Systems Engineer II
University of Rochester
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Job Location (Full Address):
250 East River Rd, Rochester, New York, United States of America, 14623Opening:
Worker Subtype:
RegularTime Type:
Full timeScheduled Weekly Hours:
40Department:
220548 LLE-Laboratory for Laser EnergWork Shift:
UR - Day (United States of America)Range:
UR URG 113Compensation Range:
$77,216.00 - $115,824.00The referenced pay range represents the minimum and maximum compensation for this job. Individual annual salaries/hourly rates will be set within the job's compensation range, and will be determined by considering factors including, but not limited to, market data, education, experience, qualifications, expertise of the individual, and internal equity considerations.
Responsibilities:
GENERAL PURPOSEThe Laboratory for Laser Energetics is seeking a skilled System Engineer to support the design, deployment, and maintenance of high-performance computing infrastructure that powers critical scientific research and national missions. The successful candidate will join a multidisciplinary team responsible for ensuring the stability, security, and performance of cutting-edge HPC systems, including tightly integrated compute, storage, and networking components.
This role requires technical expertise in Linux systems administration, HPC architecture, security protocols, and a commitment to operational excellence in a secure and highly regulated environment.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
- Administer and maintain Linux-based HPC clusters and associated systems, including provisioning, monitoring, tuning, and troubleshooting.
- Configure and support workload/resource managers (e.g., Slurm, PBS Pro) and job scheduling policies.
- Maintain and secure high-speed interconnects (InfiniBand, Ethernet) and parallel file systems (e.g., GPFS).
- Apply system hardening and patching in compliance with federal cybersecurity standards (e.g., FISMA, NIST 800-53).
- Assist with implementation of secure authentication mechanisms and multi-factor access controls.
- Monitor system health, performance, and logs using tools such as Elastic, Prometheus, or Ganglia.
- Document procedures, system architectures, compliance reports, and user guidance materials.
- Participate in regular security audits, incident response, and disaster recovery planning.
- Engage in an on-call rotation and respond to after-hours alerts as needed.
MINIMUM EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE
Required
- U.S. Citizenship
- Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent work experience.
- Minimum 3 years of Linux system administration experience preferably in HPC computing environments.
- Strong knowledge of shell scripting and at least one programming/scripting language (Python, Perl, etc.).
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills; ability to work in a multidisciplinary, mission-focused environment.
Preferred
- Familiarity with HPC software stacks, cluster provisioning tools (e.g., xCAT, Warewulf), and automation frameworks (e.g., Ansible).
- Experience working in compliance with federal IT security policies and controls.
WORK CONDITIONS
- On-site work required
- Participation in occasional evening/weekend maintenance windows.
- Requires physical handling of servers and datacenter hardware.
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