Research Computing & Systems Administrator

Colorado State University • Fort Collins, CO

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About The Position

The Research Computing & Systems Administrator performs analysis and design for research computing clusters and provides programming support to researchers and students as needed for research grants. The role designs and implements domain architectures, determines server-based services needed to support the College’s mission, and contributes to infrastructure services. It also develops and maintains web-based tools for Engineering faculty, staff, and students.

The position helps administer High Performance Computing (HPC) research clusters in the Scott Data Center and provides similar research-computing administration for clusters owned by individual research groups. It works with researchers, students, faculty, ETS colleagues, vendors, and procurement staff on cluster architecture, components, installations, and capacity. The position also develops custom software applications, evaluates and implements technology services, and troubleshoots UNIX/Linux hardware, software, and network issues.

Colorado State University’s Walter Scott, Jr. College of Engineering serves approximately 3,000 students, 145 faculty members, and more than 400 support staff and research scientists. Engineering Technology Services oversees most computing services for the College. The position has no supervisory responsibilities. Occasional work outside normal business hours may be needed for critical systems, unexpected service interruptions, and scheduled server maintenance or upgrades; such work is expected to be infrequent and communicated in advance when possible. Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States by the proposed start date; the department will not sponsor a visa. A pre-employment criminal background check is required for new hires.

The salary range is $62,700–$65,700. Applications should include a cover letter and resume/CV addressing the position’s required and applicable preferred qualifications. For full consideration, applications were due by 11:59 p.m. Mountain Time on Sunday, November 15, 2026; the posting remains open until filled, though later applications may not be reviewed.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or a related field, or an Associate’s degree plus at least two years of work experience in Computer Science or a related field.
• Working knowledge of Linux system administration, including system configuration, NFS filesystems, automount, Samba, SSH, and basic networking, including TCP/IP, DNS, and DHCP.
• Experience with HTML, CSS, JavaScript, SQL, SQLite, PHP, and Python.
• Strong knowledge of HTML, web standards, web design, and implementation.
• Experience creating database structures for applications.
• Experience working with High Performance Computing systems using Slurm or a similar system.
• Must be legally authorized to work in the United States by the proposed start date; visa sponsorship is not available.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with Linux distributions including Debian, Rocky Linux, and Ubuntu.
• Experience with remote desktop, VNC, and shell scripting.
• Experience installing and troubleshooting engineering research applications such as MATLAB, Cadence, and ANSYS Fluent.
• Experience with provisioning software such as Ansible or Puppet.
• Experience with parallel programming in research applications.
• Experience with AI-powered coding software agents.
• Experience with Web APIs, AJAX, JSON, and other JavaScript libraries.
• Strong understanding of user interfaces.
• Familiarity with Web 2.0 technologies.
• Familiarity with responsive design.
• Familiarity with using AI for coding.

Responsibilities

• Help manage existing High Performance Computing research clusters in the Scott Data Center.
• Provide programming support to meet the needs of research grants.
• Maintain cluster systems, including software and operating-system upgrades and security patching.
• Configure systems and install software.
• Help develop webpages that support cluster maintenance.
• Work with the ETS Financial Coordinator, Procurement, and vendors to obtain system components.
• Assist with cluster architecture design in collaboration with potential users and the ETS Systems Group while staying within funding allowances.
• Help coordinate vendors during site installation.
• Assist researchers with adding appropriate CPU and GPU nodes to clusters.
• Provide research-computing administration for clusters owned by individual research groups.
• Design and program custom software applications.
• Review, test, and implement new technology services for the College.
• Troubleshoot hardware, software, and network issues for UNIX/Linux servers and workstations.
• Develop and maintain web-based tools for the College.

Benefits

• The university describes a robust benefits package, collaborative atmosphere, and focus on work-life balance; specific benefit offerings are not listed in the posting.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level