Director, Research Cyberinfrastructure Center

University of California, Irvine•Irvine, CA

23h•Onsite

About The Position

The Research Cyberinfrastructure Center (RCIC), formed in 2018, supports the ever-growing needs of researchers on campus who require access to scalable computing and data resources. Focusing on the specific needs of UCI researchers, RCIC naturally fills the resource gap between small-scale, department-sized resources and national supercomputer centers. Its charter to help researchers be more competitive by providing access to top-quality cyberinfrastructure and adapting as technology evolves over time. Direct interaction with all researchers including graduate students, faculty, postdoctoral, and research staff is an essential component of RCIC's "DNA". While resources are managed to high-levels of reliability, RCIC must also evaluate and deploy emerging technologies. The Director, Research Cyberinfrastructure Center provides overall direction of UCI’s Research Cyberinfrastructure Center (RCIC) serving as focal point and service center for accessing, providing, coordinating and enhancing research Information Technology facilities and services. The Director will provide overall leadership in managing and growing the RCIC. The Director reports to the Vice Provost and Chief Information Officer, with a dotted line report to the Vice Chancellor of Research. OIT supports RCIC administratively and provides data center and other supplementary services. The RCIC Director serves as a member of the CIO’s senior leadership team, to facilitate integration and synergies with educational technology and other campus services. The Director oversees research IT services provided by the RCIC and facilitates collaborative service relationships with other groups that provide related services, in support of all UCI faculty and research staff. The Director is an ex-officio member of the faculty governance mechanisms that will provide RCIC oversight. The Director coordinates within OIT and with partner organizations such as the UCI Libraries, Data Sciences Initiative, Calit2, and academic schools.

Requirements

Broad thorough, and demonstrated knowledge of technical concepts and operating principles of data communications, cluster computing, data storage, secure data infrastructure, high performance networking (e.g. Infiniband), high performance computing, open source and other research software, and cloud services used in a research computing environment.
Extensive experience in an academic environment, conducting hands-on research, and/or supporting research teams.
Experience with full research project life cycle, including, but not limited to, identifying funding sources, authoring grant proposals, knowledge of funding lines in a grant request (e.g. capital, S&E, etc.), reporting requirements, overhead/IDC calculations, etc.
Demonstrated experience leading the work of experienced technical professionals, keeping them engaged and developing them into high performing teams.
Strong research technology vision development and strategic planning skills.
Demonstrated success working with a diverse group of peers to build consensus to achieve significant objectives in an environment where a variety of occasionally conflicting personalities and strategic goals must be reconciled.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills; the ability to interact professionally and diplomatically with a diverse group including faculty, research staff, Information Technology professionals, and executives; the ability to effectively present technical topics to large groups with potentially varied levels of technical sophistication.
Experience publishing technical materials in documents, whitepapers, conference or trade group proceedings, or peer-reviewed journals.
Ability to apply advanced Information Technology principles, theories, and concepts to manage and provide solutions to complex and multi-dimensional problems.
Demonstrated knowledge of the challenges imposed by big data research, cross-disciplinary research, distributed computing infrastructure, cloud computing, high-speed networking; etc.
Experience in the management of ongoing technology infrastructure acquisition and expansion, to include the identification and integration of suitable emerging technologies.
Adhere to OIT’s cultural values: Collaboration, Respect, Trust, Transparency, Quality, Inclusiveness, Customer Centricity, and Learning and Growth.
Advanced degree in related area and / or equivalent experience / training
Typically 5-10 years of experience managing in a research organization.
A minimum of 10 years of experience.
Previous experience leading or supervising a team.
Experience in a relevant scientific or scholarly field (preferred) OR a combination of education and experience.
Must be able to provide proof of work authorization

Nice To Haves

Existing relationships with other RCI groups and functions such as the NSF-funded National Supercomputing Centers, NASA, DOE, NIH or similar research centers.
Knowledge of compliance issues surrounding research data, including federal requirements, granting agency norms and campus and UC-wide security policy.

Responsibilities

Provides overall direction of UCI’s Research Cyberinfrastructure Center (RCIC) serving as focal point and service center for accessing, providing, coordinating and enhancing research Information Technology facilities and services.
Provides overall leadership in managing and growing the RCIC.
Oversees research IT services provided by the RCIC and facilitates collaborative service relationships with other groups that provide related services, in support of all UCI faculty and research staff.
Serves as a member of the CIO’s senior leadership team, to facilitate integration and synergies with educational technology and other campus services.
Is an ex-officio member of the faculty governance mechanisms that will provide RCIC oversight.
Coordinates within OIT and with partner organizations such as the UCI Libraries, Data Sciences Initiative, Calit2, and academic schools.
Manages and provides solutions to complex and multi-dimensional problems.
Manages ongoing technology infrastructure acquisition and expansion, to include the identification and integration of suitable emerging technologies.
Leads the work of experienced technical professionals, keeping them engaged and developing them into high performing teams.
Develops research technology vision and strategic planning.
Builds consensus with a diverse group of peers to achieve significant objectives in an environment where a variety of occasionally conflicting personalities and strategic goals must be reconciled.
Publishes technical materials in documents, whitepapers, conference or trade group proceedings, or peer-reviewed journals.