Unix/Linux Systems Administrator - Computing Facilities - School of Computer Science

Carnegie Mellon University•Pittsburgh, PA

12d

About The Position

Carnegie Mellon University is a private, global research university that stands among the world’s most renowned education institutions. With ground-breaking brain science, path-breaking performances, creative start-ups, big data, big ambitions, hands-on learning, and a whole lot of robots, CMU doesn’t imagine the future, we invent it. If you’re passionate about joining a community that challenges the curious to deliver work that matters, your journey starts here! Our Computing Facilities department within the School of Computer Science seeks a UNIX/Linux System Administrator with experience in DevOps practices to contribute your experience to maintaining and evolving our diverse computing environment. In this role, you will support desktops, project servers, and high-performance computing systems, ensuring reliability and scalability across diverse environments. This role is ideal for someone who enjoys solving complex technical problems, working with the DevOps team on deployments and maintaining performance across our infrastructure.

Requirements

Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology or a related field
Proficiency with multiple Linux distributions such as Ubuntu, CentOS, Debian, and Red Hat.
Hands-on experience with Git and at least one scripting/configuration language (Ansible, Bash, Python, etc.).
Familiarity with network storage solutions like NFS, ZFS, and Lustre.
Exposure to centralized authentication systems (e.g., Kerberos).
Strong troubleshooting skills across both hardware and software domains.
Excellent communication skills to build positive working relationships and collaborate effectively with both technical and non-technical customers.
Ability to lift up to 35 pounds for hardware installations.
A combination of education and meaningful experience from which comparable knowledge is demonstrated may be considered.
Successful background check

Nice To Haves

Knowledge of advanced data management techniques, including ZFS replication and disaster recovery strategies.
Experience compiling software from source in Linux environments.
Familiarity with high-performance networking technologies such as InfiniBand.
Working knowledge of GPU technologies like CUDA and OpenCL.
Experience with distributed computing job schedulers (e.g., Slurm, PBS).
Familiarity with containerization and virtualization technologies, including VMware, VirtualBox, PodMan, and Singularity.
Experience with CI/CD tools (Jenkins, GitLab CI, GitHub Actions) and infrastructure-as-code practices.

Responsibilities

System Administration: Manage, upgrade, and troubleshoot Linux/Unix servers, desktops, and HPC clusters to ensure flawless operations.
Hardware Support: Install, configure, and maintain servers, workstations, and related hardware to keep our systems running smoothly.
Collaboration: Work closely with researchers and colleagues to plan maintenance, ensuring the day-to-day reliability of our computing infrastructure.
Automation & DevOps: Use scripting and configuration management tools to handle infrastructure management and routine tasks.
Monitoring & Optimization: Contribute to CI/CD pipelines, maintain comprehensive monitoring and logging systems, and tune our infrastructure for efficient performance and availability.