Galaxy is desirable.
  • Good customer relationship management skills.
  • Proven ability to work as part of a team to deliver services.
  • A self-motivated learner with a track record of continually updating skills.
  • Excellent organizational/project management skills.
  • Good communication skills, both written and oral.
  • Good broad knowledge of C&IT, including latest technology industry trends.
  • Knowledge of Higher Education, Research and its environment.
  • Familiarity with ITIL.

Closing Date: 22 Mar 2019

 

Additional Information

Informal queries can be made to Carol Sandys, Dep. Head of Advanced Research Computing,Tel. 43988,Email: c.h.sandys@bham.ac.uk

Company

Global Academy Jobs works with over 250 universities worldwide to promote academic mobility and international research collaboration. Global problems need international solutions. Our jobs board and emails reach the academics and researchers who can help.

"The globalisation of higher education continues apace, driving in turn the ongoing development of the global knowledge economy, striving for solutions to the world’s problems and educating a next generation of leaders and contributors."

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