(Hybrid) Systems Administrator - Department of Physics and Astronomy

The Department of Physics and Astronomy in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences at West Virginia University is currently accepting applications for a (Hybrid) Systems Administrator.

About the Opportunity

The North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves (NANOGrav) Physics Frontiers Center Systems Administrator will be primarily responsible for: developing and maintaining web-accessible data storage of NANOGrav and related pulsar search radio telescope observations; maintaining and innovating the NANOGrav cyber-infrastructure (IE: Jupyter Notebook Server, Google Workspace, Data Transfer and Processing Pipelines, Containerization of Science Software, Drupal Website, Self-Hosted Wiki and GitLab instances, etc); maintaining shared Linux-based High Performance Compute resources (IE: software installation, security patches, hardware replacement, etc); and training undergraduate and graduate students across multiple institutions in the use of various software and development best practices.

We strongly believe in work-life balance and keeping time for things we love outside our work. WVU offers generous benefits, including:

• 37.5-hour work week
• 13 paid holidays (staff holiday calendar)
• 24 annual leave (vacation) days per year or more based on years of service (employee leave)
• 18 sick days per year (for when you're ill, for when you need time to care for sick family, for your own, or your family's, regularly scheduled medical appointments. Who is family for the purpose of this leave? A lot of people in your life including immediate relatives and in-laws as well as others considered to be members of your household living under the same roof)
• WVU offers a range of health insurance and other benefits
• 401(a) retirement savings with 6% employee contribution match, eligibility to continue health insurance, and other retiree perks. Looking for more retirement benefits information? Check out retirement health insurance benefits, retirement income, and FAQ's.
• Wellness programs

What You'll Do

• Maintain and develop software systems to adapt to the changing scientific needs of the collaboration.
• Maintain enterprise-grade, rack-mounted computational hardware computational hardware for data processing and storage.
• Respond to user requests and issues on the managed systems and with our software stack.
• Monitor, identify, and correct software and hardware defects.
• Problem-solve and think laterally as part of a team, or individually, to meet the needs of the project.
• Manage user accounts on various computational platforms (IE: Active Directory and Google Workspace).
• Ensure that all cyber-infrastructure adheres to university cyber-security protocols.
• Provide quality assessment support for regulatory, contract, policy and/or program activities and matters.

• Bachelor's degree in a computer related field required.
• A minimum of four (4) years of professional computing experience.
• Any equivalent combination of related education and/or experience will be considered.
• All qualifications must be met by the time of employment.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Maintaining and administering Linux-based servers.
• A knowledge of software containers, including Docker.
• A working knowledge of the Python programming language.
• A working knowledge of automation of software operations.
• Familiarity with NAS Software and enterprise-grade JBoDs (IE: LustreFS, ZFS, etc).
• Advanced skill in the design/development of new software and git-powered version control.
• Skilled at analyzing needs and product requirements to fulfill the cyber-infrastructure requirements of the collaboration.
• Skilled in determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
• Skilled at generating or adapting equipment and technology to serve user needs.
• Strong interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work with a diverse work group.
• The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Advanced knowledge of consumer electronics, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
• The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
• The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong.
• Ability to respond to common inquiries or complaints from customers, regulatory agencies, or members of the business community.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree.

West Virginia University is a place of purpose and community. We take pride in our profound impact on the state of West Virginia and are committed to the personal and professional growth of our employees.

From the groundbreaking R1 research at our flagship campus in Morgantown to the career-oriented programs at WVU Potomac State in Keyser, and the technology-intensive programs at WVU Tech in Beckley, the contributions of WVU employees resonate across the state, touching lives and shaping futures.

At WVU, you will discover a supportive community that champions work-life balance and fosters a collaborative atmosphere. Our core values - service, curiosity, respect, accountability and appreciation - unite us as Mountaineers.

Join us at West Virginia University, where your work will make a lasting impact. To learn more about WVU, visit wvu.edu.

West Virginia University is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We invite all qualified applicants regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, or Veteran status.